WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 9: First Battle

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His strength drained away as if he had just gone through an intense workout. Worse, an indescribable spiritual exhaustion left his mind on the verge of going blank.

Fortunately, the heat boiling through him quickly faded in the night chill held by the primeval forest. Perhaps because the forest's vitality was strong, or because that was simply the nature of the flames he had unleashed, the fire did not spread and went out on its own.

The problem was the terrible smell of burning that nearly numbed his nose.

‘What do I do?’

At twenty-five, Han Yujin had naturally completed his military service. In the army, he had learned that an unfamiliar smell, like cigarette smoke, could spread an enormous distance through a mountain forest at night.

The harsh smell of burning here must have spread throughout a wide area of the forest, reaching every wild animal with a keen sense of smell.

He hurried outside and checked the beast that had died with a hole in its head.

Its face had looked monkey-like, and so did its body as a whole. Except it was incredibly muscular, and its fingernails and claws looked as tough and sharp as those of a bird of prey.

Hard calluses covered its elbows, knees, belly, chest, and sides, making it seem as though it wore armor. Even its fur was immensely coarse, as though it could absorb most impacts without trouble.

‘It must be around two meters tall...’

If it fought some human gym bro, the gym bro would probably be brutally killed within seconds. Even if that person had armor and a weapon, the result would be the same.

In short, this was less a beast than a monster.

‘I killed a monster like this.’

It looked tough enough to charge at him even after being shot, yet before the Five Elements Sword's flames, it had not even managed a scream.

Though still dumbfounded, Han Yujin briefly admired it before pulling himself together and thinking hard.

What if this creature had ruled this section of the forest? Since he had killed it, was he safe now?

Or should he move immediately and look for another hiding place nearby? Could the terrible burning smell hide his movements and presence instead?

Then Han Yujin used the Clear Mind Art from the Returning to the Origin Art to organize his thoughts quickly.

As the spell unfolded, his unsteady mind immediately settled. His concentration improved, and the things that had seemed chaotic became clear.

‘Get rid of wishful thinking.’

The moment he recalled the lesson he had learned from his previous experience, everything became simple.

This creature might have ruled this section of the forest, but it might not have. Even if it had, predators from other areas might come over out of curiosity.

He could not underestimate the alertness and cunning of wild beasts.

Besides, running elsewhere would probably be useless.

Considering how he had been discovered in the first place, the creature had found him beneath the tree roots as though it could see straight through him, despite him remaining completely motionless in that hole.

It had clearly been hunting, even moving silently in case its prey escaped.

‘More will come.’

The beasts, the native hunters of this forest that sought his life, would definitely come.

Han Yujin tightened the tension that had briefly loosened and began recovering his strength with all his might. He did not return to the hole, because while it reduced the directions he needed to guard against, it would also cut off his escape route.

Whether that judgment was right or wrong, the result would tell him. What he needed to do now was not constantly doubt himself.

Keeping Spirit Vision Art active, he carefully watched his surroundings and breathed steadily. More precisely, he inhaled spiritual energy to recover as much as possible from the exhaustion in his body and soul.

At the same time, he began studying the structure of the Five Elements Sword in his hand. His previous use had merely been a desperate attempt to survive. He needed to understand the basics if he wanted to fight more efficiently in the future.

‘I won't die easily.’

He knew that dying would only wake him up in reality. Perhaps it would be easier in many ways to die once, then visit this place again later.

For some reason, though, he did not want that. It was an emotional judgment rather than a rational one, but at the same time, it did not feel entirely irrational.

Just because something was difficult and frightening, he did not want to casually consider death. No matter how he looked at it, wouldn't that be running away? Could he really think of running away first whenever hardship came his way?

Luck and misfortune were two sides of the same coin, and opportunities appeared in crises.

‘If I win today, this section of the forest will truly become mine.’

With the Five Elements Sword, it did not seem entirely impossible.

How much time passed like that?

Han Yujin's hopes, or fears, were not betrayed. Yellow eyes began appearing throughout the dark forest, glaring at him.

With Spirit Vision Art, he saw the figures concealed amid the undergrowth. Han Yujin pulled one corner of his mouth into an unnatural smile. He looked half like he was crying.

“Fuck... What is this, Planet of the Apes, you monkey bastards?”

Fortunately, he had recovered some of his strength, and he had grasped the Five Elements Sword's structure at least on a very basic level.

That was thanks to the transcendent language comprehension he had been granted, which allowed him to interpret even the sword's inscribed spell restrictions.

The monkey monsters clearly took Han Yujin's muttering as a provocation. One by one, they emerged from the undergrowth and flexed their muscles threateningly. There were seven in total.

That was not too many, but it was also far too many. They would never fight him in a one-on-one tournament, so his chances of winning were probably slim.

Still.

Han Yujin's resolve did not break.

