Jinyo always remembered his mother's words—only true hunters could defeat monsters at higher levels. Don't be lazy and always challenge limits. That was the principle Jinyo inherited. In a world full of dangers, never knew what tomorrow would bring. Fighting monsters at lower levels wouldn't create development. When the time came to fight stronger enemies, would only become prey who could only run away.

  Mother's teaching was correct. Because since regaining power, Jinyo never fought monsters at lower levels. The gray demon before him was a biological weapon modified for combat use. It kicked its feet, lunging with claws extended to stab. The wooden sword struck one beat faster, defending just in time. Chimera Wolf still had claws on its left hand. Jinyo rolled to dodge under the arm sweep. Spun feet in a half-circle, slashing at the waist with full force.

  The sword slashed but didn't enter flesh. The feeling like taking a toothpick to strike stone. Its body flesh was too hard until his sword couldn't cut in.

  "Iron Body?" Jinyo seemed to know this technique. Chimera Wolf stomped to create balance, raised the other leg spinning to kick Jinyo's neck. Luckily he read its movements. Jinyo used Blossom Step to retreat, creating several steps of distance. Chimera Wolf controlled planar to circulate to its legs. Ran to get close to its opponent in just a few seconds. Claw blades enhanced sharpness with intense Sword Spirit. Purple planar merged with yellow planar.

  Eye of the Sage!

  Jinyo changed his eyes to blue. All movements analyzed, sent directly to brain. He saw flaws and its movement patterns. Jinyo raised sword to receive the attacking movements. Both speed and superior physical strength. Like a storm relentlessly pounding at the weaker Jinyo. Whether strength, physical power, speed—nothing Jinyo could compete with it. What made him stand firm was sharp vision and power analyzing movements in advance.

  Jinyo must not be attacked because the claw blades were coated with poison, plus he currently couldn't cut into it. The technique called Iron Body was a technique to condense muscles to strengthen with planar. Had a prototype from Golden Bell technique, an ancient internal power technique. Helped enhance body durability to be strong as iron. When using it, would make the body have strength value increased +200.

  A supreme technique excellent in both offense and defense. With current power, Jinyo had no way to pierce through Iron Body's defense at all. Because Chimera Wolf's power values probably competed with or exceeded Naho's already. If not using everything he had, wouldn't see even a drop of blood.

  Heart pumped blood to nourish brain. Blood in body heated, making sensory nerves sharper than before. Every time swinging sword, small sparks occurred from friction. Eye of the Sage gathered Chimera Wolf information. Several minutes later, completely analyzed flaws and movement patterns were fed into Jinyo's brain.

  Chimera Wolf tensed muscles, releasing power through arms. All eight claw blades shone amid pitch darkness toward the weak human. Attack speed exceeded what ordinary humans could respond to. From past combat, clearly showed Jinyo had very low response values. Had no power values at all to compare with itself.

  Chimera Wolf calculated according to normal logic. Not its fault for assessing Jinyo's potential that way. It wasn't wrong at all. Wrong that Jinyo couldn't judge combat results from power values.

  "I see it." Jinyo's eyes widened. Sweet flower scent scattered. Pink aura exploded from the white-clothed body. Both feet touched ground more than six times in a few seconds. Suddenly Jinyo disappeared from its sight. Left only swirling peach blossom petals. The young man in white cloth brandished sword blade to get close. Focused on the wooden sword beyond limits ever done before.

  Song of a Hundred Flowers, Second Movement: Mirror Flower

  Song of a Hundred Flowers, First Movement: Peach Blossom Dance, Original Version

  A large mass of planar was sucked into the sword. Hundreds and thousands of peach blossoms bloomed around the body. Jinyo struck with full skill. Movements honed for dozens of years with intense planar. Simple but decisive strikes. Danced cheerfully sixteen times during the time spells covered consciousness.

  Chimera Wolf fell under the trance of flower spells. When it regained consciousness, the body was already marked with wounds. Recoil force from strikes made Jinyo's hands tremble. When reptilian eyes stared back, Jinyo heard howling sounds followed by attacks so fast couldn't see. Jinyo raised sword above head, defending just in time. If not for Eye of the Sage's power, this small neck would've separated from shoulders already.

  What Jinyo left on its body were only sixteen long lines with blood seeping through skin. His sword cut to the muscle layer covered by thick fur. Didn't even reach it.

  Not enough? Jinyo's nerves tensed to the limit. Original Peach Blossom Dance required 10 times more planar than the reduced version. Seems planar increased to 3000 didn't improve quality of life. If strength and planar quality were still extremely low.

