Ensemble Leveling
Chapter 40: United We Stand
With the initiation of Lap 3 begin in earnest with the activation of Thanatos, the number of participants who had entered Lap 2 and made it back to the finishing line has been reduced significantly. Of the remaining 160 participants who entered Lap 2, only 45 remained after all of its challenges. And none of them have any intention of participating in Lap 3 after going through so much of their own struggle just to throw it all away at the end. They know their limit, and this isn’t their hill to die on.
Thus making the 4 of them who made their turn away from the finish line all alone and it is their sole challenge to overcome by their own merit. Disqualification doesn’t mean one instantly lose all their right to enter the other trials of Odyssey, it just mean they earned absolutely no point and have to amend in later challenges. This competition was made to be difficult, but not meaninglessly cruel for no reason.
In this matter, Jihoon decided that it is time to recall just what is the expertise of the 3 prodigals that he had to rely on in Lap 3 now.
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Heiress of Solros Snow Queen
Name: Fenrir Snowbreak
Level: 136
Class: Snowtreader
Race: Wolf Beastfolk
+Physical Attributes:
-STR: 177
-END: 144
-AGI: 3??
-DEX: 3??
+Non-physical Attributes:
-INT: 11
-CHA: 44
-MAG: 2??
+Weapons:
-Devourer’s Claw [Legendary]
+Active Skill:
-Ice Magic (Expert)
|Blizzard’s Call (Expert):
Creating a localized snowstorm, reduce visibility and impairing senses greatly of all caught within.
|Frost Step (Advanced)
Moves silently while creating frost patches beneath own’s feet, amplifies own movement speed.
|Winter’s Frenzy (Intermediate)
Rapid flurry of blows, relentless like winter’s howling wind. Attack count increased with AGI.
|Glacial Fang (Advanced)
Coating own’s weapon in hardened permafrost. Deal devastating damage on performance.
-Predator’s Instinct (Advanced)
Allow rapid and accurate detection, combined with swift counterattack and response befitting of a predator.
+Passive Skill:
- Snowtreader’s Grace (Unique Racial Skill):
Grants immunity to cold environments and enhances agility on any terrain covered in snow or ice.
Additionally, allows her to create small patches of frost underfoot, enhancing her speed in battle.
-Pack Leader’s Aura (Innate):
Boost the physical performance of all surrounding allies by 10%
-Beastfolk Resilience (Innate):
Resistance to cold environment and increased natural regeneration, stamina.
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Fenrir took the lead, seemingly trying to emulate her own mother’s leading quality as the ragtag team of 4 encountered their first sentinel patrol of Lap 3 while running away from the Thanatos that is only getting closer behind. Jihoon used his [Observant], and their current average physical stats is at 250. Fenrir’s hair ruffled seemingly guided by her instinct as she draws out her family’s treasured weapon, in a competition of all places.
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Devourer’s Claw
Classification: Claw
Rarity: Legendary
ATK+: 444
Description:
Forged with a mix of enchanted mythril and icebound steel and within
the hearts of Solros’s numerous snowstorms, it took the shape of clawed gauntlets,
sleek and vicious. Constantly absorbing ambient cold, growing sharper
and deadlier in frigid conditions.
Every strike release latent frost energy, freezing wounds upon contact,
and sapping the vitality of its target like a relentless predator
as it devours life in both literal and thematic sense.
It is said to embody the spirit of the First Snow Queen herself, lending its
bearer the unyielding will and fierce agility of a wolf in pursuit.
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Fenrir surged forward, Devourer’s Claw flashing in her hand, its icy aura crackling with the chill of her homeland. Jihoon observed her movement with keen interest, fascinated by her combat approach. Where most fighters would strike once and retreat to gauge their surroundings, Fenrir weaved in and out of close combat with breathtaking fluidity, closing the gap between her and each sentinel construct with seamless speed.
Her approach to combat was uncompromising. She darted in close, weaving around her opponents with agile finesse, leveraging every inch of her wolf-beastfolk heritage to exploit weaknesses.
Jihoon analyzed each calculated motion she made. With her choice of weapon, every attack required intense proximity to her targets, forcing her to weave past the sentinel constructs’ defenses to land a blow. But Fenrir’s strength wasn’t merely in her agility but rather, it was in the decisive, unrelenting ferocity of each strike.
