Canyon Collapse Trap and the Awakened Mana Sword's First Real Battle
Inside the canyon, the orcs’ rough footsteps and battle cries tangled together in a chaotic roar. I stood just outside the entrance, gazing inward, then immediately channeled my telekinesis and lifted my body into the air. With a clear line of sight, I rapidly scanned the cracks running along both canyon walls.
“...Perfect. The fissures connect nicely in several spots.”
I pulled out the six remaining bombs and precisely seated one each into the upper, middle, and lower cracks on both sides. Below, the orcs were accelerating toward the canyon mouth, surging forward like a green tide. The impact of their footfalls grew heavier with every stride, vibrating up through the stone.
“Starting with the upper cracks.”
I yanked the safety pins from the two bombs on the upper section at the same time. Five seconds later—
KABOOM!!
The upper wall shuddered violently as rock fragments cascaded down. “Good. Now the rest.” I gathered my telekinesis once more and pulled the pins from all four remaining bombs in the middle and lower sections simultaneously.
A heartbeat later—
CRAAAAASH!!!
Both walls split apart at once. Massive boulders poured down like a rocky waterfall. Dust exploded upward as the deafening roar shook the sky. In seconds, the canyon entrance was completely sealed by a mountain of rubble.
But before the dust could settle, more than a dozen orcs squeezed through the gaps and exploded toward me with insane speed, as if the very ground were launching them forward. Green muscles writhed. Roars detonated like bombs.
“Damn… they’re faster than I expected.”
I dropped to the ground and drew my sword. Four daggers hovered in the air, guided by telekinesis. My heart hammered against my ribs.
“Arin! Elly! Get ready for combat!”
The two spirits materialized in streaks of light. After a quick scan of the battlefield, they prepared their powers. Elly raised her hand first, spreading a shimmering curtain of water that wrapped around my body like a second skin.
At that exact moment, four green orcs burst through the debris at the front of the pack. I flicked the four daggers forward, guiding their trajectories with pinpoint precision. The first dagger punched straight through an orc’s eye. The second drove into its gaping maw and out the back of its skull. The third pierced the neck with a dull crunch. The fourth carved deep across one throat before burying itself in the shoulder of the orc behind it.
All four leading orcs collapsed almost simultaneously. The one with a dagger lodged in its shoulder staggered, then let out an even more frenzied roar and charged. I heard the cry and detonated my telekinesis. The orc’s entire body shot skyward. The instant it reached the apex, I released the force completely.
Thud!
Its head smashed into the ground and burst like a watermelon. The creature went limp.
From behind me came Arin’s sharp voice. “Jihoon! I’ll take the two on the right!”
Four compressed spheres of flame shot from her hands, punching through the chests, necks, stomachs, and shoulders of the two orcs in rapid succession. They were hurled backward and slammed to the ground.
The remaining four green orcs swarmed in from every direction. The first one’s sword grazed my arm. Before the pain could register, I ducked low and slipped inside its guard. My blade carved deep into the second orc’s abdomen. When a third swung at me from the side, I severed its arm; its body lurched violently. I dropped even lower, slicing through its legs, then used a burst of footwork to shoot forward. Mana flooded my sword.
I modified the first form of the Flash Sword Art. The third orc’s waist parted like paper as the blade passed through it like a streak of light. The usual resistance I used to feel before the mana coating vanished completely; the sword simply slid through.
The final orc came roaring in, chest heaving. I stepped again, sliding sideways with fluid footwork, and took its head clean off at the neck. It toppled forward.
Behind me, the orc missing an arm and a leg was still crawling, claws scraping across stone. I turned, walked over, and drove my sword deep into its chest. Its body twitched once, then stiffened and went still.
I caught my breath and looked around. The canyon entrance remained blocked. The ground was nothing but a tangle of orc corpses.
“Jihoon… is your arm okay?”
I wiped the blood away roughly and nodded. “Elly’s curtain stopped most of it. Just a graze. I’m fine.”
“You say you’re fine while bleeding like that?”
Elly approached, eyes soft with concern. She gently took my arm. “Please extend your arm. I’ll heal it right away.”
I didn’t even have time to protest. As she carefully lifted my limb, the moisture in her palm spread into a thin, glowing membrane that wrapped the wound. The pain faded almost instantly. The water energy seeped not only across the surface but deep inside, purifying the damage before knitting it back together.
“Just a little more… there.”
