No matter which way Kim Hajun looked at it, the next fight was going to be tough. Onlookers might even call it an unwinnable fight when comparing the two competitors’ physiques. Kax towered over Kim Hajun by a head, and despite the intense workout regime Kim Hajun had implemented prior to entering the tower, the red-haired man’s forearms were still thicker than Kim Hajun’s thighs. Along with whatever-the-hell buff Kax had been given by Vur, anyone could see the fight was akin to a child fighting an adult. Despite that, Kim Hajun wasn’t scared.
“His legs are trembling,” Tafel said. “Don’t you think this is a little too mean, Auntie?”
“Nope,” Lindyss said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not a charity. He talked the talk, so now he has to show he can walk the walk.”
Kim Hajun’s expression darkened. Although trembling legs might’ve been an indicator of fear, they could also indicate a lack of certain vitamins and nutrients. He definitely wasn’t afraid of the more-bull-than-human opponent in front of him. Kim Hajun tapped on his root bracelet, causing it to glow amber, and two scythe-like mandibles appeared in his hands. His geums had been spent on gecko juice rather than on weapons and equipment, a conscious choice he had made. If everything had gone to plan, he would’ve attained the right set of gear from the tower’s trials, but since things had gone so off course, he’d have to make do with ant parts.
Upon seeing Kim Hajun enter a ready stance, Kax bellowed and charged forward, causing Kim Hajun’s eyes to widen and his pupils to narrow. The red-haired man’s speed was inhuman, moving as if he were the wind itself. The crystalline axe flashed upwards, and Kim Hajun leapt to right. Fragments from the ground struck his left leg as Kax’s axe struck down like lightning, creating a fissure where Kim Hajun had been standing moments ago. Before Kim Hajun’s right leg could even touch the ground from his previous dodging motion, Kax was already slashing with his axe again in a horizontal motion.
In the nick of time, Kim Hajun placed his ant mandible in the path of the axe’s strike. The two collided, and Kim Hajun used the force between the collision to create distance between himself and Kax. In more accurate terms, Kim Hajun was launched towards the wall of the temple as if he were a baseball struck by a bat. Kim Hajun twisted his body in the air like a cat, his feet landing on the temple wall as if it were the ground, his knees bent. His heart pounded in his chest, and he heard the blood rushing through body, every beat causing him to feel the excitement of being alive.
Kax dashed forward while Kim Hajun kicked off the wall, launching himself at the approaching red-haired man. With inhuman precision, Kim Hajun swung his mandibles: one struck the crystalline axe, causing Kim Hajun’s body to shift out of the way of danger while the other mandible sliced into Kax’s neck. Rather than drawing out the sound of tearing flesh, the mandible screeched like it had struck metal as the full length of the blade slid across Kax’s skin.
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Kax bellowed and swung his left arm in a wide arc, striking Kim Hajun in the stomach, causing him to grunt and tumble along the ground. The red-haired man touched his own neck before looking at his fingertips, confusion filling his face upon noticing the lack of blood. He glanced in the direction of Vur before swallowing and focusing his attention once more on Kim Hajun.
Kim Hajun grunted and climbed to his feet before hocking out a glob of phlegm tinged with pink onto the ground. His eyes narrowed as he stabbed the ant mandibles into the ground, letting them stand upright. Clearly, they weren’t effective on Kax thanks to the buffs he had been given. An increase in speed and an increase in toughness to an already tough person, although difficult, it wasn’t impossible to deal with. Kim Hajun’s right foot shifted backwards, and he stuck his left hand forward before gesturing for Kax to come over with his fingers.
Kax snorted and bent down, gently placing his axe on the ground before standing up. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as he walked towards Kim Hajun. The well-dressed man’s face was pale, and his breathing was ragged, but his eyes followed Kax’s every move without missing a single detail. Speed, strength, endurance, it was clear Kax was ahead in every aspect. Since that was the case, Kim Hajun had to use everything in his arsenal—even if it was a bit underhanded. After goading Kax into ditching his weapon, Kim Hajun reached into his pocket and withdrew a card.
Prior to entering the tower, Kim Hajun had made a deal with Hyeonnam Dogsuli, the eagle that recruited him and a hundred other people from Earth. In return for winning in a battle royale against all the other competitors, Kim Hajun had unlocked his innate ability early. He hadn’t expected he’d need it again so soon after defeating the white-striped ant queen; using his ability took a huge toll, but as he knew all too well, prices had to be paid for things to get done.
The card flashed, and the image depicted on the card materialized in the air above him, the ink on the card fading as the materialization condensed into a solid form. An ocean-blue dragon’s leg took shape over Kim Hajun’s head, everything from the tips of its claws to the scales on its knee displayed in perfect detail with brown runes etched on and silver mist surrounding it. Beyond the knee, the rest of the dragon didn’t exist.
“Vur,” Tafel said, raising an eyebrow. “Is that your leg?”
Vur blinked and looked down. Both of his legs were still there. “No?”
“It looks like your leg,” Lindyss said. “So, it seems like Kim Hajun wasn’t all talk after all. He does have some ability.”
“Go!” Kim Hajun shouted as the group spoke, his face and exposed skin as pale as paper. The dragon leg came crashing down, stomping on Kax. The red-haired man grunted and raised his arms, pressing his palms against the bottom of the dragon’s paw, but it was futile. With a crunch, the dragon leg pressed Kax into the ground.