A thunderous thump followed, then another.

Each step sent tremors through the earth, shaking loose leaves from the canopy above. The very air seemed to vibrate with each impact, the sound reverberating like a great drum being struck.

Then, from beyond the fading mist, it emerged.

A towering wooden giant, over ten meters tall, its bark-covered form twisting unnaturally as it moved. Its limbs were like massive branches, gnarled and ancient, lined with deep, pulsing veins of glowing green energy.

Its gaze, hollow yet burning with raw animosity, locked onto them.

At its feet, remnants of the Brambleguard lay scattered like discarded twigs. The sight seemed to enrage it.

Then, the Treant howled.

A deep, resonant bellow that rattled Yun Jin’s bones. The sound wasn’t just noise—it was grief, anger, wrath. The howl surged through the trees, shaking them as if the entire forest wept alongside it.

And then it moved.

A massive arm swung down with the weight of a falling mountain.

“Move!” Yun Jin shouted, already reacting.

The moment the Treant’s limb connected with the earth, the ground shattered. The impact sent shockwaves outward, breaking apart the soil in jagged cracks. Vines erupted from the earth like living spears, writhing and lashing in every direction.

Yun Jin gritted his teeth. He barely had time to think.

His body moved on instinct. He reached out, grabbed Merlin, and leapt backward, carrying the exhausted mage with him. He twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the burst of thorned tendrils that shot toward them.

But even as he dodged, a sharp pain lanced through his side.

A vine, faster than the others, had pierced through his Magic Armor, slicing across his arm before retracting. Blood welled from the wound, staining his sleeve.

Damn it.

Landing outside the treant’s immediate range, Yun Jin released Merlin and set him down carefully near the dungeon’s entrance.

“Catch your breath,” Yun Jin ordered, his tone firm but not unkind. “Recover your mana. Deep breaths. Do what I told you.”

Merlin, still panting, gripped his staff tightly. “Maybe… maybe we should just leave. If we hurry, we can—”

“No.” Yun Jin cut him off. His voice was calm, but resolute.

Merlin stared at him, confused.

“This—” Yun Jin turned to face the towering Treant, his grin widening as excitement flickered in his eyes. “—is all I’ve ever asked for.”

The treant let out another guttural groan, vines coiling along its limbs like muscles tightening before another devastating strike.

“This is a real challenge,” Yun Jin continued. “I can’t turn back now—not when I finally have it.”

Merlin’s hands clenched. “But you’re injured—”

“I understand now,” Yun Jin interrupted, flashing him a confident smile. “I’ll be careful.”

Merlin hesitated. But in the end, he knew Yun Jin well enough by now.

“…Fine,” he muttered, exhaling shakily as he sat back, closing his eyes to focus on his breathing. He had no choice but to trust him.

--

Yun Jin twisted away just as the Treant’s massive limb came crashing down.

BOOM.

The ground split apart beneath the sheer weight of the impact. Trees snapped, dirt erupted into the air, and jagged roots burst from the earth like grasping claws. The force alone nearly knocked him off balance, but he landed smoothly, boots skidding against the uneven ground.

His eyes flicked up, sharp and calculating.

Where’s the core?

Plant-based creatures always had one. The Brambleguard had it buried deep in its chest. If the Treant was built the same way, then all he had to do was find it and break it.

Gathering Qi, he pulsed it outward in a wave of energy—scanning.

There.

A faint glow pulsed from within the Treant’s chest, buried under layers of hardened bark.

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Reaching it, though, was another problem.

Let’s test this thing first.

Yun Jin kicked off the ground—

Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form – Arc Lightning.

A streak of white-hot motion. He lunged toward the Treant’s core, sword trailing Qi like a lightning bolt. But the moment his blade met wood—

CLANG.

Barely a scratch.

“Tch—” Yun Jin clicked his tongue, flipping back before the Treant’s counterattack could land.

This thing is built different.

The Brambleguards had been tough, but this? This was something else. Even Aura Blade and Arc Lightning together weren’t enough to break through.

A shadow loomed.

A massive fist swung down!

Yun Jin twisted midair, dodging at the last second. He landed on a tree trunk—but didn’t stop. His feet barely touched the bark before he kicked off again, weaving through the battlefield like a blur.

He didn’t run away.

He was circling.

Waiting.

The Treant swung wide, its enormous limb sweeping across the ground in an attempt to swat him down. Yun Jin didn’t retreat—he rushed forward.

A powerful step—then a leap.

He landed on its arm.

