It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

An eerie silence lingered around the blood-red spire.

From the beginning to the end, there had been no one who dared to approach this area. With no magicians or archers around to bombard it, and no enemies targeting it, the spire was merely part of the scenery.

A warrior, clad in a heavy robe, roamed the wilderness, swinging a bulky staff in all directions… making the magician stand out.

“Yes, this is, um… the Battle Mage concept. You only use magic missile while shifting your stance, and finish off with the staff. Isn’t it fascinating?”

“…Can you actually finish it? Even for a magic missile, there’s casting time… and the staff damage must be too low to use as a melee weapon.”

“Of course. You take ‘Sage’s Regret’, magic resistance, multi-casting, and quick-cast, then apply an enhancement to the staff and beat them with it. As for the casting time, well, you can insert quick-cast and motion-cancel the magic missile to pre-charge.”

Now—or wait a bit—yes, now it was done. With the rapid key presses sounding off, the magician on the screen managed to start stockpiling the magic missile just before completing the hand seal. This timing was difficult to achieve and classified as a high-level skill.

Even if I wasn’t a highly skilled magician, it required some concentration… but ultimately, everything came down to reaction speed. Despite being my first attempt in years, I managed to cancel the motion right before the final stroke without much difficulty.

However… could Ark do this well? I felt a bit concerned.

“…Stockpile?”

“Yes. Ah… this isn’t a bug, really. When you take ‘Sage’s Regret’, the magic you were casting just before cancellation continues casting. You keep it accumulated without completing it, then trigger multi-casting at the opponent’s attack timing to release it.”

Hmm. The expression on the debate detector’s face, although somewhat blank, suggested this might be alright.

It seemed I passed the first stage, so should I try a demonstration? Just in time, a practice dummy carrying an axe approached, perfect timing.

-Whir!

The warrior, seemingly stirred by the exposed magician, charged in hastily, swinging his axe. Such a reckless move, clearly not thinking about the aftermath.

No matter how strategically unimportant the area might be, this wasn’t the European server I remembered. If a magician stepped out like this, logically, one would suspect some hidden trick.

This was a disappointing showing for the supposed origin of Battle Mages. It would be merciful to end this quickly before embarrassing themselves further.

Advance. Dodge, dodge, activate. And—

-Thud

-Boom!

The Magic Missile launched with perfect counter-timing left two explosive sounds in its wake. The first shot hit the shoulder, failing to cause significant damage. However, the second copied missile struck the opponent’s exposed knee as their body twisted.

That one was going to fall. No need to check the effect. The staff, swung in a circular motion from behind, hit the opponent’s temple, already losing balance and staggering.

– Crash!

I struck the opponent’s head three times as they fell, accompanied by somewhat gory effects, causing the kill log to appear.

The lack of exhilaration from winning the duel was probably because I was a mage. Magic inherently lacked that physical feedback. Even the finishing move with a blunt weapon felt unnecessarily off-putting.

Still, one had to acknowledge the efficiency. Players who focused solely on winning the game rather than enjoying the duel would like this build. Just as they always had.

Before the patch made the Magic Missile effect visible, arrows seemed to appear out of nowhere and hit the target. It was impossible to dodge with human reflexes. Moreover, since the skill was originally designed for survival, its damage was low but its stun effect excessively high.

If it hit at this distance, you could take your hands off the keyboard.

For this reason, as far as I remembered, this build was the most popular. It even led to a dreadful dark age where a three-mage composition became the dominant trend.

… Not that it mattered since I had already prepared the counters in advance.

Anyway, I hoped to pass this time. Apart from this, I only had strategies used at the professional level. Looking to my side with a tense heart, I saw a somewhat dazed expression. Then, slowly, words began to come out-

“… What is this… I mean, are you really from Faraday’s QA team or something? How do you know all this? You don’t even play a mage. Where did you learn this build?”

The voice sounded odd, but there didn’t seem to be any complaints. That alone made me think I had passed under their critical eye by referring to it as a build.

“Um… it just came to me as an inspiration. Maybe it’s because I’m friendly with BuildCravingOldMan.”

Oh. Did that make them freeze up a bit just now? No, probably not. It should be fine, considering everything was okay until a moment ago, meaning the build itself wasn’t the issue.

They were a tough observer. Great performance, but overly sensitive. If I were doing this personally, I wouldn’t have been so diligent.

Still, I wanted to subtly share this build with Ark as well. It might be better if there were no controversies.

“Anyway… can we go ahead with this? I’ll follow your lead, Revan.”

“No, well, it’s fine. This is just about the right level… let’s say it’s a rather brilliant build.”

