Fury Forged in the Sands
This environment was certainly no easy start.
Even for Jang Lee-hyun, who prided himself on his wealth of real combat experience, the desert proved a brutally difficult place to adapt to.
The sun that stabbed at his skin.
The heat that felt like it would cook his flesh.
The sandstorms that blinded him without warning.
Even terrain familiarity became useless when the wind blew hard enough to reshape the landscape at will.
A place where heat scrambled the senses, forcing reliance on nothing but raw instinct.
Yet—
That’s exactly why it’s perfect for sharpening those senses.
Jang Lee-hyun intended to push his abilities to the limit before delivering the Hosin’s Protective Charm to Lim Won-young. He had a favor to ask, after all.
Flash!
Hwaan Geumjeong pointed somewhere.
A danger signal.
There was no time to even think Where?
Below!
Flash!
A wolf burst from the sand, jaws gaping wide—like a crocodile lunging from a swamp to snatch its prey.
So they can dig through sand too!
Jang Lee-hyun drew both axes and crossed them into an X.
BOOM!
The jaws slammed into the crossed blades. Without hesitation, he released the axes and yanked the kukri from his belt with his left hand, slashing upward.
Slice!
SPLUUURT!
Even if it wasn’t a custom piece, the kukri was forged by Docheol Elder. Its edge was lethally sharp. A deep gash opened across the yellow wolf’s neck, blood spraying across the dry sand.
Strength has increased by 1.
Whine! Whine-whine!
As the fountain of blood soaked into the desert sand, two more wolves burst through the sandstorm.
Before he could even register the strength gain, Jang Lee-hyun hurled the kukri at one of them.
The blade’s size slowed its flight. The wolf twisted aside, dodging—but the delay gave him the opening he needed.
A savage dash that kicked up sand.
Both axes were already back in his hands.
Whoosh!
Mana surged from his core.
Crackle—crackle-crackle—
Blue-white lightning danced across the axe blades. After four long years, mana once again coursed through them, revealing their cruel fangs.
Dueogsini’s Breath
CRASH!
Both axes shattered the wolf’s skull and tore its jaws apart in a single exchange. The mana he had finally drawn forth after so long ended the yellow wolf in an instant.
SPLAAAASH!
Even though the blades had sliced cleanly through, the wounds looked like they had been chewed by a beast—jagged, serrated tears.
Yet—
Still not enough output.
Jang Lee-hyun remembered how close he had come to losing his axes from the sheer recoil. Deliberately discarding a weapon was one thing, but losing it because a monster’s hide was too tough was the worst mistake a warrior could make on the battlefield.
I need fiercer mana.
With that cold assessment, he stomped the ground again and met the second wolf—the one that had dodged his kukri.
More!
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Mana has increased by 2.
The blue-white lightning, now even wilder than before, cleaved horizontally.
CLANG!
The axe smashed into the wolf’s lower jaw. But this one was stronger—it ignored the wound and lunged.
Jang Lee-hyun tried to drive his right axe into its forehead, but—
Flash! Flash!
Three more wolves erupted from the wind and sand.
He swung his right arm sideways. One wolf’s skull shattered. The other two sank their teeth into his left thigh and right flank.
Agony he hadn’t tasted in years flooded him. Adrenaline surged.
More!!
That violent emotion transmuted into mana.
The trait “Indomitable” has triggered. Intense emotions erupt. Dueogsini’s Breath (D) expels even greater mana.
Proficiency has risen dramatically.
Stamina has increased by 1.
Mana has increased by 1.
Dexterity has increased by 2.
RUMBLE!
The lightning, once mere sparks, now connected in branching arcs. A savage thunderclap followed.
Dueogsini’s Rage has manifested!
The more violently Dueogsini’s Breath expelled emotion, the greater the mana output. Fury. Frenzy. Madness. The higher the intensity, the more devastating the blue-white lightning became.
Two bolts of lightning obliterated the remaining wolves’ skulls in an instant.
Thud! Thud!
Thump-thump-thump!
Drenched in crimson blood, Jang Lee-hyun grinned wide enough to bare his teeth. Adrenaline and dopamine flooded his system. The pain of wounds. The frustration of a body that wouldn’t obey. Yet the ecstasy that followed drowned them all out.
Yes.
This was it.
The sensation he had craved—clashing with his body, swinging axes, taking wounds, feeling irritation, exhaling scorching breaths, and finally slaying his enemies. The vivid proof that he was alive.
Emotions intensify.
Dueogsini’s Rage accelerates mana circulation. Greater remnants of ■■■■’s divine power are absorbed.
Proficiency has risen dramatically. Dueogsini’s Breath (D) has risen to C-rank.
“Haaah!”
Jang Lee-hyun exhaled a long breath, purging every pent-up frustration and resentment. When he inhaled again, the battlefield’s tension and exhilaration sank deep into his core.
Thanks to that, every dulled nerve cell and dormant muscle fiber was violently awakened.
Flash!
In that moment, something long sealed within him stirred back to life.
Dueogsini’s Rage has awakened the slumbering Dueogsini’s Wraith.
Senses are actively heightened.
Strength has increased by 2.
Agility has increased by 3.
…
The body has been pushed beyond its limits. Heightened senses have successfully unlocked “Combat Sense (F).”
Combat Sense (F)
A skill possessed only by warriors who have endured countless fierce battles. The greater the accumulated fatigue and damage, the stronger the fighting spirit becomes.
Instinct, intuition, and reflexive judgment honed through experience pursue victory above all else. Nothing else matters.
— Type: Skill, Combat
— Proficiency: 0%
— Origin: Tale “Jangja Pond”
The second of the five skills Jang Lee-hyun had once prided himself on returned. At the same time—
BOOOOM!