The cost of death was merely waking in reality, which made it easy for him to consider giving up and running away. But because the price was so light, it could also make him endlessly reckless.

“First strike wins!”

With that brave shout, Han Yujin pointed the Five Elements Sword at the nearest monkey.

Crack-boom!!

At once, inscribed spell restrictions flashed across the sword's surface, and a thunderous bolt of lightning shot out.

No, the instant he felt it shoot out, it had already struck, electrocuting the monkey monster to death. Its fur blackened and stood on end, its limbs convulsed wildly, and it fell backward.

The seven enemies became six.

“How dare you attack a human, the crown of creation?! You damned animals...!”

RROOOOAAAR!

An immensely deep roar swallowed Han Yujin's shout as he tried to seize the initiative.

As one monkey roared, the remaining five joined in. It felt as though his eardrums might burst.

Before he could even voice his impressed amazement at their powerful voices, they kicked off the ground and charged from every direction. The ground shook like a cavalry legion charging forward, and they were on him in an instant with more force than a typical blockbuster film.

Knowing that even one blow would shatter his body, Han Yujin reflexively activated the Five Elements Sword's defensive function and raised it over his head.

The inscribed spell restrictions shifted and flashed. Brilliant golden light poured forth, taking on the appearance of a giant bell as it covered and protected him.

BOOOONG!!

The first monkey monster to reach him slammed a full-strength fist into the bell, producing a tremendous boom. It sounded as if it had struck a real bell of incredible sturdiness.

RROOOOAAAR!

The wildly excited monkey monsters surrounded him, hammering the golden bell barrier with fists and feet. Amid the constant booms, blood flowed from both of Han Yujin's ears inside it.

“You... ignorant bastards...!”

Despite the barrier showing only slight tremors, they continued pounding it as though they had some certainty. They showed no sign of stopping, even as their hands and feet became bloody.

Skrrraaaape!!

Han Yujin grimaced at the harsh sound of their tough claws scraping the barrier's surface, his eardrums already injured. As though they had been waiting for that very reaction, the monsters howled and added scratching attacks to their pattern.

Then Han Yujin became certain.

These monster bastards were more vicious, intelligent, and cunning than ordinary apes.

Even if they died in the process, they would never give up attacking him.

A thread of fear pierced through the adrenaline surging madly through him. For a moment, he thought he would be helplessly torn apart by these monkey monsters' claws and die.

Just before it grew into uncontrollable panic.

The effect of the Clear Mind Art still active felt like cold water poured over his head. At the same time, anger burned within him, at the fact that he had been afraid and at the monkey monsters that had made him afraid.

The sensation of maintaining a mind that was both hot and cold was truly new and astonishing. If he could stay like this, wouldn't that be the mindset of a veteran among veterans, a battle-hardened warrior?

Eyes wide, he glared at the monkey monsters continuing to strike the barrier. At the same time, he focused on the Five Elements Sword and tried to activate another function.

His soul, drained to its limit of spiritual energy, screamed. His body followed suit, his legs trembling as though he would collapse at any moment. The feeling of blood pouring from both nostrils was terribly vivid.

He had only entered the immortal path half a day ago.

‘I’ve only lasted this long because this place is so rich in spiritual energy!’

Even as he gained that additional realization, he gripped the Five Elements Sword's hilt as if squeezing out every last bit of strength he had.

Would the barrier of a mid-to-high-grade magical artifact merely withstand attacks in silence? In many cases, after all, the best defense was offense.

The extra spiritual energy he poured in activated another inscribed spell restriction. The sword, radiating brilliant golden light, rang in resonance.

The bell-shaped barrier suddenly exploded outward in every direction. No, it did not simply scatter. Every fragment became a sharp blade, tearing apart everything around it without leaving a gap.

The noisy roars and impacts were instantly replaced by mournful screams. The horrific sounds of bone and flesh being severed and split rang out once, and great quantities of blood burst forth and sprayed everywhere.

After the heavy chunks fell randomly to the ground with a loud clatter.

In the middle of the forest, now quiet as if it had never been chaotic, Han Yujin stood drenched in blood and bared his teeth in a smile.

“I won... you Planet of the Apes bastards...”

After that muttering, whether it was a declaration or something else, he fell backward as though fainting.

Fortunately, he was not dead. He had simply exhausted himself so thoroughly that he could no longer remain standing.

Probably no stronger predator would come. If there had been one, the monkey monsters would not have fought while making such a commotion.

Unable to move right now, Han Yujin wanted to believe that.

And honestly, even if such misfortune came and killed him now, he felt it would be fine.

What else could he do? It would be beyond his control.

Even if he died regrettably despite doing his best, at least he had not run away. He could wake up in bed with a clear conscience.

“Heh heh heh...”

Filled with a sense of accomplishment and the thrill of victory too intense to describe, he kept laughing like an idiot.

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