Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Gaho-unni!”

Cha Taeyang dashed towards me in a single bound, embracing me as we rolled to the left. Blood from Taeyang’s forehead trickled down my cheek. It wasn’t just Taeyang; every party member was covered in wounds.

The tide of battle had clearly turned against us. No, it was beyond that.

“This bastard! They’re completely toying with us!”

Yana, who had been looking down at us from above with noble eyes, spoke with a voice tinged with amusement.

“You’ve only just noticed? Weak and foolish. How pitiful.”

“Ha, the real game starts now! Sweetie, crank up the BPM. Initiating Master Mode!”

“Sunbae, if you push yourself like that……”

“It’s either push ourselves or die, isn’t it?”

Three speakers began a trio. Shin-ju swung her tone wave to strike the notes. Cha Taeyang, who had somehow moved, joined the attack.

But with just a nod of Yana’s head, they were slammed into the wall.

“Won’t you entertain me a little more?”

My hand holding the bow trembled at the overwhelming difference in power. It was horrifying to realize we were only alive due to Yana’s amusement.

‘The plan wasn’t bad. Yana’s attribute was as we predicted.’

While my companions faced Yana, I had intended to copy and draw the formula on the floor. Given how well-crafted the formula was, I thought even a hastily made circuit with little mana might be able to stop Yana momentarily. We planned to launch an all-out attack on Yana’s weakness during that opening.

“If only it weren’t for that……”

Our first misfortune was realizing that what we thought were flower petals were actually wings. I bit my lip as I watched the pale pink wings flutter behind Yana’s back.

“Activate Bow Assistant, Anchor!”

The cursor created by the skill pointed at the flower replacing Yana’s left eye. That was Yana’s weakness, as revealed by Explorer’s Eye.

“Stack ‘North Wind’.”

The arrow imbued with cold struck the weak point. Yana leisurely shook off the frost that had formed on the flower and flew closer to me. The overwhelmingly sweet floral scent made my nose tingle.

“Not even a tickle. Poor creature, you should stop your futile efforts.”

Then, with a swift turn, Yana flew towards Shin-ju.

“Shall I make a red flower that resembles your eyes bloom?”

A powerful mana wave surged around Yana, who was chanting like a song.

[The skill activation of ‘Exiled Omnipotent Being, Yana’ is canceled due to the field effect ‘Sin and Punishment (S)’.]

[The trait ‘Unrestrained Freedom (SS)’ rejects the field effect ‘Sin and Punishment (S)’.]

Our second misfortune was that the field effect had no impact whatsoever.

With area-of-effect skills being unleashed so frequently, we could barely dodge, let alone draw a circuit.

‘I thought it would weaken at least a little.’

Sprouts emerged from the hard stone floor, and red flowers bloomed in full. A reddish energy began to swirl beneath the eyes of Shin-ju and Cha Taeyang, who were standing on the flower bed.

“Damn it, what’s this now?”

“The flames are acting strange!”

Cha Taeyang’s blue flames, seemingly out of control, shot up fiercely enough to touch the ceiling. Shin-ju, trying to back away, tripped over her own feet and fell.

“Hmm, isn’t this a lovely sight?”

Yana casually spoke while deflecting the crescent blade that had flown at their back. They also easily batted away Jo Sung-hyun’s successive sword strikes with their wings.

Covering their left cheek with a palm, Yana looked around and suddenly erased the smile they had been wearing all along.

“But I’m bored. I think this amusement has been sufficient.”

“What?”

“I shall personally put an end to your pitiful lives.”

With Yana’s words, the junk-filled storage room transformed into a hill blooming with all kinds of flowers. The clear sky, pouring sunlight, and the breeze rustling our sleeves made it feel as if we had been transported to a completely different place.

‘A special field? No, there’s no system message for that…..’

Before I could even process it, my busy thoughts came to a halt, and my body swayed like flowers in the wind.

“Return to the earth.”

Starting with me, the party members collapsed one by one onto the ground.

Using my body as soil, sprouts began to emerge from my extremities. From fingers to wrists, and then to arms.

The plants, growing at an alarming rate, greedily sucked away our energy.

As if drunk, my mind became hazy and my eyelids slowly closed. At the same time, in a comfort and peace I had never felt before, all the events of my life flashed before my eyes.

From my carefree childhood, through the grueling rookie days, to the recent string of extraordinary events. The brief reminiscence ended with the memory of the sea spirit handing me the sea flower.

I had never lived a single moment in vain.

‘But is this really how it ends?’

A tiny spark of rebellion, small as a mustard seed, pierced through my fading consciousness. It couldn’t end like this.

I hadn’t given my all yet.

‘I’ve been through countless dangerous situations before.’

Even as I thought this, a part of me wondered cynically: What could I possibly do now?

‘Anything. If there’s a chance, I’ll try anything.’

The moment I answered myself.

[‘■■’s ■■’ expresses dissatisfaction with the story’s development.]

As if responding to my will, an unfamiliar message appeared.

[Do you want to accept the hidden quest ‘Punishment (?)’?