His boots hit bark, and before the Treant could react, he ran up its massive limb, moving like a phantom. Every step was precise, keeping perfect balance as the colossal beast tried to shake him off.

The core was too well-protected. If he wanted to end this fight, he had to cripple it first.

He reached the elbow joint.

This was it.

He gripped his sword.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: Second Form – Thunder Break.

Unlike Arc Lightning, which was built for speed, Thunder Break sacrificed mobility for pure power.

Qi exploded down his blade—

One brutal, focused strike.

CRACK.

The Treant lurched as its elbow split, a deep fracture forming along its massive limb. Wood shattered for the first time, the sheer force of the impact sending a ripple through its entire frame.

Yun Jin flipped off the Treant’s arm, landing lightly on the ground below.

His grip on his sword tightened, a grin stretching across his face.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

With one arm severed, the Treant staggered, its hollow bellow reverberating through the dungeon. But Yun Jin wasn’t done.

The right leg next.

He dashed forward, weaving through the flailing vines as the creature desperately tried to crush him. The moment it raised its foot to stomp, he struck.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: Second Form – Thunder Break.

A sharp burst of power condensed into a single, decisive slash.

CRACK!

The Treant’s leg split, the sheer force sending fractures spiderwebbing up its bark-like skin. The massive creature faltered, its balance lost, and collapsed onto its knees with an earthshaking thud.

Yun Jin didn’t slow.

His body moved instinctively, dashing up its crumbling form like a mountain climber scaling a peak. The last arm swung wildly in a final attempt to swat him away—but he was already past it.

Too slow.

BOOM!

The Treant’s final limb fell uselessly to the ground.

Now completely disarmed, the towering fae groaned, vines writhing as it lay defenseless beneath him. Yun Jin stood atop its massive chest, his sword raised high, its edge gleaming with the focused radiance of [Aura Blade].

The Treant groaned, its massive, broken limbs twitching as Yun Jin stood atop its fallen form. Thick, sap-like ichor seeped from its severed joints, the once-imposing wooden giant now reduced to a crippled mass of splintered bark and fading magic.

Yun Jin exhaled, his grip tightening around his sword. The blade pulsed with raw Qi, its soft glow sharpening—refining. He could feel it—the faint thrum of the Treant’s core, barely clinging to existence deep within its hollow chest.

[You have unlocked a skill: Mana Eyes (Rank D)]

His vision sharpened instantly. The once-hidden structures within the Treant’s body became clear—every twisting root, every pulsating strand of mana that wove through its massive frame.

This thing won’t stay down for long.

From the Treant’s broken joints, a thin vine slithered outward—not retreating, but reaching. It extended toward its severed limbs, writhing like a living tendril, attempting to reconnect the broken pieces.

Yun Jin’s eyes narrowed. So that’s how it is.

The forest stirred. A ripple of energy pulsed through the air—faint, but undeniable.

He didn’t need to turn to know what it was.

The Dryad was watching.

Through his enhanced vision, he could see it now—a faint trail of mana stretching from deep within the forest, surrounding him.

But it too weak to interfere.

Yun Jin smirked. “You can watch all you want,” he murmured under his breath. “But this one’s done for.”

He raised his blade, the glow of [Aura Blade] intensifying until it burned white-hot. The Qi around him solidified, the world narrowing to a single point—his sword, his will, and the core beneath him.

No wasted movement. Just one perfect strike.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: Thirteenth Form – Vector to Heaven.

A single, motionless cut.

For a fraction of a second, nothing happened. The only sound was the whisper of the wind through the trees. Then—

A thin, brilliant line of light traced down the Treant’s chest.

CRACK.

The Treant shuddered violently, a deep, resonating groan escaping from within its core. The glowing veins of pure Qi spread like lightning across its wooden form. The vines that had been reaching for its limbs stiffened mid-air, their connection severed in an instant.

Then—

BOOM.

The Treant collapsed inward, its entire structure disintegrating in an instant. The weight of its form caved in, the shattered core at its center evaporating into fading motes of mana.

Silence.

Yun Jin exhaled, lowering his sword.

Then—the ground trembled.

The severed vines twitched in defiance.

Thick roots burst from the forest floor, writhing like living tendrils, attempting once again to reclaim the Treant’s lost limbs.

“Oh no, you don’t.” Yun Jin slashed.

A single, sharp arc of Qi severed the grasping roots. The dungeon itself seemed to wail in response, an eerie hum vibrating through the air.

The vines recoiled, writhing violently before retreating into the depths of the dungeon.

Yun Jin’s smirk returned, predatory and eager.

So that’s where you are!