Dear brain, please remind me to never flip the bird to an angry man...

The Djinn’s eyes blazed red, quaking in fury. “I will tear you apart, stretch your torso until you are merely half of the man you are. And then I will make you watch as I devour your woman hiding behind you like a little rabbit. I will make you suffer by watching her be dismembered limb by limb, while I viol—”

“I am not his woman, ya fucking cunt—” Yoo Yeonha flipped the bird while she was at it.

I shut up immediately, silenced by the Djinn's unexpectedly eloquent threat and Yeonha’s strong reaction to being referred to as my woman. I felt like some dirty hooligan with no class. Alas, actions spoke louder than words.

Even without hearing the Djinn’s menacing speech, his next action made me tremble even more.

In the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared before me. He was demonstrating his full speed, making it clear that he still had more cards up his sleeve.

Stab!

The fear lurking in my heart dared not show itself. Through my false bravado, I carried out my next actions, desperate for survival. When he appeared before me, my dagger was already embedded in his throat as if I had foreseen where he’d be—

That was all it took for the Djinn to realize he was in danger. I wasn’t fast; I was merely aware and capitalized on that fleeting opportunity of knowing where the Djinn would land. Using [Always Here] on my dagger and aiming it at a trajectory highly likely to intersect with the Djinn's neck was one hell of a trick to pull off. I was lucky the dagger landed on his throat and not the sturdy skull or any less fatal area.

I backed off from the Djinn, carefully observing him for sudden movements. He stared down at me in disbelief as he felt for the dagger embedded in his neck.

My one trick—my miraculous stab at his vital point—halted the gigantic Djinn for a brief second, granting me valuable time.

Yet, despite my grand display of tactics and accuracy, the Djinn still managed to hit me with his momentum. He grazed my shoulder with a fist, and I only felt the hurt after a second of confusion. It was just a glance, yet it induced such damage.

If I hadn’t activated and deactivated my Gift as quickly as possible at the last second, that attack would have landed squarely on me, potentially killing me in one blow.

I staggered back, breathless, my mind racing as I processed the situation. The Djinn’s face twisted with rage, fingers clenching around the dagger in his throat.

“Is that all you have? A little stab in the neck?” he growled, voice gravelly and laced with fury. “I’ll make you regret that! I will stuff your face in your woman’s ars—”

“I kinda like that,” Panic surged through me as he began to charge again, a massive arm swinging toward me like a freight train. I couldn’t afford to think; I had to move. “SHIT SHIT! SHIT!” I ducked under his swing, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I rolled to the side, my heart pounding in my chest.

"You." The anger in the Djinn's voice resonated with an intensity that made my skin crawl as he blindly struck at me. “I WILL TEACH YOU MANNERS!”

I barely evaded his attack, but the force of his strike generated a gale that sent me flying.

The sheer power the Djinn possessed packed quite a wallop. I rolled several times on the concrete pavement, pain flaring in my left shoulder as I swept a different dagger under another exhibit. Clinging to my dagger with my dominant right hand, I skidded to a halt, embedding the blade into the ground, causing sparks to fly in every direction.

I began to violently vomit blood. In that fleeting moment of the Djinn's silence and astonishment at being stabbed, I forced myself to recover quickly. My eyes remained fixed on my foe, even as they grew droopy and my body screamed at me to lie down, to play dead, and just be done with it.

The Djinn recovered faster than I expected, but I couldn't help smiling as I watched the murky blood drip from his throat like an open faucet. I continued to expel blood until only nausea remained.

“You are not the only one who knows how to speak eloquently,” I grinned ear to ear, projecting my madness for all to see. It was just an act, but I believed the psychological pressure would have some effect on him. “Tell me, Djinn? What is faster? You dying of blood loss or me killing you?”

I tasted the rusty iron on my tongue; blood only served to enhance my beast-like image as I dug for every advantage I could find.

