The swamp stretched endlessly ahead of them, the water dark and sluggish beneath a veil of mist.
Han Song-Yi was fully dressed again now, perched stiffly atop Medusa's wide, coiling back.
She clutched the serpent's smooth scales with both hands, knuckles white, afraid that even a single wrong movement would send her tumbling into the murky depths below.
Beside them, Jinwoo cut through the water with powerful, steady strokes.
He was shirtless, his body moving with effortless precision as he swam alongside Medusa, keeping pace without difficulty.
They could have both ridden on Medusa.
But Jinwoo had different plans.
This was a good chance to test something.
Medusa glanced sideways, one eye subtly tracking him as he swam. She slowed—just a little. Not because she had to, but because if she didn't, he'd fall behind.
And she didn't want that.
Watching him move was… distracting.
Each pull of his arms sent ripples across his back and shoulders, muscles flexing and relaxing in a smooth, almost hypnotic rhythm. Water slid over his skin, catching the dim dungeon light.
Oh my... she thought, I might get addicted to this.
Han Song-Yi, meanwhile, was having a very different experience.
She didn't dare look down.
Her legs were wrapped tightly around Medusa's body, her grip firm enough that her fingers ached.
"D-Don't go any faster…" she muttered, mostly to herself.
The swamp suddenly stirred.
Ripples spread unnaturally across the surface.
Then—
Lizardmen erupted from the water, scales glistening, crude weapons raised as they screeched and rushed toward them.
Jinwoo's expression sharpened instantly.
"Medusa," he said calmly, water barely splashing as he stopped. "Protect her."
"Yes, Master," Medusa replied at once, her body coiling slightly around Han Song-Yi in a protective arc.
Two daggers materialized in Jinwoo's hands.
In the next heartbeat, he surged forward.
"Silk Blade…"
Thin, nearly invisible strings wrapped around the hilts and edges of the daggers, humming faintly with mana. A spontaneous application—Thread Magic refined into weapon reinforcement.
Jinwoo moved.
One sweeping motion—
Two lizardmen lost their heads in a single cross-slash, bodies collapsing before the blood even reached the water.
Without stopping, Jinwoo flicked his wrists.
The daggers left his hands, flying like guided missiles.
They pierced straight through the chests of two more lizardmen, pinning them lifelessly to a half-submerged tree.
[Level Up!]
Han Song-Yi stared in disbelief.
"That's not how a mage… moves, right?" she whispered.
The daggers snapped back toward Jinwoo, pulled by invisible threads, landing neatly back in his palms.
Weapon control too… Jinwoo noted calmly. Shiraori really is broken.
He dismissed the daggers into his inventory.
Then he closed his eyes.
Alright… let's test something else now...
The remaining lizardmen rushed him, hissing wildly.
"W-Wait! Sir, what are you doing?!" Han Song-Yi shouted, panic creeping into her voice.
Medusa didn't move.
"Don't worry," she said quietly. "Master will be fine."
And then—
Purple lightning exploded outward from Jinwoo's body.
The water around him boiled with energy, arcs of violent electricity dancing across his skin like living serpents.
[Ding!] [The passive skill, Hell Lightning, has been created!]
Jinwoo opened his eyes and calmly reached out.
He grabbed one of the writhing lightning bolts with his bare hand.
"Hm… applying the Hell Flames principle to another element really worked," he muttered.
He hurled the bolt forward.
It punched through a lizardman's chest in a blinding flash, incinerating it from the inside out—scales, flesh, and bone reduced to ash in an instant.
The remaining lightning surged outward through the swamp water.
The lizardmen didn't even have time to scream.
Their bodies convulsed once—then went still.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
The water slowly calmed as Jinwoo released his mana, the purple glow fading away.
"…Not bad," he said lightly, swimming back toward Medusa.
Han Song-Yi could only stare, mouth slightly open.
Even Medusa's eyes were wide.
Since when did Master become this strong…? she thought.
Compared to the last dungeon, the difference was like night and day. How did he get so much stronger in just a couple of days?
Jinwoo reached them, resting one arm against Medusa's side.
"Sir…" Han Song-Yi finally said, still stunned.
She hesitated, then blurted out—
"Are you sure you're not… Zeus?"
Jinwoo chuckled.
"No," he said casually. "But maybe one day I'll be as strong as him."
And at that... Han Song-Yi froze.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, I decided to go for Romina for the blacksmith, thank you guys all anyway for the amazing suggestions.