When Elly pulled her hand away, the bleeding had stopped completely. The wound was gone without a trace. A faint scar lingered for a second, then vanished. Even the bloodstains on my clothes disappeared.
“Arin, this B-rank dungeon really is no joke. These orcs are on a completely different level from the C-rank ones. Still, taking down ten of them with you feels pretty good.”
“Jihoon, want me to make you feel even better? I brought a present. Hehe.”
Arin held out both small hands. Five glowing red magic stones rested in her palms.
“Huh? When did you collect these? Wow… that’s amazing. You’re the best. When we get home, I’ll buy you all the delicious food you want.”
“For real? Promise! This time let’s have Korean beef. Beef and a glass of soju… Kyah, just thinking about it makes me happy.”
Right beside her, Elly shot her hand into the air. “Jihoon! Next time I’ll gather them for you! Buy me something tasty too. I like raw fish.”
“Haha, Elly, you don’t have to push yourself. Still, if we keep collecting magic stones like this… I’ll have some money saved up. Then I’ll treat both of you to everything you want.”
I looked back and forth between them and opened my backpack. “Whenever you have a moment, just gather a few like this. Drop them in the bag. I’m counting on you two.”
“Let’s move. The longer we stay here, the worse it gets.”
Just then the rocks at the sealed entrance began to shift and rumble. A gap opened, and green orcs poured through like a flood. In seconds their numbers swelled past a hundred, all charging straight at me.
“Sigh… they really won’t give me a break. Arin, what do you think? It looks like they’ll chase us to the ends of the earth.”
“Elderium orcs are famous for pursuing prey until their stamina completely runs out! They’re monsters with ridiculously strong competitive instincts.”
“I see. Elly, sorry to ask, but could you fly up and look for a place we can hide? I’ll hold them off here for a bit.”
“Yes! Wait just a moment, Jihoon!”
Elly shot skyward instantly. I stayed at the entrance, using telekinesis to keep dropping boulders and block their path. Soon her voice rang down from above.
“Jihoon! There’s a clear spot further up the canyon with no monsters! Let’s head higher!”
“Got it! Time to run… I’m actually getting tired. I want to rest!”
I leaped, climbing halfway up the canyon wall, then hid behind rocks and kept moving toward the summit. But the elite orcs—each one half again as large as the regular ones—had already noticed. Five of them led the main horde, closing the distance fast from behind.
“Arin! We’ve got orcs on our tail! Can you burn these trees to slow them down?”
“Of course! I’m a fire spirit, remember?”
“Then light them up! We’ll fly up while they’re blocked!”
“On it!”
The moment Arin answered, flames engulfed the trees and underbrush, cutting off the pursuit path. I poured every ounce of strength into a jump, landed on a branch, then leaped again. Telekinesis wrapped around me and carried me straight to the top.
Looking back as I rose, I saw the frenzied elite orcs and the rest of the horde racing up the canyon like madmen. When I reached the summit and caught my breath, Elly had already finished scouting and returned.
“Jihoon! The canyon on the other side has almost no monsters! And I spotted a cave! We should be able to hide there!”
“Good… let’s cross quickly.”
One elite orc had already caught up. It swung its axe in a vicious arc. I sprinted toward the cliff edge as if taunting them, then turned and flipped my middle finger.
“Eat this, you stupid orc bastards! See you later! You’re all dead—count on it!”
As I leaped across the canyon, the orcs—whether they understood my words or not—roared in fury and jumped after me. One by one they plummeted into the abyss below.
“Puhaha! You idiots! If you want to chase me, go right ahead!”
“Hahaha! Jihoon, they got so worked up they just ran off the edge! More than ten have already fallen!”
“Sigh, they really do have low intelligence. Looks like they can’t follow us anymore. Let’s get into that cave and rest, Jihoon.”
Following Elly’s guidance, I slipped inside the cave. It looked like it had been abandoned for a long time—only scattered animal bones lay around, with no fresh traces of anything else.
“Jihoon! Wait here! I’ll bring back something to eat!”
Arin zoomed outside in a flash. Elly stayed close, keeping watch over the interior. Soon Arin returned, her small hands overflowing with fruit.
“Jihoon! These are pico berries! They’re sweet and tangy and super tasty! They also help restore energy!”
“Oh, nice find. Thanks, Arin.”