Finally!

In the joy of passing, I swiftly turned towards the sensor, extending a hand for a high-five. Even though a rather awkward amount of time passed without the lively sound of palms clapping together.

When I belatedly checked his face, it was somewhat… well, there was no need to be that flustered. I thought he was someone popular and athletic in his school days, but can’t even return a high-five.

No matter. After three attempts, barely managing to get a passing grade for the build, I saved it, stretching my shoulders lightly as I thought about it—what a rewarding day it had been.

Great.

Wrapping it up with a glass of soju would be perfect.

“Well then, shall we go for a meal? There’s a Korean set meal place nearby that I had in mind.”

Though what I really craved was a gukbap set meal, I thought I should go for something expensive to repay the favor.

“… You’re building up to say something like, ‘Since I’m an old man, I’ll only feel like I’ve eaten if I have a Korean set meal.'”

“Of course not. A full Korean meal is a K-traditional, K-soul food loved by people of all ages and genders. If you dislike it… I’ll keep it a secret, but if it leaks, I worry it could spark a controversy on national betrayal.”

“As long as you’re not the one setting the spark, there’s nothing to worry about. Anyway, I like Korean food too. If you thought of Korean food because you guessed I might like it, there are quite a few good restaurants nearby with different menus, so feel free to speak up.”

… A bit unfair. To be treated like an arsonist…

I turned the rebuttal over in my mouth for a moment and then swallowed it with a small sigh. There’s no need to point out they’re wrong to someone you’re grateful to.

… Though unintended fires did occasionally, very occasionally happen.

Anyway, restaurants… restaurants.

Since he insisted so much, suggesting the place I looked up seemed a bit off. Calling someone to repay a favor with a meal and then forcing a menu they don’t want appears ungracious.

Though I couldn’t guess Revan’s taste, I thought he would like something healthy like Korean food. Losing a bit of confidence after seeing him reject ginseng candy.

Could it be that even his dinner consists of chicken breast and salads… no way. He couldn’t be such an inhumane person.

“As long as it’s not a salad place, I’m fine with anything.”

“Well, I’m not suggesting a salad place… you don’t like salads? Is Western food okay?”

“Ah. It’s not that I dislike salad… But salad places don’t sell soju or even wine.”

“Your criteria for choosing a restaurant are strange.”

Revan just spoke his mind honestly, but seeing Lee Yena frown, he wondered if she might be feeling weak. Maybe they should have some hearty and hot gukbap instead.

** **

The glances were rather blatant. From the moment they entered the restaurant to when they were seated, eyes followed them.

It was something he was somewhat used to. Although not a celebrity, Revan was well-known enough to be recognized in certain places. Even before he started broadcasting, he would often catch people’s eyes.

Of course, it was never this intense.

In any case, he was sure the current stares weren’t directed at him.

Why on earth would she come out like that without wearing a mask or a hat? He wanted to point it out but kept his mouth shut, knowing she would just tease him, accusing him of having a celebrity complex or saying he needed a logger hat. Besides, Lee Yena wasn’t exactly the type to listen to others.

Whether she was aware of the situation around her or not, Lee Yena sat in the cozy restaurant with her usual expressionless face.

“…They don’t sell soju.”

That was her complaint as she flipped through the menu like it was a scene from a movie. Apparently, she had turned straight to the last page in search of alcohol. Revan stifled the urge to cradle his head in his hands as a headache surged.

Of course they wouldn’t sell soju. This was a renowned traditional French restaurant that was quite the topic on S*S. Even their onion soup was written as “Soupe à l’oignon.”

The alcohol selection consisted solely of wines paired perfectly with the dishes.

Still, explaining this wouldn’t satisfy her, he figured. Revan just held back a sigh and forcefully turned the menu back to the food pages.

Just for having already calculated things in advance, he was sure to hear complaints. If he nagged about the alcohol, who knows what critique he’d receive.

“Let’s decide on the food first. It’s fine even if we don’t drink.”

“Hmm… Yes. So you’re the type who drinks only when there’s a woman around. Maybe I should have invited Jinhee. Shall I call her now?”

What an absurd statement. Where should he even begin to counter this baseless accusation? Revan finally let out the long-suppressed sigh.

“… It would be nice if she can come, but it would be rude to call her out of the blue. I’ll send a message to see if she can join us for the second round, so let’s settle on the menu first. This course looks good. We need to pick five dishes.”

“…Why is French larger than Korean? Prince Regent Heungseon would be saddened.”

“Isn’t it usually King Sejong?”

It was a retort he only meant to think, but it escaped his lips unconsciously.