Chapter 128. Not Quite Yet

I’ll catch him here!

Twang!

Swoosh—!

Melwyn released his bowstring, shooting an arrow clad in a faint, blood-red aura. However, it merely grazed its mark before whizzing past.

"

Aaah!

"

"

Urgh!

"

Meanwhile, even as he kept firing, his comrades were falling one by one. They were the elites of the Frostcloud Forest, blessed by Nereid, yet they were being helplessly slaughtered by a single human. The sheer absurdity made Melwyn’s heart race in disbelief.

What kind of monster did Lady Elsar encounter?!

His comrade, Elsar, had died battling that monstrous creature to protect their forest. Melwyn gritted his teeth at the thought, his frustration growing. He mustn’t allow this creature to step into their homeland no matter what!

Swish! Swish swish!

Melwyn and his comrades kept firing arrows, seemingly without doing any real damage. But it didn’t matter, because he believed in their plan.

The arrows

were

hitting, after all. The blood-red energy—Nereid’s power—continued to leave marks on the intruder’s body, slowly wearing him down. But that wasn’t all.

Lead him there.

He signaled to his comrades, making a subtle gesture with his hand. They nodded back with a look of determination. Indeed, they weren’t just blindly attacking. Every move led the enemy to a specific location, pulling him into a carefully laid trap.

He clearly has no idea what we’re doing.

Melwyn made such a conclusion after observing the enemy’s movements.

—

Aaaah!

As another fresh scream rang out as another comrade fell, Melwyn’s eyes burned with fury and determination.

Bask in your arrogance for killing a few of our people while you can. I assure you, it won’t last. Soon, you’ll walk right into our trap—and that will be the end of you.

~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield...

They’re trying to lure me.

Kim Do-Joon had already figured it out

—

the pattern of the elves’ attacks was becoming clearer. What seemed like a chaotic assault was actually deliberate. They were trying to control his movements, which meant two things.

Either someone is trying to control me, or there’s a trap ahead.

Swoosh—!

“

Urk!”

He pondered quietly as he pulled his spear out of an elf’s chest. He paused for a moment, mulling it over.

What should I do? I can just ignore it and crush them head-on, but if they decided to run, it could get messy.

These elves were stronger than before, clearly bolstered by something. If they scattered, he could only catch a few at most.

No, it would be better to play along.

He had made his decision. Whatever it was, he was confident he could get out of it easily. Besides, if he played it right, he could probably wipe them all out in one go.

Walking straight into the trap was a low-risk, high-reward move. With that in mind, Kim Do-Joon allowed himself to be “led” toward the trap, feigning ignorance. He made some moves as well.

— Block that side! He might try to break through!

— Yes, sir!

— Rana, what are you doing? He’s testing your side!

— I’ll block him off!

Kim Do-Joon smirked inwardly. He’d dart toward the edge of their formation as if he was trying to break free, only to withdraw at the last second. Beyond serving his plan, this small act of defiance also amused him.

Alright, let’s be honest here, he was just doing it out of sheer mischief. Where was the fun in simply following their plan?

“Damn it,” Melwyn cursed under his breath, frustration etched on his face.

He and his comrades were staking everything on this trap. If Kim Do-Joon got away, he’d disappear into the forest, and hunting him down again would be impossible.

"Sir Melwyn, do you think he’s caught on to us...?" one of his comrades asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

"No. He fell for it hook, line, and sinker," Melwyn snapped and replied confidently, refusing to entertain the possibility of their plan falling apart.

If Kim Do-Joon had overheard this, he’d have pitied them.

After much sweat and effort, the elves finally succeeded in driving him into their trap, albeit not without difficulty, thanks to Kim Do-Joon’s constant feints and taunts.

Kim Do-Joon found himself cornered at the edge of a cliff.

He glanced back over his shoulder at the sheer drop below. The cliff seemed bottomless, dark abyss. The sight reminded him of an old memory—once, long ago, he had been chased off a cliff by a hunting dog. He survived by sheer luck alone.

