Chapter 8
‘This is definitely not an easy environment from the start.’
Even Lee Hyun, who prided himself on his rich combat experience, found the desert to be an incredibly difficult place to adapt to.
The skin-piercing sun.
The scorching heat that made his skin feel like it was about to burn.
The sandstorms that constantly obstructed his vision.
And even worse, when the wind blew hard, the terrain changed frequently, making any knowledge of the land useless.
The overwhelming heat disrupted his senses, forcing him to rely only on his instincts.
But,
‘That’s why it’s the best place to train your senses.’
Before delivering the [Self-Defense Amulet] to Im Won-Young, Lee Hyun planned to hone his skills as much as possible.
There was something he needed to ask for.
Pah!
Hwan Geumjeong pointed somewhere.
A warning signal.
There was no time to wonder, “Where?”
‘Below!’
Pah!
A wolf sprang up from the sand, its mouth wide open.
It looked almost like a crocodile trying to snatch prey from a swamp.
‘Can sand have such properties?’
Lee Hyun quickly drew two axes from his waist, crossing them in an X shape.
Bang!
The wolf’s mouth was blocked by the two axes, and without hesitation, Lee Hyun let go of the axes in his hands and drew a kukri from his belt, slicing upward.
Skkk!
Phoo!
This kukri, though not a custom item, was still a weapon made by Master Do Cheol. Its blade was razor-sharp. A deep wound appeared on the yellow wolf’s neck, and blood splattered.
[Your Strength has increased by 1.]
Kang! Cack!
As the blood flowed, two more wolves appeared, leaping out of the sandstorm.
Without even noticing the increase in his muscle coefficient, Lee Hyun threw the kukri toward one of them.
The kukri was large, so its speed was slow, allowing the wolf to dodge by twisting its body. However, the delay gave Lee Hyun an opening to focus on the other wolf.
With a rough dash, Lee Hyun kicked off the ground.
Before he knew it, the two axes he had dropped earlier had been retrieved into his hands.
Whoosh!
At that moment, mana surged from his core.
Crackling…
At the same time, a blue-white lightning crackled over the axes.
For the first time in four years, the axes were empowered with mana, revealing their brutal edge.
Boom!
The two axes smashed into the wolf’s head, splitting its jaw wide open.
It was over in one strike.
The long-awaited release of mana had taken no time at all to deal with the yellow wolf.
Screech!
Although the axes had sliced through, the wound left a jagged, tooth-like pattern, as if a beast had chewed it.
But,
‘The output is still insufficient.’
Lee Hyun remembered how, when he struck down the yellow wolf, the backlash had been so intense that he almost lost his grip on his axes.
It wasn’t something to forget, as losing grip of a weapon due to the tough skin of a monster was one of the worst mistakes one could make in battle.
‘I need more intense mana.’
He made a cold decision and slammed the ground once more, preparing for another encounter with the wolf that had dodged his kukri earlier.
‘More!’
Crackle!
[Your mana has increased by 2.]
The blue-white lightning became even more intense, splitting the air.
Clang!
The axe struck the wolf’s lower jaw.
But this time, the wolf seemed tougher. It didn’t care about the wound and charged forward.
Lee Hyun tried to strike its forehead with the axe in his right hand.
Pah! Pah!
Just then, three more wolves emerged from the sand and wind.
Lee Hyun hurriedly spun his right arm to the side, crushing one of the wolves’ skulls with a sickening crunch.
But the other two wolves bit into his left thigh and right side.
The excruciating pain was like a jolt to his adrenaline.
‘More!!’
And the intense feeling surged into his mana.
[The “Indomitable” trait has been applied. Strong emotions are being released. The breath of the Dweokshini (Rage) releases even more mana.]
[Your skill proficiency has greatly increased.]
[Your Health has increased by 1.]
[Your Mana has increased by 1.]
[Your Dexterity has increased by 2.]
Boom!
The sparks that had only been small until now grew larger and began to connect.
