Junhyuk checked to see if Bebe had any synthesis materials in stock, but he didn’t. If he had, the allies would become even stronger.

However, the team they were fighting was ranked lower than them. That meant that their items were of low quality.

Junhyuk teamed up with Elise and headed up the middle path. Gongon and Helen went left, and Sarang and Layla went right. Each team had two hundred minions with them.

“After we occupy the buff tower, we’ll hunt for buff monsters. The tournament is in full swing, and your buffs will definitely help us. We need to upgrade them even more.”

“I like that.”

“Can you use your speed casting here?”

“I’m not planning on it.”

Elise knew spells, but in the battlefield, magic wasn’t her focus. She would use the weapon she had made herself.

Junhyuk thought about the battlefield. Unless you were deemed a caster, you couldn’t access mana in the same way. So, even though Elise had learned speed casting on Earth, it wouldn’t work in the battlefield.

Junhyuk could accelerate, but his acceleration was different than when he was on Earth. It might be the same for Elise’s speed casting.

After a moment thinking, Elise added, “This place suppresses mana.” Elise had tried to speed cast a few times while they walked, but she shook her head in defeat.

Junhyuk was curious about the enemy heroes. They talked as they climbed to the top of the mountain. There, he waited for his enemies. Even though the enemy team was ranked low, they were veterans of the battlefield, so they would know the buff tower was important.

As he waited for the enemies, Junhyuk summoned his swords. Suddenly, he saw the enemies come up in the horizon. The minions were green skinned and were wearing purple armor.

Junhyuk recognized them and smiled instinctively. He wasn’t expecting that.

There was a four-meter tall minotaur, a werewolf, and another who had killed him before.

Seeing them made Junhyuk happy, and he ran forward shouting, “Long time, no see!”

The minotaur’s eyes widened, and he asked, “Do you know who I am?”

Junhyuk laughed. Those heroes used to go crazy trying to kill him. Now, they didn’t even recognize him. Junhyuk removed his armor and shouted back, “Can you see me now?”

Skia was the first to recognize him.

“Weren’t you a novice? No, an expert?”

He smiled at Skia and replied, “Surely, you remember me. You are special to me.”

It was because of Skia that Sarang had activated her first power, the electric blast. Junhyuk had died a few times back then. The enemy heroes had held grudges against him.

“Junhyuk Lee!” the minotaur shouted as he remembered him.

Junhyuk summoned his armor again and replied, “You remember me now.”

The minotaur laughed out loud.

“It must be a joke that you became a hero and joined the tournament, right?”

Junhyuk nodded, and Minota pounded his fists against each other.

“OK! That’ll be an easy win.”

The minotaur stepped forward while Junhyuk stared at the enemies. They could have better items than way back then, but how much better? They were in the round of thirty-two, so maybe a lot better.

“That’s wishful thinking,” he replied and turned to Elise. “I met them when I was a novice.”

“Yeah? Do you want my help?”

“No. I want to fight alone.”

“There are three heroes there.”

“I’ll ask for help if I need it,” he said and ran forward. Junhyuk pushed on without the minions, and Minota laughed at him.

“OK. Let’s see if you are qualified for this tournament!”

Minota ran toward him, and Junhyuk reminded himself of Minota’s powers. He had a rush, a roar, a stomp and a doppelganger ability. On paper, his powers were great.

By contrast, his enemy only knew two of Junhyuk’s powers: the force field and the teleportation. For that reason, Junhyuk decided to deal a decisive strike to Minota.

He measured the distance between them, and when Minota came within range, Junhyuk used his Spatial Slash. The slash cut right through the side of Minota’s neck.

“Ugh!”

Minota was a tank, but the hero still lost 76 percent of his health. Junhyuk teleported and stabbed the minotaur. Aksha’s Longsword pierced through Minota’s heart, a critical hit.

Minota fell fast, and Junhyuk whipped the blood off of his sword.

“Son of a b.i.t.c.h! You haven’t changed.”

The minotaur’s defenses were like paper to his attacks. As a tank, Minota hadn’t changed much at all.