Smirking, Kim Do-Joon turned back to the elves.

“Do you think I’d be pushed off so easily?"

Melwyn’s face twisted in surprise.

Did he already know it’s a trap?

"I told you! He knew!" shouted the same elf who had voiced his concerns earlier, full of panic.

Anxiety spread quickly among the ranks of the elves. Melwyn felt the tension as well, but as their leader, he had to maintain his soldiers’ morale. So, he quickly masked his own feelings and spoke with authority.

"No, it’s just bravado," Melwyn declared firmly. "If you knew it was a trap, why didn’t you escape earlier?"

Kim Do-Joon didn’t bother to respond.

Melwyn's words seemed to calm the elves.

That’s right.

If he knew it was a trap, he would’ve fled by now. He’s had plenty of chances.

"Even if you did know," Melwyn added, pulling a short sword from his waist and plunging it into the ground, "it doesn’t matter, because you’ve already lost."

From the spot where Melwyn’s blade was embedded, threads of blood-colored energy rose from the earth, swirling like mist. They formed a dome that quickly enveloped the cliff’s edge. Then, with a deafening crack, the ground beneath Kim Do-Joon began to crumble.

The solid rock of the cliffside broke apart like soft tofu. Kim Do-Joon was suddenly thrown into the air, the ground beneath him falling away into the abyss.

"Fire!" Melwyn shouted, determined to seal the man’s fate.

Arrows glowing with sinister energy flew toward the falling Kim Do-Joon. The sky above grew distant as the arrows closed in fast. Amid his fall, a memory stirred in his mind.

—

When you fully master the art of Sky Thunder, even the air itself will become your stepping stone.

Once, Karlish had said that to him, back when he started learning the technique. He remembered the proud tone Karlish had used, as if it was the pinnacle of skill.

I’m not quite there yet though.

Kim Do-Joon thought calmly amid his predicament. He was keenly aware of his own limitations. He had tried stepping on the air before and failed miserably.

Yet, he felt like he could manage something similar. His sharp gaze scanned the debris falling alongside him

,

which included the fragments of rock, shattered by the blood-red energy threads. They were small, some no larger than a fist, but they would suffice.

The next moment, his foot landed on a large enough chunk of debris.

Bang!

He kicked off from the rock with explosive force, launching himself upward.

"What the hell!"

"He just jumped in midair!"

The elves gasped in disbelief. They were familiar with midair maneuvers, as some among them—particularly Eldora, the knight—could adjust their posture while airborne. However, this was something else entirely.

Kim Do-Joon wasn’t merely controlling his fall. He leapt through the air, using nothing but debris to propel himself as if the empty sky were a solid floor.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

In just a few leaps, Kim Do-Joon had risen high above them.

"Don’t panic! Just shoot him down!" Melwyn shouted, his own voice betraying a hint of desperation. "He can’t dodge in midair!”

Normally, a target in midair would be vulnerable, unable to evade incoming attacks. But none of them were certain this rule applied to Kim Do-joon. Nevertheless, the elves raised their bows, aiming upward at the figure above.

...

Sure enough, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t move freely and dodge in the air. He’d only managed to jump earlier because of the scattered debris. But now, with nothing but empty space beneath him, he was somewhat powerless.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Please, step aside for a moment.

— Huh? What are you planning on doing...?

Kim Do-Joon quickly stashed Karlish into the inventory, and retrieved another item from there.

[Iron Staff of the Non-Gold Lotus]

It was a peculiar weapon whose weight would increase infinitely when imbued with mana. Without a moment’s hesitation, he poured mana into the staff. Immediately, he began to plummet toward the ground at an alarming speed.

Thud!

He landed hard, right in the middle of the group of elves below. However, instead of retracting the mana from the staff, he let it flood into the ground.

Craaaack—!

The earth beneath the elves, who had gathered near the cliff, began to crumble.

Whoosh.

"

Aaah!”

"We’re falling!"

Some elves fell down and others desperately tried to cling to the cliff, barely hanging on.

