The Unmatched Power
1020 Words
It was truly unbelievable. The man standing before Savy appeared to be in his mid-twenties.
Savy roared as he dashed forward. “How dare you ignore me? You are courting death!”
The threat meant little to nothing to Ruth. He didn’t even bother discarding his cigarette. He stood motionless like a statue, and just as Savy’s magic-imbued fist approached, he dodged ever so slightly.
Savy was in disbelief. He had been certain his attack had landed, yet the young man evaded it at the last moment. Convinced it was mere luck, he sneered.
“Don’t count on luck to save you. Answer me truthfully, and I shall let you leave with just a few broken bones.”
Ruth clicked his tongue. “Do you only know how to blabber? Why don’t you try hitting me first? You can threaten me all you want after that.”
Savy felt the sting of mockery. His fists clenched as he began murmuring an incantation. Soon, his entire body glowed red, and his frame expanded like a giant’s.
Despite his enormous new size, he moved with the agility of a leopard. Ruth felt exhilarated by the challenge. He was eager to test the power of this so-called "mana."
Savy threw a powerful punch, and Ruth met it with one of his own.
Kaboom!
A deafening sonic boom echoed as their fists collided. Both men were pushed back, and the surrounding trees were either obliterated or uprooted.
Had an ordinary person witnessed this scene, they would have been terrified. How could humans possess such monstrous strength?
Though both were pushed back, Savy grew wary.
'Tch. How is this possible? I used more than half my strength, yet I couldn’t break his fist!'
Ruth, on the other hand, cracked his neck and grinned. “Not bad. Try again. Put some real effort into it. Don’t tell me that’s all your ‘upgraded’ body can do.”
Savy seethed with rage. “I was going to let you live, but you seem determined to die. You can’t possibly outlast my stamina.”
He sneered and continued, “You’ve already fought hundreds of my men. You must be exhausted. Be proud—your life will end at my hands.”
Ruth poked his ears as if bored. “Tch. You’re not my girlfriend to be nagging so much. I was just warming up. I hope you last long enough to truly entertain me.”
Furious, Savy launched himself at Ruth, putting all his power into a single punch. This one was faster and far stronger than before.
‘With this, it will be over,’ he thought.
Yet, Ruth still didn’t take the attack seriously. He merely threw another punch to meet it.
Kaboom!
This time, Ruth was pushed back two steps, while Savy stumbled three. The difference in power was now evident.
But Savy refused to back down. His pride was at stake. Without a second thought, he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.
Kaboom!
Kaboom!
With every failed attack, despair crept in. He was tiring, while Ruth remained as energetic as ever.
Suddenly, Ruth sighed. “It seems you can’t entertain me anymore. Since you fought well, I shall grant you a warrior’s death.”
Savy growled. “Hmph! Just because you can block my attacks doesn’t mean you’re stronger. I’ll show you the true power of Collins magic!”
Ruth nodded. “Then I suppose it’s time I take you seriously.”
Savy gathered mana from his surroundings and summoned a massive earth golem—stronger and faster than himself.
Ruth’s eyes gleamed. “Great. Now I can finally exert a little of my strength.”
In an instant, he dashed forward. Savy barely saw a blur before he was sent flying hundreds of meters.
His body crashed violently to the ground. He could hear his bones shattering from the impact. A gaping hole marred his left shoulder. The golem, which had stood mighty a moment ago, had been obliterated without resistance.
Savy’s eyes widened in horror. “How… is this… possible…?”
Before he could finish, blood gushed from his mouth.
‘What monstrous strength…? How could such a person exist?’
Ruth leisurely walked toward the fallen Savy. “You’re the first to survive after facing me. Do you know why I spared you? This place is different from where I usually fight, and frankly, you’re not even worthy of dying by my hands.”
Savy couldn’t argue. He had lost. And not just lost—he had been utterly overwhelmed by a man much younger than himself.
—
Meanwhile, Raymond, who had been waiting for his uncle, was growing restless. Nearly 500 men had been sent to search for the girl, yet they had found nothing. Worse, hundreds of them had perished.
Just as he was about to send out another search party, a lone figure staggered out of the forest.
The man—one of Y City’s strongest warriors—was drenched in blood, his legs trembling. He had barely made it out alive.
Raymond rushed forward. “Uncle! What happened? Who did this to you?!”
Savy was barely conscious, his voice weak. “Don’t… go into the forest… Retreat now…”
With those words, he collapsed.
Raymond hesitated. He was reluctant to give up on Melina. He had coveted her beauty and longed to taint her.
But as he looked at his uncle’s condition, he felt a chill down his spine.
‘Uncle is strong enough to defeat dozens of elite fighters alone… yet he ended up like this? Just what kind of monster is in that forest?’
His heart pounded as a terrifying realization hit him.
‘The Lynden family knew. They knew about the danger, yet they said nothing. They let us walk into this death trap!’
His eyes darkened. ‘Just wait until I return home. The Collins family will not let this insult slide. The Lyndens will pay for this treachery!’
He ordered his men to retreat.
The men who came in greed of reward were hesitant but after what they saw, their green vanished.
- Writer
