[Main Skill Rage Counter (S) has been activated, Progress 60%... 65%... 70%...... All stats have increased by 35 temporarily.]

[You are under the status effect Madness (A). Intelligence -90, Strength +30, Vitality +30, Magic Energy +30.]

[The Extra Skill Locked Emotions (B+) has suppressed the effect of Status Effect Madness (A). Warning! Due to low skill level, the effects of Madness (A) cannot be fully suppressed. The buff period has been reduced to 5 minutes.]

“How dare you do this… I’ll kill you…” Eun-Young stepped forward. With a mind drowned in piercing screeches. All she could see was red. Nothing reached her, but she didn’t care. No matter what Do-Yun said now, didn’t matter.

“That mumbling is scary you know.” He said trying to create distance between them.

But she appeared in front of him like a gust of wind. Her black hair spread behind her. The glowing red eyes stared into his soul as her fist clenched.

Her normal strong eyes were now replaced by something sinister. Something that sought the destruction of everything she saw.

“How dare you… betray my trust…” She threw one punch. Even after he escaped her reach the tornado created by it strung him along like a loose kite.

Before he could move she caught up to him midair and punched again. Her aim was his head. A clean attack to end him in one blow. If it landed. He shielded himself with his arms. The force of the punch flung him down as the impact shook his bones.

Smashed on the ground, Do-Yun rolled and slid across the grasslands from several hundred meters before coming to a stop. Looking down on his trembling hands and the torn armour he let out a sigh. Beyond that was a red mark covering his right forearm. Even clenching his fist became a tall order. But he closed his hands a few times before standing up.

‘One punch and she cracked my forearm protected by the serpent armor, as expected from her.’ Although she had lost her mind. Eun-Young’s techniques were still sharp. Unlike before she didn’t hesitate to unleash her full power. That made her more of a threat.

“She’s like a Rank A+ Boss Monster right now. Something like that can destroy a city in minutes…” Feeling his regeneration kicking in, Do-Yun stretched his stinging arms. It was a terrible encounter. In his current state, he couldn’t kill an A+ rank monster.

He hadn’t got half of the skills needed and his stats hadn’t reached the point to create enough firepower to make the final blow. Nor did he have a decent weapon to use as a substitute. Even the armor he had right now provided as much protection as a sheet of paper. But, it wasn’t like his opponents would care for such convenient excuses.

Wisps of red magic energy left her body like steam. Sensing it many birds that were flying towards the forest turned around as many flew from the nests. Numerous animals in the forest rushed to hide somewhere from the beast that had appeared.

Facing something like that when one was weak would come down to running away and hoping it doesn’t follow you. The threatening air around Eun-Young thickened as she kept mumbling. Her anger kept getting to her head in this state. Right now, no words would get to her.

“It isn’t like I riled her up without a plan.” Do-Yun smirked watching Eun-Young rush towards him like a bull that has seen red.

Magic energy gathered and swirled around her fist. When her fist shot forward air got torn and the ground split below her. At this moment she cannot use complicated techniques. But, she didn’t need to. Her simple kicks and punches were enough.

Faced with the oncoming fist that blew his hair, Do-Yun didn’t back down. His aura rings spun around his heart sending waves of energy throughout his body. Feeling the aura reach down to his fingertips, his hand moved ahead after he secured a wide stance. He didn’t aim for a counter or anything. Instead, he aimed for the oncoming fist head-on.

The amount of energy he used was abysmal compared to what powered Eun-Young’s attack. Still, he met the fist. His left palm made contact with the side of her fist. It showed no signs of slowing down still. But, soon the fist brushed past his face as if it was a gentle breeze.

Argon’s Aura Heart Method. Chapter 1: Combat Moves for Beginners. 2nd Move: Gentle Whirlpool.