Despite being just a lone wolf against a relentless horde, she fought not as a single warrior but like an entire wolf pack—hitting fast, retreating just out of range, and closing back in to tear apart her foes. Her combat was so swift and fluid that it is like watching a wolfpack tearing apart its larger prey methodically.
Where her claws connected, frost bloomed across the constructs’ exteriors, their metal limbs freezing and cracking as they attempted to retaliate. Watching her dominating the battlefield with a natural ease that came from a seemingly lifetime of training with her youthful age and an indomitable instinct honed for the hunt. Each movement, each strike, each pivot was precise and intentional, embodying the harmony of nature’s ruthlessness and elegance.
As Fenrir cleaved her way forward, Jihoon couldn’t help but feel inspired from witnessing her resolve. If they were to make it through this trial, he knew they would need to channel the same focus and tenacity that Fenrir displayed.
Throughout the entirety of the urban road section, Fenrir consistently pushed herself to the utmost limit. Her Expert-class proficiency of Ice Magic put to the test as she cleared out a relentless path that has since tightly packed with sentinels. With each spell she released, she hastened her own pace of combat.
Blizzard’s Call summoned frigid winds as obscuring fog and cloud coalesced above, obscuring detection vision for the sentinels and reducing their accuracy as they stumbled through the biting cold, unfortunately so too for the other 3 following her but they can’t be lost on predetermined straight path either way. Frost Step gave her unmatched speed as she dashed forward, silent and deadly, leaving icy patches in her wake that hindered the constructs behind her.
When the numbers became overwhelming, she unleashed Winter’s Frenzy, a devastating series of blows that struck so quickly, the constructs appeared to be crumbling apart with each relentless swing of Devourer’s Claw. With every clash, shards of ice erupted in a chaotic dance around her, obscuring her figure and freezing each construct she passed.
Jihoon, Legolas, and Zorn moved just behind her, maintaining formation as they pressed forward through the gauntlet. Fenrir’s powers were immense, yet all of them knew that even she couldn’t maintain this pace forever. The others had no choice but to pull their own weight when the inevitable arrived, knowing that Fenrir’s breakneck speed and decisive attacks were keeping them all alive.
Each of them understood that any weakness amongst them could mean certain ‘death’, otherwise disqualification as the monstrous Thanatos construct continued its relentless pursuit, looming closer with every second.
Jihoon, Legolas, and Zorn followed closely, each helping to take down the remaining constructs in her wake, but he could see the toll her abilities were taking. Her breaths grew heavier, and as they approached the end of the urban road, Fenrir’s once-relentless pace slowed. The snowstorm dissipated, leaving the way clear for them to transition to the dirt trail just ahead. She had bought them time, but they all knew that time was slipping away.
Yet, much similar to the previous lap. Another boss sentinel has appeared and blocked the entirety of the way for them. Its form massive, coiling like serpentine. Boasting multiple heads which each equipped with segmented jaws. This, is the recreation of the Hydra and that they alone must face. Each head moved independently, eyeing them with gleaming sensors and hissing in metallic rhythm, like the warning rattle of an apex predator sizing up its prey.
Fenrir staggered back, catching her breath. "I'm… on cooldown,” she managed, struggling to keep her focus.
Jihoon exchanged a quick look with Legolas and Zorn. The Thanatos was drawing closer from behind, and if they wanted to move forward, they had no choice but to step up. The three locked eyes, each understanding that only by fighting as one could they hope to make it through. They spread out, each preparing to pull their own weight in the next battle, knowing that no weak links could survive the storm that awaited them.
In this moment, Legolas step up to take the leading role. And Jihoon recalled what that man is capable of.
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Alberenth Commando Major
Name: Legolas Virentleaf
Level: 2??
Class: Commando
Race: Wood Elf
+Physical Attributes:
-STR: 133
-END: 165
-AGI: 3??
-DEX: 3??
+Non-physical Attributes:
-INT: 9
-CHA: 22
-MAG: 2??
+Weapons:
-Storm Shooter [Heroic]
-Ether Edge [Mortal]
+Active Skill:
-Wind Magic (Expert)
|Windborne Speed (Expert)
Harnesses wind currents to drastically increase movement speed,
making self and allies nearly invisible to the naked eye while running.
|Whirling Tempest (Expert)
Creates a large localized storm around self, capable of deflecting,
altering trajectory of projectiles and throw away enemies caught within.
|Gale Precision (Advanced)
Increases accuracy and speed of projectile attacks when using ranged weapons,
adjusts own trajectory mid-flight.
|Aether Shot (Advanced)
An enhanced ranged attack where wind magic fuses with own medium,
increasing their speed and power significantly.
|Vortex Strike (Intermediate)
Uses wind magic to channel powerful bursts of air into own melee attacks,
causing explosive shockwaves with each strike.
