Chapter-11
The Horde of Death
As Ha-Jin and Alex lunged at the smaller part of the horde, they were instantly surrounded by the large horde. Ha-Jin was grabbed by a large pair of hands that slammed him onto the ground.
Ha-Jin was quick to react, spinning himself out of the monster's grip and landing a kick on its face, making it stumble backward where Alex created a large earthen spike, impaling it through the stomach before raining a shower of boulders on its face to confirm the kill.
A new notification appeared in front of Ha-Jin, his first quest after a long time, as if it had woken up from a deep slumber.
[A new Quest is being created]
[Quest:]
[Kill [0/???] Beasts]
(Rewards depend on number of beasts eliminated)
[Current Reward: 1 Common Mana Item]
They could tell this was not a normal horde of monsters. They were stronger than the mana beasts they had heard of. This was not going to be an easy battle in any way.
Meanwhile, Jae-Woo had thrown himself into the heart of the horde of mana beasts. With just a glance and his experience, he could tell that these mana beasts had been amplified in some way.
Though it did not create trouble for him, it would be difficult for Ha-Jin and Alex to get through even the smaller portions of the horde. He could not help but have a tinge of worry for Ha-Jin and Alex.
He was easily breezing through the large horde of monsters. He noticed something off about the monsters he was facing after looking at the monsters that his two "disciples" were facing.
The mana beasts he was up against were weaker than the ones that Alex and Ha-Jin were currently up against.
Ha-Jin was breathing heavily and sweating furiously. Alex was a little more relaxed, due to being stronger and also having more experience against mana beasts.
Jae-Woo was trying to finish his portion of the horde and help the two as quickly as he possibly could.
He was suddenly beaten down onto the ground by a significantly stronger mana beast.
He quickly pushed himself off the ground, punching the monster in the solar plexus, tearing its body in two. A rain of blood showered him, drenching him in a layer of blood.
Some blood got into his eyes— this was bad. He was attacked by some beasts while he was blinded.
Though he quickly annihilated them by using the senses he had accumulated over the years fighting against mana beasts.
Just when he thought he was in the clear and tried blinking the blood out of his eyes, he was slammed down by a beast.
Blood slightly dripped from his nose as he tried to lift his head up, barely dodging another strike from the beast.
He was about to attack the beast before his gaze fell upon Ha-Jin and Alex, beaten and battered, laid down on the floor.
A notification appeared in front of Jae-Woo as he blitzed towards Ha-Jin and Alex.
[You have unraveled the seal by a small percentage]
[Your speed stats have risen]
Jae-Woo managed to save them before the humanoid beast managed to land the last and fatal blow on them.
He slipped through the hole through which the beasts had broken into the large stadium, quickly escaping into a nearby jungle— or so it seemed.
***
A few hours had passed before Ha-Jin's consciousness came to him. His eyes fluttered open and he pushed his body off the rough ground.
He took in his surroundings with a groan, his vision still blurry. He pushed himself upright before getting up and steadily walking towards the nearby river and looking at his reflection in the cool and clear water of the river as it coursed with a peaceful feel.
The blood on his body had dried into a dark reddish flaky substance on his body. His head hurt, almost as if someone were driving nails right into his skull with a hammer.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a rough voice calling out for him from behind. "Ha-Jin! You're awake." It called out.
Ha-Jin recognized the voice as Jae-Woo. Ha-Jin kept quiet, he was upset— not at Jae-woo, not at Alex but rather at himself for being so weak, he couldn't even protect himself and had to be saved by somebody every single time.
He clapped his hands over his cheeks, snapping him out of such negative thoughts and finally replying to Jae-Woo with a neutral expression.
"Yes, I am awake…" Ha-Jin replied and quickly added "What.. Just what exactly was that beast that appeared in The Arena? I've never heard of something like that. It was… humanoid.. I didn't know a humanoid mana beast existed!"
"Slow down, kiddo, I'll tell you everything soon, just calm down for now." Jae-Woo answered. Even he had a hint of confusion in his voice. "Anyway, you remember that you said that you would let me train you after you had your last fight in The Arena. You still on that or?"
Ha-Jin stared blankly on the Quest window in front of him, spacing out and not listening to Jae-Woo at all.
[Quest has been completed]
[You have slain 6 beasts]
[You have been rewarded with 1 uncommon consumable item]
[You have been rewarded with 1 uncommon active skill]
[Consumable Item: Wow, You're Taller]
[Rarity:Uncommon]
[Description:Grow 3 cm]
[Active Skill: Fit Check]
[Mana Usage: 50 Mana]
[Rarity:Uncommon]
[Ability Description: You can check the stats of a person]
Ha-Jin was once again snapped out of his thoughts by Jae-Woo's hand waving in front of his eyes as he spoke again.
"Back to Earth, kiddo." He said before realising he had gotten Ha-Jin's attention.
"Right, what were you saying again?" Ha-Jin asked, though still restless to use his new skill.
"As I said, you're gonna let me train you right? You promised me after all. If you don't want to, I can still throw you back into the beast hor-"
"Fine! Fine! Geez! You don't have to kill me for not training with you!" Ha-Jin exclaimed.
Jae-Woo let out a low chuckle at Ha-Jin's protectiveness. "I'm joking, I won't actually kill you." He said, a smile on his face. "You sound better than the first time I met you. You sound more like a normal kid, like how a kid your age should sound and behave."
"Can't be depressed my entire life now can I?" Ha-Jin said, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. "However, don't get the wrong idea, my goal is still clear. I'm still gonna drag down the damn maker of this cursed Interface."
"Thanks for the warning, I'll keep it in mind that your goal is still as clear as the night sky." Jae-Woo replied with a smirk playing on his lips. "Anyway, now that that is clear, let us go to where we will be training, Alex is already waiting there. He might get scared if we were to be late."
"W-wait! Before we go, I need to check out a skill I got from the Quest!" Ha-Jin said, stopping Jae-Woo mid way. "Fit Check!" He exclaimed, activating the Active Skill he had received.
Excited to see the results of the skill he had gotten and also to see how strong Jae-Woo really was, he did not realise he was holding his breath in anticipation.
His excitement was quickly shattered by the disheartening notifications popping up in front of his eyes.
[Error!]
[Insufficient Skill Grade]
[Chosen Subject is too strong]
[Active Skill: Fit Check has failed]
He groaned in disappointment before calling out, "Consume Mana Item [Wow, You're Tall]!"
He suddenly grew an inch taller right in front of Jae-Woo, who did not look shocked at all. "Well, those rewards must be disappointing, yeah? I don't blame you, those mana beasts were unusually strong." Jae-Woo said before adding. "Well then, let's get moving!"
Ha-Jin smiled for the first time since he had met Joo-Hee at Jae-Woo's enthusiasm, starting to walk through the forest, following right behind Jae-Woo.