Chapter 215
Im Haneul was a Support Mage. Rather than directly engaging in combat on the front lines, she prioritized supporting her allies from the rear.
However, just because she emphasized ally support didn't mean she lacked Combat Ability—quite the opposite.
From the start, she was a considerably high-level User, even earning the “Hero Title”.
Although her Individual Combat Ability might have been a bit lacking compared to other Top-tier Rankers, she was certainly not weak enough to be defeated by *trashy, pathetic Goblins*.
She stared blankly for a moment at the Goblin's corpse embedded in the wall. Fortunately, the Goblins, perhaps startled by her sudden superpower, gave her ample time to observe.
She quickly realized what she had just used. It was one of the few Offensive Magic spells she had learned: Strong Wind Pressure. A Magic spell she had learned primarily for deterrence had become lethal when used against low-level Goblins.
She also quickly recognized the shimmering light in her hand. Since she had used Magic, it must be mana. The only difference was that the light shimmering in her hand was white.
As far as she knew, there were only two things that produced such a White Effect. One was the divine power of Priests. The other was the effect displayed by the “Hero Title”.
This meant that the “Hero Title” was currently active for her.
Although she was still disoriented, one thing was certain. She was alive. And she now had the power to wipe out these disgusting Goblins.
Realizing this, she let out a small laugh. As the fear that had gripped her mind receded, anger began to rise.
Her front door was blown open, her master bedroom was in disarray, and thick blood was splattered all over the walls. Every single bit of it represented money, the value of her hard work.
*Whoosh.*
She slowly began to move the Mana in the air.
It was as if an unseen eye had opened; once she started perceiving mana, moving it felt quite manageable.
It was a sensation she had handled hundreds, even thousands of times in the game.
Even if her physical body was somewhat different, the experience accumulated in her mind wasn't going anywhere.
───.
She murmured a short incantation, just like in the game. Magic was, in essence, the act of materializing the images within oneself. And the incantation served as a spell formula, assisting the caster in that materialization. Therefore, an incantation was a highly advanced special sense and self-hypnosis for the caster.
This grand principle held true, without exception, even if the environment had changed.
Magicae Tormenti.
*Thwack-!
“Kiiirgh!” “Kri-lik!”
Soon, her Magic flew and struck the Goblins' heads. It was the so-called Mana Cannon. It was one of the Basic Magic spells that fired raw mana without any Attribute Conversion.
Although its power was somewhat reduced, it was enough to take down Goblins. This time, she could even take the Goblins' lives without much blood spatter. She couldn't let hard-to-clean blood be spilled, given how high the maintenance fees were here.
After killing all five Goblins, she dragged their corpses outside.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Don't come near! Go away!”
“Help me! Please help me!!”
And when she looked around for a moment, she saw her neighborhood in chaos. No wonder her front door was broken; the gate had appeared, and it had been wreaking havoc for quite some time.
She saw the shattered asphalt ground and people fleeing on it. And Goblins were diligently chasing those people.
“Goruk! Goruruk!”
“Kirururuk!”
It seemed this Gate had opened near a Goblin Settlement. The goblins ranged from Common Goblins to Hobgoblins three times their size, and there was even a Goblin Shaman who seemed to be commanding them. The Goblin Shaman was a bit high-level, but even so, she could handle them.
More importantly, with her Neighborhood People dying, she couldn't just stand by out of fear.
Hwaaak! I'm gonna die!
Defensus Murus Saxa
Hwaaak! I'm gonna die!
Just then, she saw a Hobgoblin swinging its club at the Grocery Store Owner she often visited. Im Haneul ran towards them.
Defensus Murus Saxa.
“H-huh? What? Isn't that the Young Lady from next door?” “...Yes. It's”.
Immediately after, a massive stone wall rose, blocking the hobgoblin's attack. She heard the startled cry of the man behind her.
“H-huh? What, isn't that the Young Lady from next door!” “...Yes. It's dangerous here; please retreat quickly.” “For now, th-thanks!”
The man seemed quite terrified, but he immediately started running away as Haneul instructed. Although she had saved one person, there were still countless Neighborhood People fleeing around her.
At times like this, she was glad she was a Mage. She didn't need to rush forward; she could cover a large area at once. Feeling a sense of omnipotence welling up within her, she steadily prepared her Magic spells.
─Magicae Armis
*Clang!
Huh, huh?
With that single word, thin Barriers enveloped the bodies of the fleeing People.
─Hallucinatio.
Dozens of Clones of the Neighborhood People were created with the next word. Of course, they weren't real, but this alone was enough to confuse the Goblins.
She could see the Goblins utterly bewildered by the suddenly duplicated prey.
