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. And pinned it to his own chest, locking it in place.
Without wasting a moment, Jinhwan smashed an uppercut into the Woodman's chin.
CRACK!
Then followed up with a clean strike to his right side. As the Woodman's left hand came swinging in, Jinhwan dropped low, dropping to his knees to duck under the blow.
He drove his fist into the Woodman's left leg with full force
CRACK!
Then spun and hit the right one too. Both legs buckled under the hits, snapping like brittle branches.
But before the body could even hit the ground, the broken limbs began regenerating writhing and reforming in seconds, as if nothing had happened.
The Woodman lashed out with his left leg, but Jinhwan reacted on instinct. He grabbed the incoming leg midair, flipped his body upside down with a surge of momentum, and used the Woodman's own weight against him.
BOOM!
Delivering a powerful upside down kick straight to the Woodman's face.
The woodman finally stumbled and hit the ground with a heavy thud, the ground cracking beneath the impact.
Jinhwan pounced, rearing back his fist and slamming it down onto the glowing green crystal in the Woodman's chest.
CRACK!
A hairline fracture appeared.
Jinhwan's eyes widened in hope
it's working!
but before he could strike again, the Woodman's left hand shot up and grabbed Jinhwan's fist mid-swing.
There was a moment of silence. Then
CRUNCH.
"AHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Jinhwan screamed in agony as the Woodman crushed his hand, shattering every bone in his wrist. Pain exploded through his arm like lightning, his whole body convulsing from the shock.
The Woodman's grip tightened around Jinhwan's shattered wrist. Bone grated against bone as he slowly lifted him into the air, letting Jinhwan dangle like a broken doll by his ruined arm.
Jinhwan grit his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth, his body screaming with pain. Every nerve felt like it was on fire.
Then the Woodman casually raised his right hand, grabbed the sword impaled in his chest, and yanked it free with a sickening crack of wood tearing apart. His fingers flexed.
"I was starting to enjoy myself, Mortal...." he said with a sigh, voice calm and cold. "But I don't have time to play anymore."
Suddenly, his right-hand fingers split open roots twisting, stretching, writhing like a nest of snakes. Before Jinhwan could react, those roots shot forward, tearing straight through his stomach.
Jinhwan's eyes widened.
The breath in his lungs vanished. Blood burst from his mouth like a fountain, drenching his chest in crimson. He couldn't scream. Couldn't move. His muscles locked up, the agony far beyond anything he'd ever felt. His head lolled back, his vision blurred. His strength was gone.
The Woodman tilted his head, almost curious.
"You're interesting, Mortal. Watching you grow in such a short time.. it was entertaining. If I had more time, I'd love to see you grow stronger."
His voice was disturbingly calm, like a teacher gently scolding a student.
[Episode 9 End]