The Guardian's massive sword whistled through the air, splitting stone as it crashed down where Jinhyuk had stood moments ago. The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the arena.
Jinhyuk barely managed to dodge, his body rolling across the rough ground. Too fast. Too strong. If he took even one hit, he was dead.
His breathing was ragged. I can't fight this thing head-on.
The Guardian turned its hollow gaze toward him. It wasn't just strong. It was intelligent. It knew he was weak. And it was taking its time, as if toying with him.
Jinhyuk's mind raced. He had no weapons, no physical strength. But he had his illusions.
Think, damn it.
He raised his hand. Mana surged as a mirror image of himself appeared ten feet away.
The Guardian instantly reacted, twisting its sword toward the illusion. It swung—
And passed right through.
But Jinhyuk was already moving. He dashed in the opposite direction, sweat dripping down his face. It worked.
The Guardian hesitated for half a second, realizing it had been fooled. But that was all Jinhyuk needed.
He had to do more. He had to layer the deception.
Another illusion appeared—this time of a massive warrior, clad in golden armor, wielding a shining spear.
The Guardian's burning eyes flickered for the first time. A reaction. It sensed power.
Jinhyuk held his breath. Would it work?
The Guardian charged at the illusion, sword raised high. It swung with full force—
And staggered.
The illusion had no substance, but the Guardian expected resistance. The moment its attack met nothing, its balance was off.
Now!
Jinhyuk sprinted. His eyes locked onto one weak point—the Guardian's exposed knee joint.
With every ounce of strength in his body, he threw himself forward and—slammed his foot into it.
A normal human kick would've done nothing. But illusions weren't his only talent.
Jinhyuk could also make his illusions feel real.
The Guardian flinched.
For the first time, it stumbled.
Jinhyuk rolled away, gasping for breath. His whole body was trembling. It's working. I can actually fight this thing.
The Guardian roared, furious. Its aura darkened, shadows swirling around its blade.
Jinhyuk's stomach twisted. It was taking him seriously now.
But he didn't have the luxury of fear.
He had to keep fighting.
---
The Forgotten Watches
Far beyond the coliseum, in the realm between reality and illusion, the Forgotten observed.
He sat on his ancient throne, silver eyes glowing.
> "Interesting."
A mortal with nothing but illusions, yet he was adapting. Thinking. Surviving.
The Guardian should have ended him instantly. And yet…
The Forgotten's lips curled into a shadow of a smile.
Perhaps this one was worth watching.
Got it! I'll ramp up the intensity of the fight, making it more brutal and desperate.
The Guardian roared, its burning eyes locking onto Jinhyuk with newfound fury. Shadows coiled around its rusted greatsword, the air itself vibrating with the sheer force of its power.
Jinhyuk's throat tightened. It's stronger than before.
The ground beneath him cracked as the Guardian lunged. Its sword came down with monstrous speed—too fast to dodge.
Jinhyuk had only one option. Illusions wouldn't stop this attack.
He twisted his body and threw himself into a roll, barely avoiding the blade as it tore through the stone. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the arena, flinging him backward like a ragdoll.
His body slammed against the ground. Pain exploded through his ribs. His lungs screamed for air.
Damn it…! One hit, and I'm done.
The Guardian didn't stop. It turned, dragging its blade through the ground, then swung it in a horizontal arc.
No time to move.
Jinhyuk's mana surged. An illusion of himself appeared in midair, falling backwards. At the same time, he forced his body to collapse to the ground—pressing himself as low as possible.
The Guardian's sword cut through the illusion's neck—but the real Jinhyuk lay just beneath the deadly arc.
A hair's breadth from death.
It worked again. But the Guardian wasn't stopping. It was relentless.
Jinhyuk gritted his teeth. If he kept running, he'd just die tired.
He had to take control of the fight.
His mind raced. Think. It's a warrior. A knight. It's trained to fight strong enemies. But I'm not strong.
Then he realized—That's my advantage.
He didn't need to fight it like a warrior. He needed to fight it like a hunter.
---
A Hunter's Instinct
The Guardian charged again, raising its sword high. Jinhyuk didn't move.
He watched. Waited.
Just as the sword came down—he cast another illusion.
This time, not of himself.
A phantom spear thrust from the Guardian's blind spot.
Its instinct reacted instantly. It twisted mid-swing, bringing its sword up to block the fake spear.
But there was nothing there.
The Guardian's own reaction had thrown off its momentum.
Jinhyuk moved in.
With everything he had, he leapt onto the Guardian's back.
He latched onto its shoulder, gripping tight. Its armor was cracked here. A weak point.
The Guardian roared and tried to shake him off—but Jinhyuk already had his next move ready.
He poured his mana into an illusion—not of an enemy, but of himself.
Three more Jinhyuks appeared, each clinging to the Guardian from different angles.
The monster staggered, confused. It couldn't tell which one was real.
That was all Jinhyuk needed.
He drove his fist into the cracked armor.
Illusions couldn't hurt it. But he had learned something just moments ago—he could make illusions feel real.
So he imagined.
He imagined his fists weren't human. He imagined they were the same as the Guardian's sword—massive, heavy, and unbreakable.
His mana reacted.
His hand sank into the Guardian's armor.
For the first time—it let out a cry of pain.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened. It worked?!
But before he could think further, the Guardian went berserk.
Its entire body exploded with dark energy, and a force like a hurricane blasted outwards.
Jinhyuk was flung into the air.
His vision blurred. The ground raced toward him.
He barely twisted his body in time to land, rolling across the arena floor. Blood dripped from his lip. His entire body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
And the Guardian—was still standing.
But now, it was breathing heavily. It had felt his attack.
I can do this. I can win.
Jinhyuk wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up again.
He faced the Guardian, heart pounding, sweat dripping from his brow.
"Round two," he muttered.
And then he charged.