Chapter 219 - Showdown (3)

The sound of running water filled the air as I swept the floor, enveloping not only the ground but also the trees.

Upon hearing Yerim's declaration, the leader of the Amaterasu guild quickly issued additional evacuation orders.

It was surprising to hear that the Amaterasu guild would offer compensation for damages and completely evacuate the coastal houses.

I wondered if it would be over by now.

"Of course, as an S-rank hunter on the combat list, you wouldn't want to miss this show, right?"

That was Haeun's opinion, unless you valued Kakuto highly. Since they only issued an evacuation order and it seemed he was alone, he might be just a guild member. Or perhaps they thought he could hold out for at least an hour.

[Oh, the water's flowing again. Kakuto Hunter is dodging quickly. His speed is truly amazing.]

The Japanese commentator seemed to favor Kakuto. I felt a mix of compassion and regret. There should be a broadcast in Korea too, where is it?

I searched for live streams on the internet on my phone.

[The pouring water power! Park Yerim Hunter summons water columns one after another! One, two, three! They're dragons!]

[Kakuto the hunter is no longer visible! It's an overwhelming scale, almost like nature against man! What do you think, Mr. Song Taewon?]

[...Huh? Mr. Song Taewon?]

The camera shifted sideways, showing a calm and composed Song Taewon, unlike the two excited commentators.

How did he get there...?

[Hunter Park Yerim has remarkably high magic stat levels and has also imposed a time limit, so there probably won't be major issues.]

Song Taewon responded with a professional attitude. There were hints that they wanted his commentary during the last A-rank qualification fight, but he refused, saying he had to prepare for the battlefield accident.

Now, with the stage overseas, they finally brought him in.

There was no other suitable S-rank hunter for commentary in Korea. Riette and Evelyn were foreigners, and Kim Sunghan had left, and he wasn't the type to leave the guild just to appear on a television show that was on the air. Did Park Minkyu from the HanShin guild refuse?

Still, why bother bringing him out just for commentary on an A-rank hunter after such a long time of peace? It's too much.

"Oh, water just sprang up and the foam is floating! Is it a spring?"

"Yes, it's a spring! Park Yerim Hunter's spring has burst!"

Upon hearing that, I looked up and saw an actual gush of foamy water. I had heard that Japan had many springs, but even as we fought, one had burst. Could it be that the spring was Park Yerim's doing?

The original battlefield turned into a large puddle of water, while Kakuto fled along the sand. Yerim followed him calmly but with fierce determination.

Around us, apart from me and Myeongwoo, only the Awakened with A-grade or higher stats remained.

Some of the A-grades were dragged by the water towards the sea and repeatedly returned.

Even I, floating in the air thanks to my brother's Blue Birch Leaf spell, was soaked by the water.

"Here I go again! Get ready!"

With Yerim's friendly warning, the water jet rose. The water pressure was incredible, but when Kakuto tried to cut through the wall of water blocking his path...

Boom!

The water exploded like a blast and instantly turned into shards of ice. Hundreds of ice arrows rushed forth.

All thanks to the power released by Kakuto himself.

With his skill, Kakuto had melted the ice off the arrows with volcanic heat, and steam rose around him. However, it was impossible to boil away all the constantly flowing water, not just the surrounding air.

Finally, when the heat disappeared, the raised water wall froze completely. It turned into a terrifying wall of spikes hurtling towards Kakuto.

"Damn it!"

That seemed foolish.

Thanks to his imposing size, Kakuto crashed through the water wall instead of fleeing.

Concentrating his heat, he melted the ice and smashed the thick ice with a fencing skill according to his S-rank stat.

Although he was being pursued like prey, an S-rank was an S-rank. With a roar, the ice wall split in half.

The shards glittered intensely as they flew in all directions, and just as Kakuto's body rose amidst the debris of the wall...

Crack!

A wave hit him as if a giant had slapped him with the palm of his hand, and Kakuto was swept away by the waves.

[A tremendous wave, a Tsunami!]