The rough thunder clapped down together.
[The Dweokshini’s Rage has manifested!]
The more intense the emotional release, the greater the mana that could be produced.
Fury, agitation, and madness.
As these emotions increased, the power of the blue-white lightning from his two axes grew exponentially.
Two lightning bolts smashed through the yellow wolves’ skulls, crushing them instantly.
Thud! Thwack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed through the air as Lee Hyun, drenched in crimson blood, smiled wildly, showing his fangs.
Adrenaline and dopamine coursed through his veins, drowning out the pain of his wounds, the frustration of his body not keeping up, and replacing it all with a euphoric rush.
Yes.
This was the sensation he wanted to feel.
The vivid sense of being alive as he fought—swinging axes, taking wounds, feeling the heat in his breath, and finally, taking down the enemy.
[Your emotions are becoming intense.]
[Dweokshini’s Rage accelerates the mana cycle. Your body absorbs more of the divine power of ■■■■.]
[Your skill proficiency has greatly increased. Dweokshini’s Breath (D) has reached C rank.]
“Ha!”
Lee Hyun let out a long, exasperated breath, releasing all the pent-up frustrations within him.
And as he inhaled again, the tension and exhilaration of the battlefield seeped deep within him.
Thanks to this, his mana cells, which had been sluggish, as well as his dormant motor cells, were all revived one by one.
[The Dweokshini’s Rage has awakened the spirit of Dweokshini.]
[Your senses are becoming actively engaged.]
[Your Strength has increased by 2.]
[Your Agility has increased by 3.]
[You have pushed your body beyond its limits. Your enhanced senses have unlocked the “Battle Sense (F)” skill.]
[Battle Sense (F)]
A skill possessed only by warriors who have fought long and hard in the battlefield. The greater the fatigue and the injuries, the stronger the fighting spirit becomes. Instinct, intuition, and almost reflexive decision-making, focused entirely on victory, with no concern for anything else.
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Type: Skill, Combat
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Proficiency: 0%
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Origin: The legend of ‘Jangja-ppot’ (A legendary tale)
As the second of his five skills unlocked, Lee Hyun dashed forward again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sandstorm had cleared, and about twenty yellow wolves were now glaring at him, growling.
At that moment, Lee Hyun grinned.
There were plenty of targets to keep fighting.
He wondered just how much exhilaration they would bring him.
In that instant, he looked like a berserk Dweokshini consumed by battle.
[Pain Resistance (E) has been created. You can now endure more pain.]
[Bleeding Resistance (F) has been created. You can now withstand anemia better.]
“No way… He’s doing this on purpose to build up resistance?”
If that was true, it was borderline insane.
[Resistance] could only be developed when the body was pushed to its absolute limit, surpassing its boundaries.
But if he could train, then overcoming various debuffs during battle would become possible.
[Resistance to Pain (E) has increased to D rank.]
[Resistance to Bleeding (F) has increased to E rank.]
“I knew it… When average stats are low, only by pushing the body to the extreme do you develop resistance.”
Lee Hyun had realized the importance of resistance when he was cursed. If he had an S-rank Cold Resistance at that time, he could have raided the Queen of Ice much more easily. Even an A-rank Curse Resistance would have saved him a lot of trouble.
[The yellow wolf pack attempts to curse you with “Fear Infection”!]
[The curse is canceled by your Curse Resistance (S).]
[The yellow wolf pack attempts to curse you with “Toxin Infiltration”!]
[The curse is canceled by your Curse Resistance (S).]
The skill of the yellow wolves was mostly repelled by his resistance, showing just how powerful it was.
The lack of protective gear didn’t matter because of this reason.
[Your Strength has increased by 1.]
[Your Health has increased by 2.]
Boom!!
Lee Hyun crushed the last wolf’s skull in one clean strike.
It was a far stronger hit than when he first clashed with the wolf pack.
The electric sparks that erupted from his axes were
