The forest terrain gradually began to rise, the trees becoming sparser and shorter until all of what surrounded them were dark, jagged stones protruding from a carpet of green. The landscape transformed into a rocky expanse, forcing them to navigate through the labyrinth of stones to find a path across the mountain.

In this manner, they found themselves in a narrow crack between two towering rock walls—an isolated, desolate land somewhere in the heart of Gu-shan mountain. The day was drawing to a close, the sun already halfway below the western horizon, occasionally visible ahead as they continued their journey through the winding crevice. The only sound accompanying them was the melodic whistle of the wind.

Suddenly, Whurel emerged from behind a boulder that had detached from above long ago. He froze, causing the two teenagers trailing behind him to halt as well.

"What is it?" Yura asked, observing him reach for the axe on his belt.

"Trouble," he responded, his voice muffled as he put his helmet on his head. "Stay here. I'll deal with it." The somewhat muffled voice came from underneath the red metal.

What lay before him was a cave right next to the path they had to take—an abyss within the stony wall, engulfed in pure darkness. In front of the cave, four creatures with skin ranging from grey to green, interspersed with sickly yellow patches, feasted upon the torn carcass of a bear. They bickered, tearing the bloody meat from each other's hands.

Each creature possessed a bulky yet misshapen physique. Their heavily muscled bodies displayed irregular proportions, with certain limbs or even halves of their bodies more developed than the other parts. Their mostly bald and round heads had only a few stray hairs atop, easily overlooked. Thick, plump lips stained with blood concealed rows of sharp teeth.

The creatures grunted and growled, their voices barely audible amidst the howling wind. Unfazed, Whurel strode directly toward them, ensuring a firm grip on the axe handle. A few steps in, one of the creatures finally spotted him and let out a loud roar, alerting the others. They all turned to gaze at the towering human before shrieking in unison. Then, the first creature charged forward, followed by the rest.

The man in red armor seemed unconcerned by their overwhelming numbers and size, even though he was far from small himself. They simply loomed larger, each nearly twice the height of a normal human.

The entangled mass of muscles charged, its right hand elongated and ready to strike. With perfect timing, the creature swung its massive limb, aiming to blast Whurel in the helmet. But the warrior swiftly dropped to his knees, allowing the claws to slice through the air above him without hindrance. As he rose, Whurel jammed the two talons fixed to the bracer on his left hand straight into the monster's knee. He swiftly turned and jumped behind his opponent, evading a backhand swing that followed, accompanied by a furious scream of pain.

Whurel delivered a swift kick to the injured leg, then leaped to the side, forcing the creature to turn if it wished to pursue him. Seizing the opportunity, the man swiftly jumped back, ducking down and swinging his axe to sever the leg at the knee, just as the other three creatures closed in.

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Each attack from the creatures was so telegraphed that Whurel merely needed to twist, turn, or take a slight step back to evade every single one of them. The opening created by their anticipation of another attack allowed him to leap into their midst, limiting their movements as he deftly targeted their legs.

Spinning among them, he focused his assault on a particular creature, slashing and cutting with the humming blade of his axe as if slicing through butter with a hot knife. Meanwhile, the creature became fixated on turning to catch him, but Whurel easily anticipated its every move, even using his positioning to his advantage, as the monster inadvertently blocked the access of its two companions.

Nearly immobilizing the creature, Whurel delivered the final blow, cutting through the spine as high as he could reach. His opponent collapsed, but this was just a prelude to the warrior’s ultimate objective. He leaped onto the monster's back, then launched himself forward, extending his reach and striking one of the remaining creatures directly in the head.

The axe effortlessly sliced through the skull.

Unfortunately, this move left him vulnerable to an attack from the other side, which the final creature seized upon, swinging a heavy, bulging hand toward him. Whurel swiftly blocked the assault with his reinforced bracer but was sent flying above the carcass. Landing heavily on his feet, he maintained his balance, but the enraged monster charged at him, its screams echoing through the rocky terrain. With impeccable anticipation, Whurel cut with his axe, cleanly severing the creature's arm. The dismembered limb landed, sliding across the rocky ground, as Whurel spun around, attacking the monster's leg, compelling it to lower itself and creating an opening for him to jump and strike its head.

With two of the creatures lifeless and the other two writhing in agony, Whurel retrieved a cloth from his pouch and wiped his blade clean of blood before sheathing it behind his belt. As he observed the scene, he witnessed a remarkable sight—the two injured creatures, along with their fallen companions, slowly regenerating. Despite the bloodied wounds, red tissue sprouted from the injuries, expanding and changing color to match their skin.

Letting out a sigh, Whurel removed his helmet and reached into his pouch once again. This time, he retrieved four bottles, roughly the size of his fist. Uncorking one of them, he poured the silvery liquid directly onto the corpse, which immediately erupted in flames, rapidly engulfing the entire carcass.

He repeated the process with the remaining creatures.

Yura and Yue-liang watched in awe, their mouths hanging open, as this incredible spectacle unfolded before their eyes. The young boy couldn't contain his curiosity and blurted out a question.

"How did you do that? Can you teach me?" His words were drowned by the moans of the burning creatures. He bit his lip nervously, anticipating an answer.

Whurel nodded slowly, understanding the boy's desire. "Lots and lots of training. Countless battles... I can teach you. I see the determination in your eyes. Revenge can be a powerful motivation," he replied, loud enough to be heard over the noise. Then he turned around to resume the journey along the path.

Eager to learn, Yue-liang rushed after Whurel. Yura, on the other hand, approached more cautiously, her gaze fixed on the burning monsters. Two of them wailed softly as the flames consumed their peculiar bodies, casting an eerie glow in the dimming light.

Even with the fire, she could see the deformed shapes of the creature she only heard rumors about. There was something captivating in witnessing the legends with her own eyes, but she was unable to spend much time on observations, as her companions were already moving away, so she peeled her eyes from the view and rushed after them.