"Where are you hiding? Here? Or maybe here?"
Countless dark, bluish-black arms shot toward him from all directions. Marcus Lee swung his Sunwheel Blade with all his might, but it was impossible to block every strike.
A heavy blow hit his right waist, and he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. The Sunwheel Blade slipped from his grasp.
When he came to, his limbs were firmly held by thick, powerful hands.
The next moment, unbearable pain surged through him.
Two of his arms were the first to be torn apart, blood spraying wildly, his screams echoing through the night-covered mountains.
"Delicious… truly delicious!"
Mocking words and unrestrained laughter rang in his ears.
"Beg for mercy? If you do, maybe I'll let you live a few more days!"
Marcus jolted awake, clutching the Sunwheel Blade that had fallen to the ground. The weapon gave him a small, fragile sense of security.
He sat up in a daze, looking around, disoriented.
What he had just seen was only a dream but it had felt so real.
Perhaps this could really happen to him.
His stomach growled in protest. Marcus decided not to dwell on the nightmare. He would go to the stream to get some water and pick a few wild fruits to eat.
"While sleeping, my breathing was completely chaotic."
"The rhythm for Water Breathing is roughly memorized, but I keep forgetting to actually breathe this way."
"Years of habitual breathing don't change easily, but I have no choice."
He lifted his head, squinting against the glaring sunlight.
Probably noon.
The past few days of irregular sleep and erratic meals had left his body far from peak condition.
…
Night fell.
Sitting by a small fire, Marcus sensed that the feeling of being watched wasn't as strong as before.
But that was not necessarily good.
The strongest being on this mountain was undoubtedly the Hand Demon.
Its dominance over the territory meant that fewer other demons would dare attack him.
Demons would kill each other without hesitation.
Waiting could be endless. Marcus hesitated, wondering whether he should try to move away from the direction where he had previously encountered the Hand Demon.
But would doing so really guarantee that he would avoid it?
While he was still debating, faint but heavy footsteps approached.
Marcus' heart sank. He froze mid-step.
Fear threatened to paralyze him. If he ran again now, he might lose the courage to fight ever again.
Should he run?
No matter how much preparation he had done, it never felt enough.
Was he really powerless now, and would mastering Water Breathing truly make him stronger than this creature later?
To run or to fight?
The choice had never felt more difficult.
"Not running? Then you will die, you know!"
"Or maybe, just maybe, you can escape if you try!"
A playful voice echoed from afar. The grotesque, mountain-like shape appeared before him once more.
"I… don't know!"
Marcus muttered, slightly bewildered.
Would a few more days make any difference? Here, he couldn't eat properly, couldn't rest properly.
He still hadn't mastered Water Breathing. Could a few more days help him master it?
Who knew!
"Let me see… you should be number forty-nine… no, maybe fiftieth!"
The Hand Demon counted leisurely, as if it had all the time in the world to tally its victims.
"So?"
Marcus' expression remained blank. Slowly, he stood and drew his blade.
The difference between tonight and last night? Probably just that he had done some mental preparation.
He forced himself to overcome the fear inside him, to maintain composure.
"Boring."
The Hand Demon, seeing no trace of fear on Marcus' face, felt a little disappointed.
It extended its thick, powerful arms. Veins bulging beneath the bluish-black skin, in that instant, they seemed like countless snakes striking from the shadows.
The bluish tip of the blade gleamed coldly under the moonlight.
The slender back of the Sunwheel Blade reflected the blood-red of Marcus' eyes.
The idiot system's evaluation: swordsmanship has reached beginner level.
In other words, Swordsmanship LV1.
Not extraordinarily strong but enough to let him deal with the arms coming from all directions.
Swinging repeatedly, the blade cut through the air with a series of crisp sounds. Several arms were severed in straight, clean lines, blood spilling freely. Marcus was slightly surprised.
Demons could bleed, after all.
But it didn't really matter. All these attacks were essentially useless.
No matter how many arms he cut off, the Hand Demon could recover at incredible speed.
These wounds were far from fatal.
"Useless! Completely useless!"
The Hand Demon remained nonchalant, its attitude relaxed.
"Really?"
Marcus asked calmly, retorting: "Do you think I'm the kind of fool who wastes effort on useless work?"
He knew cutting the neck would have been more effective.
So why engage in seemingly pointless actions?
Each swing of the blade, though sharp and precise, still wore down the weapon.
Grooves had already formed along the edge. Marcus did not ignore this.
As the words left his lips, the severed arms of the Hand Demon did not visibly regenerate.
Beneath its bluish-black skin, countless small purplish-black snakes seemed to surge forward, consuming everything.
What was that?
"Poison. Don't be surprised."
Marcus' voice carried from a distance.