I accepted one and took a bite. The sweet-sour flavor spread across my tongue, and some of the fatigue weighing me down melted away. I chewed through a combat ration from my pack, then sat on the ground and began circulating the Harmony Heart Method.
The central and lower mana holes filled and stabilized. Thanks to the rich mana density typical of B-rank dungeons, the training efficiency felt noticeably higher.
“Wow… this really is a great spot for training. I’d love to stay here longer if I could…”
When I finished speaking, Arin’s expression turned slightly troubled.
“Jihoon… I actually used too much power. I think I need to return to the spirit realm for a short rest.”
“Really? Then go ahead. I’ll keep training while you’re gone.”
Elly immediately raised her hand. “Jihoon! I’ll stand guard until she returns! We can take turns!”
Arin nodded. “Yes! I’ll rest quickly and come right back. Stay safe, Jihoon!”
I smiled at both of them in turn. “Go on. Thanks to both of you, I’ve been able to endure this far.”
Once Arin disappeared back to the spirit realm, the cave grew quiet. I settled into position and resumed the Harmony Heart Method. The empty central and lower mana holes filled smoothly, and the energy inside me began circulating with even greater balance.
“Good… that’s enough for the heart method.”
I immediately moved on to footwork and sword practice. After warming up, I drew my sword and sent mana flowing through it. The familiar coating was now far thicker and longer, completely enveloping the blade. What used to be a thin layer on the surface now extended thirty to forty centimeters beyond the edge, forming a glowing blue mana sword.
“Oh… it stretches this far? So this is the ‘Mana Sword’ mentioned in the Flash Sword Art?”
I gathered even more energy and pushed it in. The mana sword lengthened to nearly a full meter. A trembling blue radiance flickered around the blade.
I slowly withdrew the mana sword and steadied my breathing. That was when a heavy presence appeared at the cave entrance, accompanied by the sound of something scraping against stone.
“Jihoon… what was that noise?”
Elly stepped back cautiously. I gripped my sword and approached the entrance with care. A massive shadow slowly emerged into view.
“Wait… isn’t that a troll? Wow, that startled me…”
The troll exhaled a chilling breath as it approached. Thick scars crisscrossed its green hide, and even now the wounds were bubbling, visibly reknitting themselves.
Elly cried out urgently. “Jihoon, be careful! This is your first troll! Their regeneration is incredibly fast!”
“I know. I’ve read about them. Even if you cut off an arm, it reattaches. If you press a severed limb back on, it heals almost instantly… To finish one properly, you have to take the head.”
The troll roared, “KUUOOOH—!!” and charged.
I drew my sword and slashed sideways in a swift arc. The blade bit deep into its arm, but the wound immediately bubbled and sealed itself.
“Wow… is that recovery speed even fair?”
As the troll came again, I adjusted my grip, tilting the blade. “This time… it’s the Mana Sword.”
I concentrated, wrapping the blade in mana. Blue light extended outward, forming a mana sword nearly a meter long around the edge. Just before the troll’s second charge connected, I pivoted on my toes, slipped to the side, and swung sharply at its leg.
Schlick—!
This time the blade sank in smoothly. The troll’s right leg was severed cleanly. “GRWOOOOR—!!” The giant body lost balance and crashed forward.
Without hesitation I spun and brought the sword down hard across the back of its neck in a single decisive strike.
Thud.
The huge head rolled across the floor. The body convulsed a few times, then lay still.
“Whew… it’s finished.”
I stared at the blood pouring from the corpse for a moment, then muttered with regret. “What a shame… I heard troll blood sells for a fortune. Too bad I don’t have anything to collect it in…”
Elly let out a small laugh. I lifted the carcass with telekinesis and hurled it far down into the canyon below. A heavy crash echoed in the distance.
“Elly, if any bloodstains remain, other monsters might swarm. Could you purify the area?”
“Of course! Leave it to me. I’ll erase every trace.”
Elly spread her hands. The blood droplets scattered across the floor floated up, gathering into a single glistening orb. She tossed it over the cliff, then sprinkled water infused with purifying energy across the ground. The remaining blood and scent vanished as if they had never existed. The cave entrance returned to its pristine state.
I sat down, letting the adrenaline of battle slowly fade, and slipped into meditation. Circulating the Harmony Heart Method to calm the flow of energy, the mana I had expended returned steadily. The central and lower mana holes began to fill once more.
At the same time, outside the gate—
a completely different situation was unfolding.