Japan was in chaos, and so was the Korean broadcast. So loud! They were driving me crazy.

The water swept over the land again. Trees bent and unfortunate cars nearby overturned. Kakuto had managed to defend against the water with his heat and other abilities, but he was barely surviving.

"The difference is too great."

"Because we're on the coast."

Yoohyun replied as if it were obvious.

"If we were in the middle of the desert, we would have been in trouble."

Now they simply needed to bring water, but if they were in the desert, they would have to create it, which would mean a greater mana consumption and a lesser amount of water. But here, it was like they had an infinite supply of bullets. They could just shoot at will.

"We should have done it in the height of summer. Don't you think so?"

Yerim waved her hand as if she had refreshed the audience. The Mage's shawl fluttered, and the earrings jingled. A jet of water gushed around her.

A dozen twisted water jets coiled around their owner like the heads of a Hydra.

[It's like Yamata no Orochi!] [1]

What's that again? A thick jet of water, as if tied to five electric poles, flew towards Kakuto like a spear. Even along the way.

Crunch -

It froze solidly and literally became a giant ice spear.

It hit the ground with a blow! Hit! Hit!

It struck the ground non-stop. Kakuto could barely dodge the attacks he hadn't expected.

It wasn't just the amount of water he had to melt with his heat. There were too many to face with his sword. Unless he faced them directly and destroyed them with an S-rank skill, there was no way to avoid them.

The Japanese broadcast sighed regretfully, while the Korean one shouted with excitement.

[¡Park Yerim! ¡Yerim! It's Yerim!]

It's leaving me breathless. I should have brought a banner too. Even the ordinary spectators who sometimes appeared were excited.

There were drums and trumpets sounding everywhere.

"How long has it been since it started?"

They said they would settle it in an hour. I didn't have a watch, so I had to check it with my phone's clock.

A clock... They hadn't said anything about it yet, maybe they really forgot? It could be possible to forget, I guess.

Sometimes, people forget things as they live.

"Why?"

"No, nothing at all."

My brother looked at me curiously. Why am I asking? I should ask directly.

Anyway, it seemed like about thirty minutes had passed. Just then, the broadcast also announced the time.

[It's been 34 minutes since Park Yerim Hunter's 1-hour warning. Now there are only 26, 25 minutes left. Shouldn't they start capturing him?]

[Mana consumption is also high. But even seeing this situation, it would be absurd to say that enduring an hour means Kakuto Hunter's victory, right?]

[Indeed, couldn't Park Yerim Hunter's victory be considered even at this moment?]

Originally, if Kakuto left the stadium, it would be considered a defeat. But Yerim set the conditions first. Although he seems confident, capturing him won't be easy because of how fast the opponent is. It seems difficult to keep him trapped when he can block his surroundings with heat.

Maybe he should use sunlight without shadows. If he adds a magical boost to his skill, even with cold resistance, he shouldn't freeze beyond an S-rank.

"Hoo, Ha!"

Kakuto gasped roughly as he jumped over the broken ice pillars on the ground.

He seemed tired of dodging and blocking attacks. Yet his speed didn't decrease. Although he must be spending more mana than Yerim, who is only handling the water and occasionally freezing it.

But at that moment, I can't replenish with potions.

"How many minutes left?"

Yerim looked around, asking.

"19 minutes!"

I shouted quickly after seeing the timer at the top of the Korean broadcast. Yerim thanked me with a finger heart gesture.

"Did you hear that? There's still a little time left, but we've played enough, so let's finish!"

"Not so fast! If you can catch me, try it!"

He can hold out for about 19 minutes. Maybe that's why Kakuto's movements became faster. Was he pretending not to have extra energy?

With heavy steps, Kakuto began to run to get away and separate the distance. His figure quickly moved away. Yerim, who was staring at him, moved a finger.

The sea where Kakuto was heading began to ripple.

Boom!

In an instant, Yerim's figure disappeared and appeared right above Kakuto.

She waited until Kakuto wielded his sword.

Clang!