They were in the round of thirty-two. Despite that, though his enemies were stronger than those he met during team selections, they were much weaker than Ronga.

He thought he might have met enemies with increased strength, like Ronga and Aktur, who had purchased legendary weapons. With that change, even his current enemies might’ve been stronger.

If a team invested their gold on their weapons, it would improve. If a hero died, the last thing that hero would drop would be their weapon.

That was the way to become stronger.

It was possible that they could have changed, but who among them had? Any of them?

Junhyuk looked at the other two. The werewolf was called Warren, and he was howling. That was his ultimate. Once triggered, it gave the hero enormous health regeneration. And Skia, Skia was an a.s.sa.s.sin with high damage, but that was in the past.

Junhyuk could deal with Skia now, so he ran toward the hero. Seeing Minota die from two strikes, Skia became rather scared. The hero could kill Minota like he had just done.

Junhyuk closed in, and Skia shouted, “Warren!”

Warren ran toward him, and Skia disappeared. One of Skia’s powers allowed the hero to move through shadows, so Junhyuk quickly raised his force field.

Skia bounced off of it immediately, and Aksha’s Longsword lengthened. Skia tried to block the attack, but the sword weaved through the air and stabbed deeply into the hero.

Skia scoffed and turned, but the sword bent again, slashing Skia’s ribs.

Skia frowned, and the sword pierced the a.s.sa.s.sin’s chest.

“Argh!”

Skia’s defense was rather low. The stab landed as a critical and took 30 percent off of the hero’s health. Without hesitation, Junhyuk twisted the sword, dealing additional damage. Skia tried to stab him, but Junhyuk blocked the attack with ease.

Warren, who had finally closed in, punched against him.

Boom!

Junhyuk was pushed back with his force field. The enemy hero remembered how to fight against him and that the force field could be moved.

Junhyuk had the force field tightened around his body, so though he didn’t receive any damage, he was thrown back.

After recomposing himself, he ran toward the enemy heroes as Skia and Warren attempted to flee.

Junhyuk wouldn’t let them get away. He swung Aksha’s Longsword, and Warren blocked the attack with his claws. However, Junhyuk got closer with that exchange. He had completed the Triple Yin Yang, but he could use his swordsmanship for mid-range attacks.

Instead, he simply controlled Aksha’s Longsword. He couldn’t stall them completely, but he could damage them from that range.

Warren turned and ran toward him, and Skia still had ways to damage him. Warren was meaning to fight with the force field still up.

WIthout the force field, Junhyuk would’ve had difficulty in dealing with Warren. His howl could stun. There were three seconds left to the force field. Junhyuk had used his Spatial Slash, but he had other powers.

Warren still had his ultimate active, so Junhyuk couldn’t kill the hero in a few strikes. His attack stat was high, but it wouldn’t be enough.

Junhyuk prepared a big attack then, and the Spatial Collapse triggered on Warren’s chest.

“Aaaaaaarrh!” Warren screamed, losing 83 percent of his health at once. One hit, a critical hit. Warren was already in the middle of regenerating, but Junhyuk attacked him again. Warren couldn’t move at that point, so Junhyuk stabbed the werewolf’s neck. Even though his health was regenerating, Warren died.

Junhyuk chased after Skia, who was terrified. The hero could not tell how strong Junhyuk really was.

Junhyuk had just become a hero, so when did he get all of those items?

Skia ran for the portal. The hero knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away on foot. The force field was now gone, but Skia didn’t think he would be able to kill Junhyuk even then.

As Skia ran, Junhyuk aimed Aksha’s Longsword at the hero’s back. Skia faded and deflected his sword. Junhyuk knew that to be one of Skia’s powers, a dodge and block.

Skia smiled, satisfied that he was about to enter the portal, but suddenly, Junhyuk appeared standing in front of him. Junhyuk had teleported, and once faced with Skia, he attacked immediately.

Skia tried to block, but the trace of the sword was gone. The Spatial Slash had come off cooldown, so as Skia watched the attack, his neck was sliced.

With that single hit, Skia died.