+Passive Skill:
-Sylvan Reflex (Unique Racial Skill)
|Grants heightened reaction speed and agility, allowing detection
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of subtle movements in his surroundings and react before danger strikes.
In wooded or natural environments, this skill amplifies further, granting
near-supernatural awareness of the battlefield.
-Mana Attunement (Expert)
-Mystic Resistance (Innate):
A natural elven ability that increases endurance
and resistance to fatigue, magic-based abilities
allowing performance for long periods without tiring.
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And at the same time, he used [Observant] on the Hydra to measure if he will utilize Linked Song Magic here and right now.
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Sentinel Construct Model 81 - Hydra
Name: *none*
Level: 5??
Race: Non-sentient Mechanical Construct
+Physical Attributes:
-STR: 7??
-END: 6??
-AGI: 244
-DEX: 6??
+Non-physical Attributes:
-INT: NAN
-CHA: NAN
-MAG: 130
-Active Skill:
-Regenerative Protocol (Advanced):
Damaged heads can be repaired quickly, and new heads can spawn
after significant damage, limited to a max of six heads.
-Shockwave Bellow (Advanced):
Unleashes an ear-piercing roar that emits shockwaves
capable of stunning and repelling attackers within a wide radius.
-Venom Blast (Advanced):
Each head can spray a corrosive substance
that damages armor and decreases movement speed.
-Segmented Defense (Advanced):
Can shift its segmented armor plates, redistributing defenses to focus on attacks in one area.
-Description:
A sentinel model built and designed to emulate the Hydra in the ancient lore
of Calphennis region. Long coiling serpentine body, cascading
armor plating form like scales, capable of self-repair and reconstruction
if given time and utilize highly corrosive and paralyzing toxin to take down
its preys.
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Recognizing the danger what the Hydra construct is capable of even without seeing it in action. Legolas stepped into the action.
"We’re going to need full cooperation for this one. Zorn, we’ll need your strength and resilience on the front line. Jihoon, I’m counting on your Magic whatever it is—and give us whatever edge you can. We’ll have to break through this thing together.”
Jihoon only nods, if the Hydra had regeneration akin to the myth, he knew this wouldn’t just be about brute force—it would require coordination to strike all heads in tandem, preventing it from using its Regenerative Protocol to outlast them.
Without a word, Legolas activated Windborne Speed, weaving wind currents around himself and his teammates, making them nearly invisible in their movements as they prepared to face the Hydra.
Legolas unsheathed the Ether Edge, its sleek, translucent blade gleaming faintly as it emanates flowing mist, a testament to its design as both a physical and magical weapon. As he moved, Windborne Speed cloaked him in nearly invisible gusts, and his footsteps made not a sound, leaving the Hydra with little to aim at as he launched his first strike.
With precision only achievable by a seasoned commando, he swung the Ether Edge in a sweeping arc at one of the Hydra’s heads, activating Gale Precision. The strike was both fast and deadly accurate, carrying an intensified edge as the wind currents wrapped around the blade. A powerful swing so fast that as if the swinging arc remained in afterimage briefly, severed one of the Hydra’s heads with a hiss of pressurized hydraulics, the neck falling limp with a dull thud.
“Keep it up!” he called as he repositioned, never standing still for a second, the swirling wind making him a blur. He spun into a second strike as Aether Shot activated, sending a gust-fused blade of energy into another head, managing to slice halfway through before the Hydra recoiled.
Despite that the System listed a lot of his Wind Magic as work strictly on a projectile weaponry, his proficiency with his magic so immense that he could translate it into melee weaponry either way. The Ether Edge that he wields is classified as Mortal, which means that it is as much of a simple combat knife that any soldier is issued. The fact that he can be so destructive as this world’s equivalent of a special force soldier with standard issued weaponry spoke of the level of experience he has.
Even still, they only have a minute at best before the Thanatos arrive at their location. Their progress has been fast just now, but the Hydra is making them squandering each of these hard-earned seconds.
