Hearing Hop's casual, chatty tone, the ignored Gajiru shouted irritably, "You bastard, do you think I don't exist?!"
At Gajiru's roar, Hop finally leisurely shoved the last bite of bread into his mouth, brushed off the crumbs, and turned to face the ace mage of the "Ghost‑Lord".
"Iron Dragon Gajiru, I've heard of you for a long time."
Hop continued with a hint of sarcasm, "What's the matter, has the 'Ghost‑Lord' fallen so low that its ace has to bully a few mages who aren't good at direct combat at night?"
Gajiru snorted coldly, grinned, showing sharp teeth, "Trash deserves to be trampled by the strong; that's the right of the powerful."
"But a true strongman… would never prove himself by bullying the weak."
Hop's face still wore an innocent smile, his words flowing, "And you, you cocky bastard, why don't you dare challenge a 'Holy Ten' mage?"
"It's not because you can't beat them, is it?"
"Bastard! Shut up!"
Gajiru's face darkened; two years ago he challenged the ghost‑lord's leader Joseph, who had taken him in, and was not only brutally beaten but also severely humiliated by Joseph.
That painful lesson made him clearly see the gap between him and the Holy Ten mages, and taught him one thing: the strong can do whatever they want to the weak.
To survive under the Ghost‑Lord, he had to become stronger, and under Joseph's influence he began to relish the cries of the weak he bullied.
But this… isn't what he wanted at all… "You bastard… you don't understand anything!"
Before the words finished, Gajiru's arms instantly turned into black iron‑dragon rods, whooshing through the air as they swept toward Hop.
Hop wasn't Sarusuk; he lightly tapped the ground, activating his "Divine Foot" magic in an instant, retreating a few meters like a phantom and easily evading the strike.
The iron‑dragon rod slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
Yet Hop's banter showed no sign of stopping.
"In a hurry?"
"Looks like I hit the mark; you really can't beat a 'Holy Ten' mage, yet you still wear that 'I'm the best in the world' grin."
"Tell me, you weren't badly schooled by some Holy Ten mage, were you? That person isn't your leader Joseph, is it?"
"No way, no way?"
"Damned! I'll tear that mouth of yours apart!"
Hitting a sore spot, Gajiru erupted in fury, the iron rod splitting into two whiplike iron whips that snapped toward Hop.
Gajiru twirled the iron whips so densely that each was faster and stronger than the last, carving dozens of deep lash marks into the ground.
Yet not even a corner of Hop's cloak was touched.
Rebi had already taken the two sycophants and hidden far away, anxiously watching the fight.
Dorair clenched his fists, eyes wide with disbelief, his voice trembling as he asked Rebi, "Rebi‑chan, am I hallucinating? Our guild's rookie is actually toying with that 'Iron Dragon'..."
Rebi sighed, "You're not hallucinating; Hop really is impressive."
Beside them, Sarusuk also noticed Hop was using the same magic as him, but when he used "Divine Foot," Gajiru easily caught him, whereas Hop could reverse the pull on Gajiru.
How can the same magic produce such a huge difference between them?
"Divine Foot" is too low‑damage; Hop can dodge but can't defeat Gajiru that way, and any slip‑up would make Sarusuk's worry a reality.
Because Gajiru's attacks had carved dense ruts in the ground, Hop didn't notice and tripped, stumbling forward.
"Hahaha! Fool! You're done!"
Seizing the chance, Gajiru let out a harsh laugh, then charged forward, his arms turning into two sharp iron swords that slashed at Hop.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Four consecutive metallic clangs rang out; Gajiru stared at Hop, who held his arms, his face full of shock. His iron‑dragon swords were razor‑sharp, yet Hop's flesh took the blows unharmed… Gajiru had no idea Hop had just applied "Metallization" to his own arms.
Seeing the confusion in Gajiru's eyes, Hop chuckled, "Do you really think I tripped, Gajiru?"
"I was just looking for a flaw to grab you!"
Oh no!
Gajiru's heart raced with shock; he finally realized he'd been led by the nose by this despicable fellow from the start, and whatever the guy intended, he had to get out of it at once!
"Got it, huh?"
Hop's smile instantly turned sinister, sending a chill down Gajiru's spine, "Hehe, it's already too late—Wooden Form: Shaky Carousel!"
In an instant, a wooden carousel rose up between Gajiru's legs.
The move caught Gajiru completely off guard; he stared at the four wheels attached to the carousel's base, his face turning pale as he strained to free his arms from Hop's grip.
"Hehe, it's useless."
"Add: Power Double!"
With his power doubled, Hop immediately forced the struggling Gajiru down.
When his body pressed against the carousel's seat, Gajiru suddenly felt dizzy; cold sweat seeped from his forehead, neck, and back, and his face turned pale.
A carousel can be a means of transport too!
Watching Gajiru collapse onto the carousel, crippled by the backlash of his "Dragon‑Slayer" magic, Hop wore a triumphant grin.
Returning from Dusk Town, he gained not only "Add" spells and "Holy Dragon‑Slayer," but also valuable experience in dealing with dragon‑slaying mages.
With just a vehicle, a mere dragon‑slayer mage becomes as harmless as a chicken or a dog, easy to crush with a fingertip.
This is the best method to defeat a dragon‑slayer mage.
"You bastard… you're… despicable!"
Gajiru's eyes stared at Hop with lingering resentment; he hadn't expected his opponent to be a shape‑mage who deliberately showed a flaw to lure him into a shaping spell's range.
How shameless!
Hop read Gajiru's gaze, said nothing, and manipulated a vine seed that Dorair had dropped earlier, coaxing it to sprout a sturdy vine.
Tugging the vine, Hop's eyes grew wild, his smile turning salty, and he raised his hand to cast "Add" on the whole carousel, making it sway slightly.
A carousel paired with vines? It's a match made in heaven!
Hop's vines slowly advanced toward Gajiru.
Whoa!
You! Don't come any closer!!
Gajiru's terrified shout echoed across the park, but there was nothing that could help him now.
Not far away, Rebi's face was flushed; for some reason, watching the "Gajiru Tragedy" unfold gave her a tiny spark of excitement...
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