After that, Haneul continued to unleash numerous Magic spells from where she stood. Vines shot up, binding the Goblins' feet, while acrid smoke billowed and settled near them.
Others might call these Minor Techniques, but she was a Mage who had specialized solely in such Magic.
When it came to *disrupting* the *opponent* and supporting *allies*, there was no one better than she.
Even if she couldn't defeat all the Goblins in *This Place* by herself, she was more confident than anyone in her ability to tie them down.
“I just need to hold out until the Military arrives anyway.”
A Gate had opened recently, so the Military would surely arrive soon. Until then, she just needed to hold on, allowing the Neighborhood People to escape.
And, naturally... it wasn't that difficult.
*
...Two days.
Two days had already passed since Im Haneul disappeared.
It wasn't a very long time. But for me, having parted ways in such an unsettling manner, it felt like two days of pure agony.
Hah, damn it. When is she coming back...?
Honestly, wasn't this practically a disappearance? Unfortunately, I couldn't observe what was happening in her World. If the other person disappeared, the window through which I could observe them also vanished.
I was in a position where I had to wait, not knowing what had become of her.
Naturally, I couldn't sleep properly. Negative thoughts constantly plagued my mind. A mere person could not control *unconscious* thoughts with willpower.
What if Haneul had been attacked by a Monster and lost consciousness? What if some part of her body had been severed, leaving her crippled? What if... she had truly crossed the river of no return?
What if. What if. What if. Countless negative thoughts followed one after another. It felt as if my chest was tightening, and I felt uneasy all day. My heart was being frayed by what people commonly called *Anxiety*. It felt like a very long time since I'd felt this suffocated.
*'...Damn it.'*
Why was I worrying so much just because one *Otherworlder* disappeared...?
I wanted to deny it, but honestly, I had no choice but to admit it now. The *Otherworlders* I was close with had already become too deeply ingrained in my life. So much so that my mental state was shaken by their lives or deaths all day.
Mr. Yor!
That endless waiting finally came to an end when Yu Chae-rin arrived two days later.
Mr. Yor, where are you... huh, huh?!
As soon as I heard her voice, I immediately pulled her into the Cave and made her sit down. Then, I quickly asked her with a hint of urgency.
“What about Haneul? What happened to her?!”
“Oh, don't worry. I came all this way to tell you about that.”
Saying that, Yu Chae-rin brought up the Stream Screen, just like last time. Because I saw her calm demeanor, the anxiety in my heart felt a little relieved.
Soon, one of the Viewers sent a Video Donation, and the video began to play.
“Huh?”
And there was Im Haneul. Not only was Im Haneul perfectly intact, but she was also holding some fancy commendation.
Beside her, a middle-aged woman in a neatly tailored police uniform was earnestly praising Haneul.
-In a situation of *Chaos*, you did not lose your composure and cast Magic, preventing even a single casualty. We hereby present this award. Everyone, applaud!
-Waaaaaah!!!
-...
Im Haneul, her face as red as a beet, seemed unaccustomed to receiving such applause. I was equally bewildered. What was that?
As if reading my thoughts, Chae-rin began to explain.
It seems my *Older Sister* was able to use *Magic* like in the game during the *Crisis Situation*! Thanks to that, she managed to survive on her own, and apparently, she single-handedly held off the *Gate* until the *Military* arrived. Because of that, she's now receiving a *Brave Citizen Award* from the *Chief of Police*, and it's a huge deal!
... Oh, but my *Older Sister* might not be able to *Access/Login* to the game for a while... Her *VR Capsule* at home was destroyed, and she's even recently agreed to cooperate with the *Military*, so she's quite busy. It's probably because the *Magic* she uses is very helpful in *Combat*.
What the...! What is this?
[Kya~ The Streamer's Editor just blew up lolol]
[Im Haneul, you busty monster! Bring back the Goblins!]
[Bring back what, you f***ing crazy bitch ^^! Dozens of people almost died because of that, and she barely stopped it!]
[My younger brother was there, too, so it's really damn lucky... If he had died, I would've completely lost it.]
[Im Haneul! Im Haneul! Im Haneul! Im Haneul! Im Haneul!]
Posts praising Im Haneul could be seen in the chat window. When the posts were seen, it seemed Chae-rin's words weren't a lie.
Oh, and my *Older Sister* asked me to tell *Mr. Yor* that she's sorry she couldn't come right away, and that she's fine, so not to worry.
Honestly, it was quite absurd and dumbfounding. Still, what I had to say was clear.
...That's a relief.
She was safe, wasn't she? Only then did the anxiety that had been clinging to my heart completely vanish.