Then he turned, axe resting on his shoulder, and began walking down the slope, step by step toward the glowing village in the pit.
Jinhwan descended the slope with steady steps, and within a minute, he was standing under the soft, pulsing glow of the purple light. The underground air was cooler, but thick with something unspoken, like danger waiting to breathe.
He rested the axe on his shoulder, eyes scanning the area.
Two monkeys spotted him immediately. No hesitation.
They charged.
One held a curved sword.
The other, an axe.
Jinhwan's eyes widened.
Damn, they're fast!
In the blink of an eye, they were in front of him.
The one with the axe swung straight for his head, no feints, no mercy.
CLANG!
Jinhwan barely raised his weapon in time, blocking the strike with the handle. The impact was brutal, it sent a shockwave through his arms and made the ground beneath his feet crack with a sharp split. He clenched his jaw, absorbing the hit, muscles straining.
Jinhwan launched a counter immediately, slamming his left leg upward, right between the monkey's legs.
The beast howled, stumbling.
Jinhwan pushed its weapon aside and, with one clean swing, brought his axe across its neck.
A flash of steel. A spray of blood.
The head dropped before the body.
He didn't have time to think.
The second monkey was already attacking, blade slashing for his gut.
Jinhwan reacted instinctively. He jumped, narrowly dodging the sword. In midair, he gripped his axe with both hands, raised it high above his head, and brought it crashing down with full force the moment he landed.
The axe carved cleanly through the second monkey, splitting it down the centre.
The body collapsed into two perfect halves.
Jinhwan staggered back a step, breathing heavy, chest rising and falling.
He looked at the bodies, then down at his trembling hands.
"..These guys are tough," he muttered, catching his breath. "I had to use mana just to kill them."
He clenched the axe tighter. This wasn't a village. It was a fortress. And he'd just knocked on its front door with blood on his hands.
Hearing the screams and clash of steel, the other monkeys began to move.
Heavy footsteps thundered across the ground, echoing through the underground village.
From every corner, more of them came, twelve, maybe thirteen in total. Some wielded single axes, others spun twin blades in their hands. Their eyes burned with fury, and they charged without hesitation.
Jinhwan's blue eyes began to glow softly. He adjusted his stance, gripping the axe tighter, body low, calm, ready.
The first monkey reached him. Fast. Wild.
It raised its arms high and brought the axe down with a roar, aiming straight for Jinhwan's skull.
Jinhwan stepped to the side, not far, just enough. The enemy's blade slammed into the ground, sending a burst of dust into the air. In that split-second opening, Jinhwan moved.
He brought his own weapon upward in a clean, sharp arc, slicing through the monkey's chest. The body collapsed at his feet, lifeless.
A second charged right after, swinging his axe from the side.
Jinhwan raised his axe to block, metal slamming into metal. Sparks flew. The force of it sent a tremble up his arms. He clenched his teeth, held his ground.
He countered quickly, shoving the axe away and slamming his boot into the monkey's chest. As it stumbled back, he stepped in and brought his weapon down across its neck.
The head didn't even make a sound hitting the ground.
Another scream behind him.
Jinhwan turned just in time, ducking under a wild swing. The blade whistled over his head. He twisted on his heel, elbowing the attacker in the ribs. The monkey wheezed, stunned for a moment, and that was enough.
Jinhwan buried the axe deep into its side, twisting it before yanking it free.
He looked up.
Three of them rushed together at him.
He sprinted forward, closing the distance before they could surround him. The first one swung high, Jinhwan ducked low and swept its legs out with a sharp kick. It collapsed hard.
The second tried to cut across his back. Jinhwan turned fast, blocking the hit with the axe's shaft. The third came right behind it, swinging down.
Jinhwan pushed back, using the block's momentum to create space, then slid to the side. He caught the third monkey mid-swing, grabbing its wrist and slamming his forehead into its face. A crack echoed out. Blood sprayed from its nose as it stumbled.
With both enemies off balance, Jinhwan swung low, slashing across legs, stomachs, whatever he could reach. The air was filled with their screams.
He pulled his axe free.
Another one was charging fast, roaring louder than the others. Too close to him. He didn't have time to block.
He jumped back, but not fast enough. The axe grazed his arm, slicing through his sleeve and cutting a shallow line across his skin.
Blood dripped from his arm to the floor.
Jinhwan hissed. Without missing a beat, he flipped his grip on the weapon, then hurled it forward. The axe spun through the air, clean and deadly, before embedding itself straight into the attacker's chest.
The monkey crashed to the ground, twitching once.
Jinhwan exhaled. He dashed forward, grabbing the twin axes off the fallen body.
Now dual-wielding.
Another came at him, screaming, swinging both arms like a whirlwind. Jinhwan met it head-on, crossed the axes to block, then kicked the monkey's knee out from under it. As it dropped, he brought both blades down into its back.
He ducked low, rolled forward, slashed at legs. One fell. Another jumped over him, but Jinhwan twisted his body, slicing upward through its stomach as it passed.
His breath was getting shorter. His arms are heavier. He kept moving.
Two monkeys circled him now.
Jinhwan spun, blocked one strike, then clashed blades with the other. Sparks flew again. He ducked, then brought both axes up in a brutal X-shape. The metal tore through one chest. Then the other.
Blood sprayed in arcs beneath the glowing purple stones.
Jinhwan stood in the middle of the chaos.
Panting. Dripping. His boots soaked in blood. His grip was slick on the handles.
Around him, thirteen bodies were making a pool of blood.
Only his breath remained, echoing in the underground chamber beneath a dead world.
"That was tough.." Jinhwan muttered, his breath ragged. He glanced down at his left arm, blood was trickling from a clean slice just below the shoulder. The sting was sharp, but the adrenaline numbed it.
"If they could use mana," he whispered to himself.
"I'd be the one dead right now."
Click.
A sudden sound broke the silence. His watch screen flickered to life, glowing faintly in the purple, lit air.
Jinhwan raised his right arm and looked at the display.
[Level Up]
[Level: 16]
[Mana: 53]
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Oh? So I can level up without getting a quest too.."
He chuckled, tired but amused.
[Episode 27 End]