– Clear condition: Re-seal the exiled omnipotent being, Yana

– Time limit: None

– Reward: Escape from Cell 99

※ Upon accepting the quest, ‘Winkel’s Sealing Formula’ will be temporarily restored.]

Faced with this mysterious quest window that appeared next, I found myself shouting despite knowing how suspicious it was.

“I accept the quest!”

[The skill ‘Garden of Mortality (SS)’ is canceled by the World Tower’s blessing.]

[‘Winkel’s Sealing Formula’ has been temporarily restored.

– Remaining time: 00:09:59]

As if on cue, system messages appeared in succession, and the hill scenery vanished like a lie. My mind, which had felt foggy, cleared instantly.

“What just happened?”

Looking around, I was relieved to see that my party members had also returned. Everyone, including myself, wore bewildered expressions. Even Yana looked confused, which said it all.

“A mere creature dared to disrupt my technique?”

Ignoring Yana, who was flapping their wings roughly in apparent displeasure, I checked the quest window again.

The objective was to re-seal Yana. The system never presents impossible quests. Moreover, with such a clear purpose, my mind actually felt clearer.

‘It might be possible with that method……’

Cha Taeyang, quick to notice odd things, looked in my direction.

“Unni, did you perhaps……”

Instead of answering, I nodded and unleashed my mana. I wanted to explain, but we had to move now while Yana was still confused.

“I can recognize the real deal without even looking.”

Thin strands of mana split into multiple branches, sweeping over the objects scattered throughout the storage room. Perhaps I had improved since first meeting Kallos, as it took less than a minute to complete the analysis.

“As I thought, it’s here.”

After reconfirming the five items that showed particularly strong reactions, I turned my head to look at my companions.

“Everyone, just 3 minutes. Please protect me for just 3 minutes.”

“Yun Gaho, what are you saying……”

“There’s no time to explain. I know you might not trust me. But right now, I’m the only one who can resolve this situation.”

I manipulated the system window to share the quest I had received with my party members.

“So please, just this once, trust and follow me.”

Yana, realizing that something unusual was happening, stretched out an arm towards us. As I turned my body and drew my bowstring, I concluded my words.

“I promise I’ll bring you all back safely.”

The moment I shot a mana-infused arrow towards the items I had identified, Yana’s magic flew at me. But I didn’t budge an inch from my spot.

Blue flames spread out like a shield, followed by a fierce sword aura that cleaved the magic in two. I smiled at Cha Taeyang and Jo Sung-hyun, who stood protectively in front of me.

“I told you I’d protect you, didn’t I?”

“What are you planning to do this time?”

Then, Shin-ju and Hong Yun-jae stood beside the others.

“You’d better explain properly later.”

“I’ll cooperate. I want to get back as soon as possible, you know. We’re newlyweds after all.”

Entrusting my back to these four A-rank hunters, who felt more reassuring than an army of thousands, I immediately ran towards the sealing formula.

“Activate ‘Explorer’s Eye’.”

The restoration state was perfect, ready to be activated at any moment.

“I just need to solve the mana supply issue.”

A simple but not easy problem.

At least, it wouldn’t have been until just now. The life flashing before my eyes at death’s doorstep had given me a clue.

‘Kalia said she completed the protection formula by plundering Media’s sacred artifacts.’

If there were winter god’s sacred artifacts, they would be more than sufficient as a power source for a sealing formula dominated by the cold attribute. Although I had cursed it as a junkyard, it was still a temple after all, and fortunately, I was able to find enough sacred artifacts.

Before starting the main work, I drank the high-grade potion I received from Hong Yun-jae. Along with the bitter scent, I could feel mana rising within me. Along with it came the special effect of the high-grade potion.

[‘Player Yun Gaho’s skill utilization rate slightly increases.]

This should be enough. As soon as I confirmed the application message, I fired an arrow stacked with Chain towards the sacred artifacts.

Responding to my mana, the arrow hit the five sacred artifacts in sequence as if drawn by a magnet, and a thin thread of mana appeared along its trajectory.

This was a special effect that only activated when Chain was stacked. Normally, I would have spoken a trigger word here to inflict additional damage, but…

“To think I’d use it like this.”

Now that the connection was complete, all that was left was to modify the formula to draw mana from the sacred artifacts.

“Calmly, please stay calm……”

“Argh!”

“Taeyang! Sung-hyun, quick, use a potion!”

I almost lost focus at Cha Taeyang’s scream, who normally wouldn’t flinch at ordinary injuries. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed hold of the thread of concentration that was slipping away.

With my increased proficiency in Magitech and the task itself being simple—just slightly tweaking the mana supply formula—the modification was soon nearing completion.

“If I just refine the connection point with the power source……”

But just as I was about to enter the final process, I saw pale pink flowers filling the ground at my feet.

Turning around, I saw my party members collapsed like corpses, and…

Yana, smiling playfully just like at the beginning.

“Poor creature.”

I wanted to distort that gaze looking down on us so condescendingly.

As Yana flew towards me, I muttered in a chilled tone while placing my hand on the incomplete formula.

“We’ll see who’s pitiful when this is over.”