What the hell she said it sends a slash, so why did it explode?.. Whatever. At least it did some damage.
The woodman got back up, like it was nothing. His broken arms healed in seconds.
"What was that trick, mortal?" he said, voice cold and calm. "That attack shouldn't be possible for someone like you."
"It's a sword that boosts mana a little and sends out a mana slash," Jinhwan replied, getting back into his stance, sword ready again. "But now I see it boosts more than just a little."
The woodman smiled. "Now it's getting interesting."
His hands shifted and stretched, turning into long, sharp blades ready to strike.
Jinhwan and the Woodman stepped forward at the same time, their eyes locked in silent challenge. In a blink, Jinhwan slashed his sword straight toward the Woodman's core but before the blade could land, the Woodman raised his left-hand sword, deflecting the strike with a swift clang of metal.
Without hesitation, the Woodman countered. His wooden blade sliced through the air, striking Jinhwan's left side. Jinhwan barely had time to react the sword bit into his side, cutting through flesh and drawing a spray of blood.
Gritting his teeth against the sudden pain, Jinhwan forced his body to move. Before the Woodman could press the advantage, Jinhwan roared and brought his sword down hard, shattering the Woodman's weapon in half. Splinters flew.
Then. BAM! he delivered a solid kick to the Woodman's chest. It didn't do much damage, but it gave him what he needed: distance.
Staggering back, Jinhwan clutched his bleeding side. Blood poured freely, warm and wet against his fingers, but thankfully, it wasn't too deep. He'd reacted just in time to avoid a fatal blow.
"Ahh... if this keeps up, I'll die before I land a hit.." he muttered under his breath, panting.
He looked up and there the Woodman stood, still and calm, a smirk carved across his wooden face like a taunt.
That bastard's mocking me..
Jinhwan thought, vision starting to blur at the edges. His body felt heavy, the pain crawling deeper. He didn't have long.
He straightened, eyes narrowing.
"Tell me," he said through clenched teeth, "why didn't you use mana in that last strike? I know if you had, I'd be lying in two pieces by now."
The Woodman let out a soft laugh.
"Well, you see....." he said casually, as his severed hand began to regrow, twisting and reshaping itself like bark reforming, "you're just too weak. Your mana and your control over it. it's pathetic. I was honestly surprised when I first saw you. I wondered how someone with such poor mana control made it this far alone."
He paused, staring straight at Jinhwan.
"But now that I've fought you.... I understand."
Jinhwan was breathing heavily now, each inhale sharp and shallow. His vision wavered, but he forced himself to stay conscious, clinging to his focus like a lifeline.
"And what did you find?" he asked, his voice hoarse but steady.
The Woodman tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk in his expressionless wooden features. His eyes glowed faintly green.
"You know how to fight," he said, folding his arms as if analyzing a specimen. "Your physique, the way you handle your sword it's clear you've trained endlessly. For someone your age, it's impressive. I'll give you that, Mortal."
Jinhwan scoffed, lifting his sword despite the tremble in his arm.
"I'm not here to impress a puppet."
In a single fluid motion, he pointed the tip of his sword at the Woodman.
Then clack! he struck the crimson hilt with his right palm.
A sudden hum filled the air, followed by a brilliant flash of blue light shooting from the sword's tip. The beam streaked through the battlefield, fast as lightning, striking the green crystal embedded in the Woodman's chest.
The Woodman barely had time to react. The blast hit dead center.
BOOM!
The explosion burst outward in a pulse of blue energy, sending shockwaves across the field. The Woodman was hurled backward like a ragdoll, crashing through a tree as shards of bark flew in all directions.
Jinhwan stood still, his sword lowered, blinking through the smoke.
"That was cool," he muttered under his breath, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Never thought it would actually work like that."
But the moment of hope didn't last long.
Through the thick cloud of smoke, a figure emerged slow, steady footsteps echoing across the cracked earth. Then glowing green eyes.
"That was cool," the Woodman echoed, stepping out of the smoke completely unharmed. His voice was light and playful, but carried a cruel undertone.
"But you really thought that little trick would destroy the core?"
He stopped a few meters away, arms hanging loosely by his sides. The green crystal on his chest shimmered completely untouched. Not a single crack.
"Come on, Mortal. Even if this is the body of the lowest-ranked gate monster.... it's still a boss."
As he spoke, his broken limbs twitched and snapped, rapidly growing back with the sound of twisting wood and cracking vines. The pieces of his form reassembled, bark knitting together like it had never been torn apart.
He stood tall, chest slightly puffed, one foot forward, shoulders relaxed like a predator that knew its prey had nowhere left to run. A faint green glow pulsed beneath his skin, as if mocking Jinhwan's efforts.
Jinhwan's grip tightened around his sword as he charged forward, pushing through the pain burning in his side.
The Woodman just stood there, completely still, almost inviting the attack. He didn't move, didn't flinch as if he didn't see Jinhwan as a threat at all.
Jinhwan slashed toward the green crystal on his chest once more, but the Woodman casually raised his right hand to block. At the last second, he twisted his wrist, redirecting the sword. The blade drove straight through the Woodman's arm.
SHLUNK!
And pinned it to his own chest, locking it in place.
[Chapter 9 end]