He launched into another dash.
The sandstorm parted.
Twenty yellow wolves glared and snarled.
In that moment, Jang Lee-hyun smiled.
There were still so many opponents left to fight. He wondered how much more exhilaration they would bring.
That smile made him look like a Dueoksini utterly consumed by battle.
* * *
“Damn it! My fish-shaped pastry! I should’ve just eaten it right away! Aaaagh!”
Sun Wukong frantically tried to brush the sand off his bungeo-ppang, but every gust of wind only embedded more grains into the pastry. Eventually he exploded in frustration—only to notice Jang Lee-hyun thrashing about even more wildly than he was.
Rumble! Rumble!
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!
Jang Lee-hyun was rampaging through the pack of yellow wolves like a wolf himself among sheep. Yet the one accumulating far more wounds was Jang Lee-hyun.
He didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
Pain Resistance (E) has been acquired. You can now endure greater pain.
Bleeding Resistance (F) has been acquired. You can withstand anemic states slightly better.
If anything, he seemed to be enjoying it even more.
“Kid, don’t tell me he’s doing that on purpose to raise his resistances?”
If that were true, it was madness. Resistances only manifested when the body was driven to extremes beyond its limits. But if one could train them, they became a powerful means of overcoming status ailments in battle. Even Sun Wukong had only barely obtained Indestructible Diamond Body after reaching its perfected form.
“Wait a second. Don’t tell me…? That bastard… he read my karma…?”
A chill ran down Sun Wukong’s spine without him realizing it. Once he became aware of it, he noticed how eerily similar Jang Lee-hyun’s fighting style had become to something he had seen before.
Of course, Jang Lee-hyun was a born fighter. The first skills he had reclaimed were Dueogsini’s Breath and Combat Sense, after all. But he was rebuilding their foundation from the ground up—how he utilized skills, how he perceived information, how he moved his body, how he approached combat, how he handled ambushes, how he channeled mana into weapons. His entire combat methodology was being rewritten.
And at its core, traces of Sun Wukong’s own movements were beginning to surface.
Sun Wukong suddenly remembered how Jang Lee-hyun had glimpsed his mana circulation while absorbing divine power.
“Don’t tell me… he never forgot that sensation and has been watching me ever since?”
If Jang Lee-hyun had observed even Sun Wukong’s smallest habits and adapted them into his own style, then every bold, reckless, yet undeniably victorious movement made perfect sense.
Sun Wukong was left speechless by the sheer level of obsession and madness.
“…That kid’s actually insane.”
* * *
Pain Resistance (E) has risen to D-rank.
Bleeding Resistance (F) has risen to E-rank.
…
Paralysis Resistance (F) has been acquired. Resistance to instant paralysis increases.
Physical Resistance (F) has been acquired. Bones and muscles harden.
Fatigue Resistance (F) has been acquired. Vitality receives a slight boost.
My prediction was right. When average stats are low, you have to keep pushing the body to its extremes for resistances to form.
The truth Jang Lee-hyun had learned most painfully while suffering under the curse was the importance of resistances. If he had possessed S-rank Cold Resistance back then, he could have raided the Snow Queen far more easily. Even A-rank Curse Resistance would have spared him so much suffering.
Yet most people, including himself, overlooked their value.
Because obtaining them is too painful.
They knew they were necessary, but believed items could compensate. Only later did they realize there were gaps items could never fill.
Without sufficient physical ability as a foundation, it becomes impossible to climb higher once you hit a wall. It means your capacity is lacking.
By the time one tried to acquire resistances later, it was already impossible—stats had risen too far to push past the limit again.
But—
I’m different. The curse reset most of my stats to rookie levels.
His body had become one that could acquire resistances with relative ease.
The difference is obvious just by looking at my already S-rank Cold Resistance and Curse Resistance.
The yellow wolf pack attempts “Curse: Fear Infection”!
Cancelled by Curse Resistance (S).
The yellow wolf pack attempts “Curse: Toxin Penetration”!
Cancelled by Curse Resistance (S).
The fact that most of the wolves’ skills were nullified proved the power of resistances. In a way, this situation itself had become a blessing in disguise for Jang Lee-hyun. That was precisely why he wore no protective gear.
Strength has increased by 1.
Stamina has increased by 2.
CRASH!!
Jang Lee-hyun smashed the skull of the final wolf in a single blow—far more powerful than when he had first clashed with the pack.
Crackle-crackle!
Lightning danced brilliantly.
Thanks to the resistances, my physical senses have become much sharper.
That was the result of continuously observing Sun Wukong through Hwaan Geumjeong. Yet applying what he understood only in theory to actual combat revealed many points that still needed correction.
If I only imitate Sun Wukong, I might grow faster than this.
Hwaan Geumjeong burned brightly in his eyes.
But in the end, it would be like wearing clothes that don’t fit. I have to tear it all apart and remake it in my own way.
Jang Lee-hyun sought the midpoint between his original combat style and Sun Wukong’s. Revision. Or reinterpretation. Either term would suffice.
Overwhelming ecstasy from heightened madness. Combat Sense (F) has risen to E-rank.
Mana is boiling. Mana circuits have overheated.
Stamina is insufficient. Rest is recommended.
“Haa! Haa!”
The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth. Yet Jang Lee-hyun moved like a predator seeking its next prey. He had to maintain this feeling until the quest ended.
He had deliberately spared one wolf, letting it flee. Its trail would lead to the yellow wolves’ den. Raiding it would yield not only training but also clues to complete the quest.
Chase.
Flash!
With Hwaan Geumjeong blazing, Jang Lee-hyun began following the blood trail left by the wolf.