A technique made solely for defense. But, rather than direct defense, this one was indirect. It used the flexibility of the arms and torso movements to deal with attacks. It didn’t matter how hard the blow was, it wouldn’t matter if it didn’t land. To achieve that Argon made this, it allowed the user to guide the oncoming attack away from them with little energy. A technique made to deal with creatures who felt proud of brute strength and plain power.

‘That guy had such a twisted personality. He used the scorned Water element to create Beginner techniques that can deal with seasoned experts.’ Do-Yun took a step back and ducked to guide the kick over his head with his hands. But before he could sweep her standing leg Eun-Young jumped back.

‘Someone who has learned the Beginner moves can hunt an infant dragon with ease. But, I can’t use the third move yet.’ Do-Yun didn’t bother attacking again as he wouldn’t do any damage. Instead, he continued to turn her attacks away from his body while maintaining a stable core.

The attacks left craters in the ground below but they couldn’t graze him. Soil and grass flew across with horrendous winds that almost blew him away. But with solid footing and proper placing, he avoided getting caught off guard. Unlike him, his armor wasn’t doing so well. The left sleeve got torn and many more areas were affected because of how close the attacks got to him.

“You are a thousand years too early to land a punch on me kid.” Do-Yun jerked his hands to send the punch into the ground.

“Don’t ‘Kid’ me you shitty grown-up.” Eun-Young’s words were sharper than daggers, “How could you do that to her? How could you…”

The longer this continued the worse her condition became. Blood seeped through her lips as he heard cracks coming from her clenched fists. The Magic energy within her body exploded to new heights as violent gusts of wind tore her surroundings.

“I see, so that’s how it is. The source of her power, just like her… this kid is a pure Berserker.” The red eyes glared at him with hatred burning like the sun.

Yet, none of that hatred or anger was for him. It fuelled her strength, but the drawback was as troubling as the power it granted.

Regardless of that, he beckoned her over with his hand.

“I’ll deal with your little tantrum for now.” Do-Yun smiled. In return, he received a sharp kick that sliced the air. It aimed to cut him in half at the waist. Jumping over it he flipped midair. The trees in the distance got sliced in half before they got reduced to splinters.

Her speed had surpassed him but he could feel it. The tingles on his skin. The sensing ability he had polished. He concentrated his range down to 10 meters around him and used it in tandem with his senses. From the front, back, above, or below. It didn’t matter where the attack came from or how fast they were.

If he felt it, he could react in time. Years of fighting experience had made it easy for him to guess the course of attacks too. With Eun-Young's straightforward moves, it became even easier.

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‘It still packs a punch though.’ Do-Yun noticed his hands trembling, his cracked bone had healed but he felt it would crack again if this continued.

The force of the attacks traveled up his arms shaking his spine. It felt like his muscles would tear if he made a single mistake. But, he moved his hands with a smirk.

‘I can’t make mistakes unless they are on purpose.’ Guiding the attack away was part of the process. If he didn’t want to get flattened he needed to move away from her aggressive strides while being conscious of her speed. If he lost her even for a second it would spell disaster.

Noticing that her attacks didn’t do anything. Eun-Young increased the frequency of her punches and kicks to overwhelm him. If he could deflect one she’d throw ten, if he deflected those, then a hundred would go his way. It didn’t matter what he did, her attacks wouldn’t come to a stop. Yet, not one made it past the defensive circle created by her opponent.

If she moved forward he’d move back two seconds in advance. If she tried to cut in from the side he prepared to avoid her a second before. It felt strange. His hands had no strength, but he moved her attacks away like handling a child. With minimal effort, he always guided her attacks away from his body.

It became frustrating as he kept moving away making her chase. But, when she noticed the direction of his retreat her eyes burned with more intensity. In the end, he had to touch her to deflect her attacks.

‘A little more…’ Do-Yun licked his lips when he felt the forest behind him. It was only about 20 meters away, but the journey there wouldn’t be smooth.

