The gate wasn’t far from the city, so the two chose to walk, treating the journey as a light warm-up.

  When they arrived, both sat down to rest until their mana had fully recovered.

  “Do you need my buffs?” Merlin asked, adjusting his cloak and looking toward Yun Jin.

  Yun Jin shook his head. “No. I want to fight using my own power first. The point of this quest is to master what we’ve learned.”

  Merlin nodded. “Fine by me. You can go ahead. I need a few moments to prepare something.”

  “Are you sure?” Yun Jin tilted his head. “By the time you get in there, there might not be anything left.”

  Merlin grinned. “Just think of it as a head start. A token of our partnership.”

  Yun Jin smiled, already intrigued. “Now you’ve piqued my interest.”

  Without further delay, he stepped into the rift.

  The moment he crossed through, the sensation returned. That same strange warping of space.

  But something felt different this time.

  This feels more fragile...

  Compared to the clean, precise sensation of his own teleportation, the dimensional rift felt chaotic, frayed at the edges. Even his first arrival into this world hadn’t felt like this.

  Yun Jin wasn’t sure if it was because of his newfound spatial affinity, but he could clearly sense the difference between this rift and every teleportation he had experienced before.

  He looked up toward the crimson sky.

  What truly are these rifts, and where do they come from?

  But this wasn’t the time for answers.

  He activated [Mana Eyes] and scanned the ruins ahead.

  There—floating clusters of condensed mana. Some weak, some noticeably stronger.

  As he moved toward the ancient altar, dozens of red-skinned creatures turned to meet him. Sharp claws. Pointed tails. Teeth that seemed too large for their mouths.

  [Imp LV.14]

  They shrieked in response to his presence, but Yun Jin was already prepared.

  Ten blades of ice hovered behind him, glimmering like predatory birds.

  Release.

  The blades shot forward.

  Eight of them found their mark, piercing skulls with chilling precision. Screeches rang through the ruin as the creatures dissolved into black dust.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  The rest charged.

  Though not intelligent, imps possessed unnaturally high physical endurance. Resistant to magic. Dangerous in numbers. The kind of foe most adventurers would struggle to cleanly dispatch.

  But Yun Jin wasn’t most adventurers.

  [Aura Blade]

  The light flared across his sword as he stepped into their formation.

  His blade danced.

  Light Blade Sovereign Style, Third Form: Dance of the Firefly

  With swift arcs and pinpoint strikes, he moved through the horde like a phantom. The replica sword in his hand cut through the demons like silk.

  This sword is too good... he thought. It felt almost unfair.

  Even as the numbers dwindled, the remaining imps continued to lunge at him, mindless and feral. But Yun Jin never faltered.

  Many who watched him fight might say his style lacked depth, that it was too aggressive or straightforward.

  But they didn’t understand.

  His "normal" was their "too fast".

  Full Control Territory.

  A realm only the most refined warriors could enter. The area of control varied from person to person. Baek Tianjun, for example, could stand before a thousand enemies and deflect every strike—not because of overwhelming power, but because he remained fully in tune with the world around him.

  Even ranged attacks couldn’t touch him.

  A stone arrow suddenly whistled through the air from the dark.

  Yun Jin didn’t flinch.

  He twisted his wrist, and the blade angled just right. The arrow deflected harmlessly, shattering into shards a breath away from his face.

  He turned toward the source.

  [Gargoyle LV.18]

  A group of flying stone demons hovered above the ruins with jagged bows in their hands and glowing eyes locked on him.

  Yun Jin smiled faintly.

  Light Blade Sovereign Style, First Form: Arc Lightning.

  Yun Jin’s dash tore through a line of imps. In a single breath, he reached the first gargoyle and closed the distance.

  The others were already airborne.

  Stone wings beat against the air as arrows rained down in waves. Imps took the distraction as their chance, leaping toward him in unison.

  He was surrounded.

  “Hm.”

  At the last moment, Yun Jin vanished.

  The imps, mid-pounce, were caught by friendly fire. Arrows pierced them from above, dropping several to the ground.

  Yun Jin reappeared behind the lead gargoyle—right in the center of the formation.

  The air shifted.

  Dense energy gathered into the blade, its glow sharp against the red sky.

  Light Blade Sovereign Style, Forth Form: Gale Rend.

  [Sword Wave]

  A spiral of light swept downward.

  Blades shimmered in rotation, cutting through wings and stone flesh. Gargoyles fell from the sky. Injured imps were caught in the crossfire.

  Yun Jin landed among the wreckage. Dust rolled across the battlefield, thick with the fading remnants of broken demons.

  “This was too easy. I guess next time we really do need to try a rank C ri—”

  AHHHH!

  The scream hit him like a shockwave.

  A bombastic burst of sound tore through the air, invisible but crushing. The vibration rattled through his chest, knocking his balance. For a second, his Qi slipped out of alignment, surging wild through his limbs.

  [Aura Surge]

  Yun Jin forced the flow back into control, gripping his sword tight as energy roared through him. He slashed through the rolling sound and threw himself out of its path.

  He landed hard and turned toward the source.

  Even with [Mana Eyes], the figure was barely visible. Mist wrapped around its form, the air around it distorted like a haze.

  It reminded him of Selene—the way shadow demons melted into darkness.

  Still, in that flicker of clarity, the system responded.

  [Banshee Lv. 21]