Yun Jin surged forward, closing the distance in a single step, his movements calm and measured despite facing an opponent unlike any he had fought before. He's fast... unnaturally so. His fist snapped out with the force of a lightning strike. But the moment he committed to the attack, he realized his mistake—Kieran was no longer in front of him.

The assassin twisted away, his body bending unnaturally, avoiding the strike with an eerie smoothness. His movements were unlike any Yun Jin had encountered before, not simply quick but fluid, slipping past attacks like a shadow avoiding the sun. Before Yun Jin could reorient himself, Kieran retaliated.

A whip-like kick lashed out, aiming straight for Yun Jin’s ribs. He barely managed to twist his torso, evading the full brunt of the blow, but the wind pressure alone sent a sharp sting across his skin.

Kieran smirked, his voice dripping with mockery. "Slow."

Yun Jin narrowed his eyes, recalculating. Kieran wasn’t just fast—he was reading him, anticipating his every reaction with an almost unnatural precision.

This guy really is an experienced assassin. How troublesome...

Yun Jin exhaled, his breathing steady. He had faced countless warriors before, but only a few were like this. Instead of being unnerved, he studied Kieran carefully.

A blur of motion. Kieran surged forward, his fingers stretching unnaturally toward Yun Jin’s vital points, aiming for a quick, decisive takedown.

He's very fast!

Yun Jin barely managed to parry, shifting his weight in time to deflect the strike, but the sensation of Kieran’s fingers brushing against his arm sent a chill through him—followed by a sharp pain.

A thin gash appeared on the side of Yun Jin’s arm—the price of deflecting what felt like a whip with a knife’s edge.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, energy crackling in the air as they witnessed something unexpected—Yun Jin, forced onto the defensive.

Yet, he remained calm, his eyes sharp and calculating.

His style relies on unpredictability, but people always have patterns. I just need to find them.

Then, he sensed something. A faint pulse of mana energy coursing through Kieran’s limbs. Narrowing his eyes, Yun Jin activated [Mana Eyes], and suddenly, the mystery unraveled before him.

A slow smirk formed on his lips. I understand it now!

Through his enhanced vision, he saw the truth—Kieran’s elongated movements weren’t merely the result of extensive training or unnatural flexibility. Those were just the basics. The real key lay in how he used his magic.

Kieran wasn’t merely contorting his body—he was dislocating his joints at will, using mana as a flexible framework to hold himself together. His limbs weren’t constrained by bones in the conventional sense. Instead, they were woven with dense mana, allowing him to extend, twist, and snap back into form with unnatural ease.

So that's his trick. Attacking him where he can move is pointless—I need to aim for the hard parts instead!

Yun Jin took a deep breath. He had seen all he needed.

His strategy shifted instantly.

Instead of pressing forward, he did something unexpected—he stopped.

To try and stop Kieran from being the aggressor was pointless since their fighting styles were too different. Instead, Yun Jin retreated slightly, shifting into a more defensive stance.

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If I rush in blindly, he'll slip past me again. I need him to make the first mistake...

Kieran flickered with intrigue. "Hmph. Giving up?"

Yun Jin didn’t answer. He simply waited, his stance relaxed.

Kieran hesitated for a fraction of a second, eyes narrowing as he tried to decipher Yun Jin’s plan.

He was no fool. He understood that Yun Jin’s fighting style relied on speed and fluidity, but since his own uniqueness prevented Yun Jin from utilizing his strengths, Yun Jin had shifted tactics. He knew it was a trap, but standing still wasn’t an option.

This kid... The assassin’s smirk twitched. He couldn’t afford to wait. The longer he did, the worse it would get. Even though Yun Jin just stood there, something about it made him feel on edge.

If Yun Jin refused to act, then Kieran would force him to!

Yun Jin stood his ground, watching carefully as Kieran prepared to strike.

Kieran’s body tensed like a drawn bowstring, the ground beneath him cracking violently from the force being accumulated.

His opponent’s unpredictable movements gave him the advantage, but Yun Jin knew that meant Kieran also relied on others struggling to react.

I have to take the risk.

He exhaled slowly, reading the flow of mana as Kieran lunged forward.

BOOM!

Yun Jin threw a sudden straight punch—fast enough that most would struggle to react.

Kieran, however, evaded like a snake, his body twisting away in an impossible motion. A grin spread across his face. "I got you now!" His fingers, sharpened like claws, shot forward, aimed directly for Yun Jin’s eye.

Just as they were a hair’s breadth away, Yun Jin snapped back his elbow.

Shaolin Technique: Bounder Crush.

BANG!

His elbow struck Kieran’s jaw with pinpoint accuracy, sending the assassin flying to the side.

Kieran tumbled, rolling over and over across the arena floor before planting his hand against the ground and flipping himself upright. Yun Jin didn’t waste a second—he rushed forward to press the advantage.

As Yun Jin launched a follow-up kick, Kieran’s body suddenly retracted, compacting in on itself. Instead of meeting flesh, Yun Jin’s strike connected with something unnaturally solid, a sensation akin to kicking a block of iron.

What the—?!

Pain shot through Yun Jin’s foot, forcing him to retreat, his ankle nearly dislocated from the impact. He instinctively stepped back, eyes narrowing as he activated [Mana Eyes] again.

Kieran’s mana had shifted.

Instead of the elongation technique he had used before, his energy had now condensed into a hyper-dense form. His entire body had become a living fortress, reinforcing his structure like hardened steel.

Kieran grinned and stood back up quickly, pressing his hand against his dislocated jaw before snapping it back into place with a sickening crack. Yun Jin's eyes narrowed.

Even now, he's smiling? No... he's enjoying this.

Kieran clicked his teeth to check his jaw condition, then let out a chilling smile.

"Damn, that really hurt! Kid, how the hell did you learn so quickly? That almost frightens me. You even started aiming for my hardened bones, didn’t you? Most never even figure that part out. They usually try attacking the joints... which is pointless since I don’t really need those anyway."

His expression darkened. He had initially dismissed Yun Jin as some arrogant upstart, but now he knew—Yun Jin was dangerous.

"You understand magic too. A magic warrior like me. But even I don’t have those eyes."

Yun Jin adjusted his stance. "Not quite. I’m still a novice when it comes to magic. I only understand the basics."

Kieran let out a slow breath, one that carried unnatural heat. "Someone with [Mana Eyes] calls themselves a novice? Don’t insult me. I’ve killed enough esteemed mages to know how dangerous that ability is in the right hands. And you—" he ducked low, pivoting around Yun Jin’s strike, "—are one of them."

The crowd murmured among themselves.

[Mana Eyes]—an ability that separated an ordinary magic user from a true mage. It allowed one to perceive and deconstruct mana flows in real time. For a fighter to possess such a skill meant he was no ordinary warrior.

Whispers rippled through the arena. "Who the hell is Yun Jin?"

But Yun Jin ignored them. He had no time to indulge the spectators’ curiosity; his focus remained solely on his opponent.

Not only do I have to target his hard bones to deal real damage, Yun Jin thought, but I also have to be wary of that reinforcement technique. Even when I faced Shaolin monks, I only had to worry about the latter.

Yun Jin’s stance tightened, his expression sharpening.

Kieran’s aura flared once more, his grin widening. "Enough chitchat. Let’s see if you can keep up when I get serious."

Yun Jin felt the heat rise around him.

A surge of mana erupted from Kieran’s body, intensifying the heat to near-unbearable levels.

"Let’s see if you’re truly strong!"