If he became careless and rushed things, it would fail. But, even if he tried the difference in stats was too much right now. Something changed. Her tempo increased. Tens of punches aimed for his vitals to halt his retreat. Then Eun-Young’s leg moved like a whip. Using the back of his palm he raised the attack upwards. But, he heard numerous cracks from his hand. He didn’t even have to look to understand what happened.

‘A forceful attack hidden in a ton of normal ones.’ That single kick contained three times the Magic energy than her normal attacks.

With Gentle Whirlpool he could deflect the attacks, but that didn’t mean that he could kill the power behind them. If the power behind the attack became more than what he could deflect, the rest of the impact would land on him.

So, Eun-Young raised the number of attacks to push him into a defensive state. Then she sent a charged-up kick after cutting off his chances. Before he avoided using his injured hand to counter her attacks. With one hand injured his defensive capabilities dropped down. If she increased her attack rate now. It wouldn’t take much to overwhelm him and take the other arm too.

“Shit…” Do-Yun understood it and rushed back on the double.

The forest was within reach, if he could cross ten meters he’d be safe. But, the risk of showing his back to Eun-Young was a big gamble.

“Do you think… I’ll let you run away?” Like a bloodthirsty beast, she pounced the moment she saw his neck. With a fist looming over his head, Do-Yun knew that she caught up to him.

However, instead of panicking he turned. Without even looking at the attack he used both his hands to grasp the fist. It wasn’t easy to do that with bent fingers, but experience made up for it. A simple twist of his body and bang! The punch that aimed to turn him into mush landed right on the chin of the attacker.

Gentle Whirlpool: Reversal!

Eun-Young knew the force of her attack firsthand. Now she experienced it first-hand. Her head snapped back as the taste of iron spread across her tongue. With her feet becoming jelly, she fell to her knees as the world spun. But, her gaze tried to lock onto him even in that moment.

Standing a little further away from her, he examined her condition. Tanking that attack by choice he created a disadvantageous situation for himself. Then he turned his back and ran. It couldn’t have been more obvious, but it worked because he faced her.

“This is the problem when you rely on pure instinct. The moment you saw that I tried to run into the forest, you attacked on the double to finish me off. Normally, you wouldn’t fall for such a trick. But, with your intelligence falling low, your attacks became simple too.” Throughout the short battle, Do-Yun saw her attack pattern always opted for the shortest route to kill him.

Punch, Strong Punch, Kick, and Strong Kick. Her attack repertoire was limited to that.

The time or angle didn’t matter. Eun-Young became a simple beast that wanted to kill. So, to trap her he made a deliberate opening. From the place he stood when he tanked the attack, to the point he reached by running. He already knew the attack course she’d take to reach in that moment. Such a path was easy to predict because he noted her timing and speed down.

‘If I had some more vitality I wouldn’t need to go this far. Gentle Whirlpool would’ve been enough.’ Do-Yun noticed the burning crimson eyes become dimmer.

A punch with that force had shaken her. The fact that she didn’t pass out was incredible, however, what surprised him more was Eun-Young herself.

‘If she couldn’t resist the skill’s influence, her buff should last 5 minutes give or take. After that the additional strength is gone and the user is weakened. Broken bones, ripped tendons and muscles are normal. But, her body held out pretty nice. And she knew that if I reached the forest she wouldn’t get near me, that’s why she tried to stop me by pure instinct alone.’ He chuckled as her body swayed.

Five minutes had passed and he was at the edge of the forest. If the buff had a longer duration he was ready to rush into the woods to continue the cat-and-mouse game. But, that didn’t seem necessary. The light of reason returned to her eyes.

“You… planned for this… from the start didn’t you?” Eun-young huffed. Her hands trembled as her body fought desperately to stay up, however, she had a bone to pick with him.

“Riling me up like that…… making that whole lie to piss me off… you…Argh…” Her voice was like a whisper in the wind, yet despite the strain, she wanted the answer.