He and Zorn has to partake in the fight or else. And without the elves’ natural dexterity, Windborne speed did enhance their movement speed but its camouflage effect failed utterly as the Hydra’s attention drawn toward them. Immediately, the other remaining heads opened their mouths as toxic gas unleashed from all of them.
Jihoon had no choice but to use Wings that Don’t Reach to evade while Zorn bravely stepped forward through pouring toxin as his Juggernaut Armor protects him entirely from external source. All things have limit, it is just not his today.
Zorn charged forward with his armor’s bulk, his armored fists like hammers crashing against the Hydra’s metallic frame. He struck another head and held it down, growling, "I’ll keep them in place—just keep the cuts coming!” He braced himself, enduring corrosive sprays of Venom Blast as they splashed across his armor, buying Jihoon and Legolas a critical opening.
Jihoon utilized his Light Magic again, this time uses Golden Hour as numerous weaponries made of luminescence manifest in the air before falling toward the ground in pattern, each blade and spear turn into anchors of magic formation. As the domain of light took place, Jihoon upcast his spells through the magic formation itself as numerous threads intertwines into ropes that wrapped and ensnare the Hydra.
The disparity of stats is real however as all of those ropes of light only restrained it for a few seconds yet that few seconds was enough for Legolas to take action.
Unleashing Vortex Strikes in rapid succession, emeraldlike energy converged with the wind as the Ether Edge struck swiftly and rapidly as even more of its heads are decapitated. Yet its Regeneration Protocol is taking place already as the severed neck start to reconstruction on its own.
In its myth, its regeneration is nullified by cauterizing the decapitated stump. Unfortunately, none of them knows Fire Magic and their dwarf isn’t a blacksmith but a warrior. And Jihoon’s offensive Light Magic spell didn’t have property of heat as of currently.
Thirty seconds left. Jihoon mentally calculated their time in compared to Thanatos’ speed. It doesn’t look bright for them.
It was bad enough that Fenrir moved against her own condition as her own instinct is warning her that she couldn’t even afford another second to rest. Frost swirled as she used Glacial Fang on the decapitated necks of the Hydra, yet because of its size, she had to upcast its potency by brute force instead of complexity, this act just consumed whatever mana reserve that she recovered just now.
An opening has been brought yet the Thanatos’s looming approach is threatening to tear apart any sense of calm that they have.
Legolas, exhausted yet undeterred, glanced at Jihoon. “We can’t keep this up; we need a final blow,” he urged, a rare hint of strain in his voice.
The other option to defeat the Hydra in its myth, is to severe all of its heads at the same time. Yet 6 heads and only 3 of them, even this is too much for Legolas allegedly with his Wind Magic.
With the situation seemingly head toward a dead-end, everyone’s mind gone into overdrive as they started to look for a solution in reach. The other 3’s Expert-class Magic is recognized as powerful with certain but they’re range of effect too widespread for actual damage. Fenrir’s Blizzard Call couldn’t froze an entire Hydra solidly, Legolas’s Whirling Tempest couldn’t shred it apart by force, and Zorn’s Seismic Barrage is too ineffective against its serpentine physique.
So it falls to Jihoon again, and he once again has to call upon his enlightenment of Advanced-class Magic, no matter how unstable or fragile his steps might be. Any spell of such level that he cast will shatter in just one use, much like how his Wings that Don’t Reach shatter apart in one flap.
But with Golden Hour, he can upcast all of his Light Magic spell potency one level above while maintaining its cost the same with its limit being his current Magic Proficiency which now at Advanced.
So, he need to devise his own Advanced-class Light Magic, an offensive spell that is just as destructive yet have enough spread to severe all of the Hydra’s heads all at once.
Remembering the steps of Magic once again. He recalled how he advanced to such a realm.
Innate is when one only perceives the elements as they are, only the raw imagery depicting them.
Initiate is when one understood the methods and underlying physics that allows the magical elements to gain substantial effects.
Novice is imparting personal meaning into the methods themselves. Granting more substantive power more than just manipulation. This is also why users of same proficiency can have vastly different application range and potency of the spells they used.
Intermediate is when one synthesizes and connects the imagery, understanding, and meaning together instead of just sequentially linking them. This complexity allows Magic spell to gain far greater potency or effects.