It seemed my little tricks were working. Even with a few words, I managed to buy myself time to rest a bit longer. The Djinn appeared clearly bothered by my taunts, yet his anger remained palpable. Despite my outwardly dangerous monologue that exuded madness and a facade of calm, I panicked internally.

Today, it was either I died or triumphed. My dagger would normally be ineffective against a prepared Djinn, who wielded his magic power with far greater finesse than mine. My attacks would usually be futile, and so would Yeonha's unless we struck at his vitals or caught him in the most unexpected places.

From here on out, it became a battle of attrition. We could only choose to accumulate damage over time, gradually wearing him down.

“Yeonha,” I gasped, forcing the words out despite the blood and pain. “Get ready. We need to hit him again—now!”

I could see her form move behind me, and I sensed her readiness, despite the fear that gripped her.

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The Djinn took another explosive step, eager to end my life with one blow. The tainted magic power erupted from his figure, swirling around him in a tempest of fury. Just as he prepared to strike, Yeonha interrupted with her arrows, aiming for the Djinn’s eyes.

My smile widened at the little opportunity she provided, granting me a precious second to recover as I rolled on the floor, my sides aching. But I endured. I activated and deactivated the [Always Here] function of my Gift, significantly disrupting the Djinn’s accuracy.

A massive swipe came from the left, and I ducked just in time. An overhead smash followed, forcing me to roll to the side. Then came a head-on tackle, but I sidestepped it, curving away. I focused on recollecting my breath, my mind solely locked on the battle ahead.

Yeonha's arrows arrived just in time, diverting the Djinn’s attention and giving me a moment to rest. Even though her shots missed their mark, they served as useful distractions and a blindfold for the Djinn, who kept trying to swat away the arrows aimed at his eyes.

However, this tactic had its drawbacks. Since Yeonha didn’t specialize in archery, she lacked the skill to shape her magic arrows effectively. All she could do was alter their flight path after they were fired.

The Djinn quickly caught on to this and shifted his aggression toward Yeonha. He charged at her with brutal momentum. I anticipated this, and as his back turned to me, I seized the moment and enveloped myself with my Gift.

The [Nobody Knows] Gift had an option called [Always Here], which allowed me to significantly decrease my presence. With a burst of audacity, I poked the Djinn right on his backside.

“Oh, it fits just perfectly…” I sneered, quickly backing away, aware that I’d just drawn his ire. To suppress my fear and bolster my courage, I hypnotized myself, thinking of this as merely a game. “Hey, if you don’t behave, I will skewer you like a pig and roast you over Applewood low and slow.”

The Djinn swung angrily from my right, his hatred palpable. I watched as his massive arm passed harmlessly by my face, not even grazing me. This left his back exposed to Yeonha who took the opportunity to unleash a volley of arrows, aiming to inflict as much damage as possible. I tried to ignore the fact that my left shoulder was severely dislocated and must be bruised.

‘It’s like playing a game,’ I reminded myself again, trying to stay focused. I would attract aggro while Yeonha dealt damage.

But this was no game. People could die. I could die. I wanted none of that.

There were many vile words to describe the Djinn we were fighting. Bulky. Tall. Dangerous. This monstrous creature towered over us, standing at least two meters tall, his form exuding raw power and menace. With a low growl, he shifted into a prowler position, all four limbs touching the ground, ready to pounce.

“Impressive,” he declared, his gaze fixed on Yeonha. “BUT. I. AM. ANGRY!”

~BLAST!

The Djinn lunged forward, his speed a shocking increase from before. In a heartbeat, he closed the distance to Yeonha, his massive palm swinging down with lethal intent. That slap would kill her, turn her head into a bloody mess, with her cranium scattering like confetti.

But like a persistent fly drawn to filth, I stuck to the Djinn like glue. I leaped in, darting around him, throwing stabs from various angles, my attacks landing more frequently than I had anticipated. “I am a clingy guy, so sorry…” I quipped, forcing a grin despite the tension radiating through my body.