“Yep, it was all on purpose.” Do-Yun strolled up to her and shrugged, “It isn’t like I enjoy teasing you 'cause I find your reactions fun or anything. That's definetly not true Eun-Young-Ah.”

“Bastard…” Eun-Young growled because of his lie. He chuckled and still didn’t deny it.

“Leaving that aside. I understood that your class is a Berserker, one that uses anger as fuel. It is powerful but problematic.” From the Serpent dungeon, he understood her skill and condition loosely. The sudden rise of power and the mood swings between her partially cold and easily angered personality also gave it away.

He also knew of someone similar, someone who also entered the berserk state where she attacked without discrimination. Skills that increased overall stats like this had clear limits and drawbacks. He knew how long they’d last thanks to watching that person from close by for years. But, if conditions meet, they could ignore the drawbacks for the most part.

In Eun-Young’s case, there was a chance of her turning into a beast that attacked anything in sight if her mental defenses weren’t strong enough. But, to make her enter such a state while knowing the dangers of it, was still reckless.

“You could’ve… died.” She looked at his swollen hand and it made her frown harder.

Because of the debuff, she had no control or a sense of her surroundings. The last five minutes were like a blank to her. One second she fell under the influence of madness, and the next second she woke up. She had no idea what happened in between.

However, the one who faced that danger had not a lick of concern on his face.

“That’s what I wanted to show you. I know that you are scared of this power. Any normal person would behave like you did and try to shut it off. But, don’t worry about it and use it till you can control it.” He crouched in front of her to match her gaze, “It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me.”

Her mouth closed shut as she averted her gaze from his smile. It felt harder to answer because he wasn’t lying. The entire purpose of this was to let her know that she didn’t have to live in fear any longer. At least not when he was around.

“You are ... too nosy.” He heard her mutter loud and clear.

“I think ‘A caring and dependable Leader’ is what you should be saying.” Eun-Young snorted.

“Shameless and annoying too.” Do-Yun gasped at the words.

“You kids are so ungrateful these days! Whatever, have some food and sleep. We’ll start your proper training tomorrow morning.” He stomped away into the forest to set up camp.

Watching him disappear in the trees Eun-Young wiped the blood from her nose and rubbed her swollen chin.

She had prepared herself when the skill took over her body. Even if she didn't want it to happen, he got the better of her. After all, he had planned for this.

In a state where she had no control, anything could’ve happened. But, watching him alive after, she felt relieved. Someone could stop her if she went berserk. He solved the biggest worry she had. Even then she didn’t mean to rely on him for this all the time.

The method to prevent this was already in her hands, but she needed time to perfect it. Till then she had to rely on him.

‘…I guess he isn’t that bad.’ With a sigh she stood up, her stats had dropped by 50% and she felt the damage from before. Sore muscles and stiff joints made moving a struggle as her weak knees made her unstable.

But, before she could follow him into the forest the bushes rustled. Her sharp eyes followed but there wasn’t an issue. He came back because she took too long.

“Hey Eun-Young-Ah…” She saw Do-Yun peeking from behind the tree, “Want a piggyback ride?”

“…” Her face turned icy as he gave her a gentle smile knowing full well what he was doing. It pissed her off more knowing that he did it on purpose.

‘Yeah, I won’t mind if he dies.’

Unknown to her dangerous thoughts, Do-Yun skipped back into the forest as the day came to an early end.

-:Moments Lost Between Pages:-

At Dinner

Do-Yun: Want me to feed you, Eun-Young-Ah?

Setting up the tent:

Do-Yun: Should I sing you a lullaby, Eun-Young-Ah?

The next morning:

Do-Yun: Let's go to the river, I'll wash your back Eun-Young-Ah.

Eun-Young: …

Do-Yun: Hmm, what happened Eun-Young-Ah you look like you've eaten a pink apple. Is your stomach upset? Want some medicine?

[The Main Skill Rage Counter (S) has been activated.]