Advanced is when one connects with the deeper meaning behind the magic itself. Becoming one with the magic, letting it transcend its normal boundaries to achieve something greater—not just an expression of power, but of purpose. This includes themselves in the magic equation for spells.
In other words, to stop thinking of oneself as commanding magic but rather an extension of magic in itself.
First, he outstretched his hands forward. The imagery of the daybreak at horizon, and the method of how concentrated light cut, and the personal meaning it has for someone like him, an F-rank Hunter in his world struggles to live for the next day with how much it means to him. The three of them together in sequence, formed the Novice-class Light Magic – Dawn’s Edge. This took him 0.5 seconds.
Then, he synthesized all 3 of them together and how they interplayed. Of how the separated part only linked sequentially can be interpreted as others and vice versa. Like how imagery becomes that of the method and personal meaning. This too applied for other aspects of its making. Additionally through Golden Hour’s effect, Dawn’s Edge became Intermediate–class Light Magic – Daybreak Gleam. This took him 1.3 seconds.
The long dagger shaped in the daybreak at horizon transformed into a greatsword of incandescent light whose size exceed that of his own form. Jihoon lunged forward at the Hydra, numerous ropes formed by threads of light sprung to impede its movement as much as it could as Jihoon swung the greatsword with all he has. If it was just like this, it wouldn’t be enough to sever all of the Hydra’s heads.
And so, similar to how he had created Wings that Don’t Reach, he has to assert a meaningful ‘connection’ to transform it into something greater. How he empathized with Alvorna’s plight, from the suppressed ideality that only taken flight thanks to his unconditional feelings toward her. And in doing so, he recognized her situation being no different than his even if they are vastly different. Together, they are people who didn’t feel belong to the world they’re in.
The component of self, and how much it stood for someone like him. That’s what the connection stood for.
He looked at the greatsword in his hands and found himself thinking of light itself, a spectrum of colors converging to create a single, radiant whole.
Advanced-class Light Magic – Seven Color Swords
As a music composer, someone who understood that harmony emerged when distinct voices came together. There were seven colors in light, seven notes in a musical scale. The resonance of light, of music, of his spirit, were one and the same. Every piece of himself, every part of his journey, came together.
The promises, the connections, the relationships that he had managed to establish in Absence. His thoughts returned to each of them—Alvorna, Aquarius, Rosa, and Karim—all those who shared in his burden, who in one way or another helped him redefine who he was, and what he could become. They were the bridges he’d crossed, and their presence in his life had transformed him.
As he completed the swing, the greatsword fractured, splitting into seven luminous blades of different sizes from greatsword to dagger, each glowing in a hue of the light spectrum—crimson, amber, gold, emerald, azure, indigo, and violet. Seven colors, seven weapons. Each blade hovered in the air around him, before plunging into the ground, surrounding the boss sentinel.
What becomes of the greatsword of light in his hand turned into a crimson greatsword. Yet its offensive capability didn’t wane even a bit even if its form unstable. This too applied to other fragmented weapons that originated from. And with blinding speed, his next step was like a flash from the dark as one of the Hydra construct’s heads was severed.
And before even a fraction of a second has passed, the crimson greatsword shattered like glass as its scattering fragments sparkles like kaleidoscope. Taking hold of the next color sword, the amber two-hander, Jihoon swiftly perform the previous feat again as he drives his metal processing and reaction speed to the limit. Each swing, a head of a Hydra severed, another color sword of his shatter once fulfilled its purpose.
Golden longsword, emerald broadsword, azure shortsword, indigo baselard and finally violet dagger. Within short seconds, propelled by his obsession-fueled strength within lucidity of enlightenment. Each head fell, severed in perfect synchrony, leaving the Hydra motionless as its body shuddered, then collapsed.
It was over, and just in time. Jihoon turned, seeing the Thanatos looming in the distance. Though he was weary, he was ready. As were his allies, who had fought their hardest beside him.
“We need to hurry, now!”. Jihoon said as he drags his tired body to keep moving after performing that Advanced-class Magic, still maintaining that Obsession of his no matter what. It is easy to forget that he still has that self-inflicted injury before.
And so, the group of 4 moved onward in spite of the accumulated fatigue that the boss has done. And not too late because just in 7 seconds, the Thanatos arrived at where the Hydra battle taken place and by then, they were already gone.
But they knew better than to believe themselves to be safe, because overconfidence is an insidious killer after all.