The Djinn roared in frustration, swinging his fists wildly, trying to swat me away as I danced around him. I ducked under his left swing, feeling the wind from his hand whip past my face, and I retaliated with a slash to his side. The blow landed solidly, and I grinned as he flinched.

But the moment was fleeting. The Djinn pivoted with surprising agility, his massive bulk twisting around to face me. “You dare challenge me, insect?” he bellowed, eyes narrowing with rage.

I sidestepped his next attack, narrowly avoiding a devastating blow. The ground cracked where his fist struck, sending shards of concrete flying. Yeonha, seizing the distraction, loosed another arrow, this time infused with magic. It soared through the air and struck him in the shoulder, eliciting a howl of pain that sent a thrill of triumph coursing through me.

“Good shot!” I shouted, my voice barely audible over the chaos.

But the Djinn was relentless. He turned back to Yeonha, eyes blazing with fury. In a swift motion, he lunged at her, ignoring my presence entirely. “You’ll pay for that!”

“No!” I yelled, throwing myself in front of her. I braced for impact, hoping my smaller frame would at least disrupt his aim. As his palm came crashing down, I activated [Always Here] again, shrinking my presence just enough to slip past the strike.

The Djinn’s hand crashed onto the ground, shaking the earth beneath us and sending me tumbling. I rolled, coming to my feet quickly, heart racing. “Yeonha, keep him distracted!” I called out, forcing my muscles to move despite the pain radiating from my shoulder.

“Right!” she replied, determination flashing in her eyes. She nocked another arrow and focused, this time channeling more of her magic into it. “That’s what I have been doing since the beginning! I don’t need to be told twice!”

I realized that my [Always Here] aspect wasn’t just for messing with the accuracy of my enemies—it could also sharpen mine. Every strike I made with my dagger seemed to blend seamlessly with the background, like an ambush with every swing. My attacks became unpredictable, as if my blade emerged from the shadows itself.

The Djinn was hot on my heels, his massive frame bearing down on me, but I kept moving, relying on [Always Here] to slip through his grasp. I dodged his wild swings, each one a deadly threat, while still managing to pick up arrows scattered across the battlefield. I placed them in easily accessible spots for Yeonha to grab and reuse, a silent coordination between us.

We fought in a tight, suffocating five-meter radius. The Djinn had gotten too close to Yeonha for comfort, and the intensity of our confrontation heightened with each passing second. I positioned myself carefully between them, ready for the worst. The bruise on my left shoulder throbbed, and the pain was becoming harder to ignore. Still, I couldn't afford to falter now.

Each swing of the Djinn’s thick, tree-like arms created a deafening whoosh in the air.

In response, I danced around him, delivering shallow but precise cuts. None were fatal on their own, but the accumulation of injuries was slowing him down. Blood dripped steadily from the gash in his throat, and I focused on opening up more wounds, hitting the same spots over and over. Yeonha’s arrows followed up, digging into those wounds, compounding the damage.

The Djinn was strong, but we were wearing him down. His once dark and menacing skin was growing paler with blood loss, but I could feel my own exhaustion creeping in too. My body was battered, muscles strained from the relentless fight, and some of Yeonha’s arrows had grazed me, friendly fire caused by the distortion of my presence and my relative invisibility. I couldn’t blame her for it—sometimes, even I couldn’t tell where I was standing.

I pressed on, determined to protect her at all costs. We had a rhythm, a balance. We could win. I had to believe that.

But accidents always happened at the worst possible moment.

In a sudden, calculated move, the Djinn changed his tactics. He feigned a reckless attack aimed at me, his massive body lunging forward as if throwing everything he had into a final blow. I dodged, but it was a trap. The Djinn raised both his hands defensively, his demonic strength on full display as his natural resilience took over. His movements, once wild and erratic, became deliberate and precise.

In a heartbeat, he seized Yeonha.

“I got you!” His voice dripped with malice as his massive hands clamped around her torso. “Oh, lovely... someone I can tear in half! I am going to divide you into two now.”

My heart dropped. In that instant, the battle’s delicate balance shattered.