Kim Do-Joon snorted and swung the heavy staff once more. A chilling wave of energy spread outward, freezing the surface of the cliff.

“

Aaargh!

”

"No!"

The ice made the surface slippery, causing the elves to lose their grip and tumble down. Kim Do-Joon glanced at their falling figures. Then, without a hint of regret, he turned away and moved on.

***

After that ambush, there were no more elves to slow him down. He made his way to their village without a hitch. However, something felt off.

Why is this place so quiet?

Frowning slightly, Kim Do-Joon pushed the thought aside. He continued running, heading toward the temple where Nereid awaited. He had already pinpointed its location through the totem he had planted on Elsar.

Besides, Nereid didn’t even bother to conceal his presence, radiating his energy in all directions. Thanks to that, Kim Do-Joon reached his destination right away.

Bang!

Kim Do-Joon kicked open the door and entered. There, sitting on a grand, intricately decorated white throne, was a small boy with pale blue hair—Nereid.

"Attack!"

"Kill him!"

As if on cue, elves dropped down from the ceiling, ambushing him. Kim Do-Joon was unfazed—he’d known they were there the whole time. They weren’t Dark Elves, so stealth wasn’t their forte.

He reached into his inventory once more, pulling out the Lightning Spear.

Crackle!

Before the elves could reach him, Kim Do-Joon hurled the spear, faster than lightning.

"Damn it!"

"No! Lord Nereid!"

The elves screamed in terror as the spear shot past them like a streak of lightning.

"Stop making so much noise!" Nereid shouted in annoyance.

A barrier of water swirled around Nereid, blocking the spear. It crackled uselessly against the ground and walls, before returning to Kim Do-Joon’s hand.

"

Tsk

," Kim Do-Joon clicked his tongue in frustration, stashing the spear away.

This won’t be easy.

"How dare you attack Lord Nereid!"

"Kill the intruder!"

After they were sure Nereid was unharmed, the elves unsheathed their swords and rushed at Kim Do-Joon. They had the same deep, blood-red skin as the ones he had encountered in the forest. They were stronger than ordinary elves, but that didn’t matter to him.

Thwack!

"

Keuk!

"

Bam—! Bam! Bam!

"

Aaah!

"

After all, they were the same type of elves who couldn’t lay a finger on him in the open forest. As if they stood a chance in a confined building.

"Y-You monster..." whimpered the last elf, barely conscious.

Without hesitation, Kim Do-Joon coldly stabbed the fallen elf’s chest with his spear. All the while, Nereid remained seated, unmoving. His expression was unreadable, as if deep in thought.

Kim Do-Joon began walking toward him, his spear now slick with blood. The swirling barrier of water still stood between them. He threw a punch directly at the barrier.

Splat.

As expected, his left hand was stopped by the wall of water.

“

Heh heh heh...

Do you honestly think you can lay a finger on Lord Nereid?” The last elf, delirious and dying, let out a crazed laugh.

Nereid chuckled as well. No matter how strong Kim Do-Joon was, he was powerless against the barrier, created with great care. Kim Do-Joon was akin to a moth flying into a flame—or in this case, a mosquito diving into water.

"

Hup

."

Gritting his teeth, Kim Do-Joon poured more strength into his left arm, pushing it deeper into the barrier. The intense energy of the Heart of Flame wrapped his hand. Fire and water clashed, producing a thick cloud of steam. Slowly but surely, his hand began to penetrate the barrier. One finger, then two, soon his entire hand broke through, followed by his forearm.

"H-How...?" the last elf gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

Nereid’s shocked face was the last thing he saw before his body gave out and collapsed lifelessly on the ground.

Crack! Snap!

The water shield vanished, and Kim Do-Joon’s hand wrapped around Nereid’s throat in a vice grip.

"You... bastard..." Nereid spat through gritted teeth.

His face did not show pain, but the humiliation was evident. How dare someone choke him, with power gifted by Vulcanus, no less!

Wordlessly, Kim Do-Joon tightened his grip. In his right hand, he calmly drew a knife from his inventory, its blade glinting in the dim light.