Faced with Ge Jin treating the power of "Dark Wave" as magic—
Minori naturally had no intention of explaining.
Skills granted by "high-level professions" were fundamentally different from this world's martial arts, so it was only natural that Ge Jin, like most natives, would mistake them for magic.
"I was careless just now," Ge Jin muttered after a long breath, the white in his fierce eyes sharpening as he finally recognized Minori as a genuine opponent.
"My weapon was worse," Minori replied evenly, lifting the cracked hilt in his hand before letting it fall to the stone floor with a clatter.
Ge Jin's eyes twitched as he saw the shattered fragments of the iron sword on the ground.
What just happened?
That moment when his body froze—when even his mind blanked—and then the searing pain on his chest. Could that magic have shattered the weapon to deal that kind of damage?
As that thought flashed by, Ge Jin bent his knees slightly, barked:
"Skin Reinforcement."
And then again: "Super Strengthened Skin."
A muddy brown aura rippled over Ge Jin's body—followed by a second, brighter layer of protection. From a distance, it looked as though his dark green skin had developed a metallic sheen.
Minori narrowed his eyes, watching as two separate status changes registered on his interface.
He valued the martial arts of this world. They were wildly different from enhancement magic. Unlike stacking enhancement spells like Magic Boost or Greater Strength, which would override each other, native martial arts could stack their effects. "Skin Reinforcement" and "Super Strengthened Skin" could both apply simultaneously. That was the unique strength of martial arts.
But Minori didn't attempt to learn them—not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.
Those techniques enhanced the thick, layered dermis of demi-human bodies. A human like Minori simply didn't possess the required physiology to benefit from them.
"I underestimated you, human alchemist," Ge Jin said solemnly. His massive arms hung low past his waist, the muscles twitching with tension. "From now on, I'll strike only once. If you can block it, I'll admit my arrogance."
Hearing that, Minori's gaze didn't waver.
"One blow to decide the outcome?" he replied. "Seems I'm actually ahead right now."
In terms of raw power, Minori was still outmatched. With his current level, he could not defeat Ge Jin head-on.
His only real chance was a prolonged ranged battle. If necessary, he could use Summon Angel: Fire to take to the skies and harass Ge Jin from above. Ogres had no way to fly.
But—
Most of his Fire Archangel scrolls had been used up during their swamp expedition. His experience bar had ticked up to 20152/10000—just enough to guarantee one more level.
Of the remaining scrolls, two had been destroyed in the earlier exchange.
Over the past three days in the capital, he'd only had time to create two more. The rest of his magic had been poured into charging the Orb of Death (now at 110/280).
So even stalling would be difficult now.
Exposing Dark Wave earlier had been a calculated risk to discourage a prolonged fight.
Minori's eyes flicked to Ge Jin's wound—still bleeding steadily.
Upon reaching Level 3, Curse Knight gained a passive that caused its inflicted injuries to resist low-level healing and suppress regenerative abilities.
It was a natural counter to races like ogres, whose regeneration was a key advantage.
Ge Jin didn't seem to realize it yet, but that wound would bleed him dry in due time.
"I'm coming!"
The warning came with a sharp blast of killing intent.
Boom!
Ge Jin's massive body shot forward like a train.
"Water Acceleration!" he roared mid-charge.
A flash of martial light wrapped around him, and his already fearsome speed ramped up again. But instead of repeating his earlier charge directly—
Bang!
Ge Jin stomped hard and leapt into the air, fists raised, body falling like a meteor.
Smart. Even if Minori used the same trick to freeze him again, the sheer weight of Ge Jin's falling body would still follow through on the strike.
Minori's face showed genuine admiration.
What a terrifying instinct for battle.
Not even Summon Angel: Fire could block this effectively. The angel would be crushed along with its summoner.
But—there was no need for that.
Minori's body shone with magic as he suddenly shrank in size.
"Shrinkage."
In an instant, he vanished from Ge Jin's view.
Boom!
Ge Jin's fist slammed into the courtyard, sending debris flying in every direction.
Dozens of meters away, Minori reappeared, his body still glowing with the fading light of magic.
Ge Jin's vicious white eyes locked onto him—and then, unexpectedly, he laughed.
"You win, human alchemist."
Despite his loss, there was no bitterness. Just raw, unfiltered respect.
"I'm Ge Jin. Let's start over."
"Minori," he replied, nodding. "From 'Free Will.'"
Bang.
Ge Jin plopped down cross-legged on the ground, massive limbs relaxed.
"Let's talk, Minori."
"Sure," he replied, calmly gesturing to Ge Jin's chest. "But first, you should treat that wound."
Ge Jin looked down.
The gash still bled profusely. For a creature with regeneration like his, that shouldn't have been possible.
"…You—"
Ge Jin looked up, wide-eyed.
Meanwhile, beyond the noble district—
Many of the factions who had been watching the situation unfold were growing restless.
They knew why Ge Jin had gone there. But it shouldn't have taken this long.
Evening came.
The heavy front door finally creaked open.
Ge Jin walked out calmly and glanced at the gathered spies and informants.
"Snort."
He slammed the door shut behind him and walked off without a word. His massive frame passed through the streets like a living fortress, and the crowd parted in silence.
The watchers exchanged glances.
Something had happened in there. And no one had seen it.
Word reached the Blood Emperor in moments.
Inside his private chamber, Jircniv paced slowly, fingers resting on his chin.
"Unique alchemy. Troll blood in potions… Was he targeting Ge Jin from the start?"
He looked up. His golden eyes narrowed.
"This man… is a problem."
Knock, knock.
"Enter," he said.
The secretary stepped in nervously. "Osco asked him directly. King Wu said nothing—just canceled all his upcoming fights."
Silence.
"…Continue monitoring the alchemist."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
That night.
In the noble courtyard under a clouded moon—
Minori turned toward his companion, the little evil dog.
"We're leaving," he said softly.
"Woof," the dog barked in response.
Minori placed his palm gently on its head. "Shrinkage."
The evil dog shrank to the size of a small puppy.
Minori pulled a long feather from his Item Box. His body glowed with emerald light.
"Wild Transformation."
His form twisted and condensed into a large goshawk, about a meter tall.
Skill: Wild Transformation (I)
Cost: Requires material from a beast/monster. One use per material.
Note: Cannot use the beast's special abilities post-transformation.
Limit: Must not exceed the transformer's original size. If user's level exceeds the beast's, only the beast's level is applied.
Minori looked down at his status screen. Goshawk (Lv 8)
"That's it?"
His sharp eagle voice sounded annoyed.
Fwoosh!
Spreading wide wings, he grabbed the shrunken evil dog with his talons and soared into the night sky.