The clash between the ice and the sword strike sent water droplets flying. When Kakuto tried to retreat again, a massive water mass rose from the sea.

It looked like a whale leaping onto land. An enormous water mass, the size of a small field, blocked Kakuto's path.

Although he was allowed to exit the arena, he couldn't return due to his limitation on the coast. It wasn't different from throwing himself at the enemy.

As he couldn't foresee how that huge water mass would attack.

Almost simultaneously, from the other side, another water mass of the same size blocked the path. This time, even Yerim found it hard to breathe.

Two water masses, like small lakes, gleamed under the sun. Both Japanese and Korean broadcasts fell silent for a moment at the surreal sight.

"Did he surrender?"

"No, I'm just blocked!"

Kakuto shouted, confused but persistent. Honestly, there seems to be no answer. Even Hyung, who handles flames much hotter than mere heat, couldn't do it without the additional SS-Skill buff and the opponent's attribute and stat buffs.

Sure, Hyung could escape using his blue birch leaves, but Kakuto didn't have a similar flight skill.

Although he shouted loudly, watching Kakuto, who was limited in movement, Yerim smiled.

"It's alright then."

Part of the water mass moved. It moved toward Kakuto at a not very fast pace. The scorching heat and steam filled the air again.

Sword strikes and water droplets were thrown, but it was a desperate battle against the water.

How can one face the water itself, which isn't ice? Although he was strong, he could only briefly push it with pure physical force. And he could only push a part of the water.

And with an ocean, not a lake beside. Even if he were an SS-class hunter instead of S, it would be impossible to evaporate the ocean.

Crack!

Finally, the water mass swallowed Kakuto. Even mountain water joined to form a large whirlpool around Kakuto. Although he might escape by swimming, the water wouldn't allow it.

Shplunk.

Part of the pile froze. Ice spheres formed around Kakuto. Most of the outer walls were still made of water.

Thud -

The sound of hitting the ice wall from inside the mass sounded faintly. But if the ice broke, the water would fill again and freeze in place. No time to escape, at a rapid pace.

Melting, breaking, and refreezing. If it were a stone or iron wall, it would be the end the moment it broke. It would be hard to restore quickly. But water and ice could repeat continuously. Relentlessly, continuously.

Kakuto's movements gradually slowed down.

The water also blocked the air. It seems he hadn't brought underwater activity gear thinking they could easily evaporate everything due to the stadium limitation.

Even an S-class hunter, whose physical abilities surpass human level, can't last long without oxygen. Finally, Kakuto lost consciousness and, just after the broadcast of Park Yerim Hunter's victory aired hastily, the water mass exploded.

Kaboom!

As the water drained away, Kakuto staggered and sat down. Yerim approached him.

"Thank you for your effort. It was fun. You really gave it your all."

Yerim took out a potion saying she feels like she's about to run out of mana and drank it. Kakuto's expression twisted, but he nodded obediently.

"I acknowledge my defeat, Park Yerim Hunter. I'm satisfied with having brought out all your power, and I'll strive harder for future fair encounters."

...Although Yerim didn't use the Sun without Shadows. Without flight skill similar to flight, without SS-Skill attribute and skill buffs, it was about two-thirds of Yerim's true ability. This Kakuto is starting to seem a bit pitiable.

Kakuto got up from his seat and bowed again to Yerim.

"You were insufferably strong, even without being a water goddess."

"A goddess? I'm the Water Master! Nothing more!"

Yerim laughed cheerfully as she waved a spear embedded with the Water Master's jewel.

Translator's notes:

Hello! I've decided to pick up a novel that has been abandoned for some time and start translating it. But before I begin, I'd like to apologize in advance if there are any errors with names, places, abilities, etc. I'll do my best to minimize them! Greetings!

(1): Yamata no Orochi is a legendary creature from Japanese mythology. It is commonly described as a serpent with eight heads and eight tails. According to legend, Yamata no Orochi dwelled in the Izumo region of Japan and was a malevolent being that demanded human sacrifices.