  Chimera Wolf exploded with continuous movements. Jinyo's shirt tore to shreds. Blades from claws wounded red marks. Poison hadn't taken effect yet but only a matter of time. Its behavior became more aggressive. Jinyo dodging its movements while countering with major movements probably made it realize it misjudged Jinyo's combat power.

  Its speed increased 10%. But just that tiny 10%, Jinyo began making mistakes in evasion. Both claw blades and kicks pounding in. He knew what the next movements would be but couldn't respond in time. Body exhausted from fighting for over 35 hours began showing effects. Poison taking effect on the nervous system gradually made sensory nerves dull.

  Attacked that much still can't penetrate. Must change fighting method. Jinyo burned sugar, accelerating thought processes. Flicked hand to grab the copper watering can in right hand.

  "Pay 2 spirit coins, enter combat mode." The copper watering can transformed into a gun. Finger squeezed trigger, making water bullets shoot from barrel. Chimera Wolf cut legs running to dodge water bullets. Wild beast instincts warned this wasn't an ordinary water gun.

  Jinyo wouldn't let go of the watering can gun. Crept toward Naho sitting miserably at the Happy Carrot plot edge.

  "Naho, dig Happy Carrots to eat then go get Rina to help me."

  "Happy... Carrots... huh?" Naho looked at the plot ground she sat on. Small green leafy vegetables sprouted from soil surface. Happy Carrots took longer to grow than normal carrots. But just 60 to 80 days was long enough to dig and eat. Just the quantity wasn't enough for big humans 160 centimeters tall and up. Naho used hands to dig soil, cleaning surrounding soil. Pulled up one small carrot. Small as baby carrots she saw at ridiculously expensive supermarkets. Naho fed it into her mouth. Didn't peel or wash off dirt dust.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Just hurriedly chewed and swallowed it. Three to four seconds later, she slowly got up. Black liquid seeped through mouth nonstop. Though wanting to vomit everything eaten since yesterday until guts emptied, she had to force her body to run out of the garden. Because she was the only one who could go request help.

  Happy Carrots had quality properties: detoxify poison 1 star, adjust mental state 2 stars. Should help Naho recover body and mind until energized enough to run to the mansion. Jinyo picked up the copper axe with left hand while the watering can gun's durability dropped until near 0.

  Chimera Wolf ran zigzag, not letting itself be shot even once. Until durability ran out, Jinyo threw it away like worthless trash. Right hand pulled the wooden sword attached to waist. Left hand held copper axe in defensive stance. Chimera Wolf seized the golden minute opportunity, lunging to swing arms. It suddenly accelerated, not letting prey steady itself. But this action was in calculations from the start.

  The one wanting the other side to not have time to steady wasn't only it.

  Jinyo flexed arm muscles that had little power compared to sister Naho. But what showed was small muscle bundles bulging into masses.

  Since the day losing power, there was no day thinking combat had ended. What Jinyo could do after finishing teaching work was entering a private gym and maintaining muscle mass to stay strong. He didn't have elephant physical strength like buffalo Naho. But what Jinyo definitely had was body foundation befitting a male warrior. planar flowed into the axe. Sword Spirit enhanced sharpness for the axe swung to arm's limit.

  "Pay 1 spirit coin, enter combat mode." Jinyo commanded in the name of Garden of the Sword owner. The copper axe exploded as light, transforming appearance. From small woodcutting axe became a short axe large but fierce. Increased weight tortured his arm muscles. This thing didn't suit scholars like him at all. More suitable for muscular bears to use. Just swinging it already swallowed all his strength.

  [Copper Axe has entered combat mode. Attack Power 400, Durability 300, Usage duration 2 minutes. When strength value exceeds 300, add damage bonus 10% per 50 strength. When paying 200 planar, use [Earth Splitter]. Next attack will create severe damage to target 1 time. If strength value doesn't reach 250, user will receive damage. Damage bonus = planar Quality + Strength X Earth Element]

  The copper axe passed Chimera Wolf's face. It stopped its body abruptly before the axe reached it. Chimera Wolf looked down on Jinyo thinking he'd slowly swing that axe at it who emphasized speed. The copper axe was raised high with those tiny arms. The axe slipped falling from hand through gravitational pull past Jinyo's back. In a blind spot Chimera Wolf couldn't see, right hand grabbed the copper axe precisely as if practiced before.

  planar accumulated in the copper axe exploded. Right arm bones cracked loudly. Jinyo's gaze locked onto the complacent Chimera Wolf. It thought itself good enough already. Its stopping movement to stop right in front of Jinyo perfectly when he swung the axe the first time was a mistake it would regret.

  "Earth Splitter!" Jinyo used right arm to slash the axe with full force. It was faster than Chimera Wolf ever perceived. The axe severed into the middle of the torso. Violent destructive power broke through Iron Body's defense. Chimera Wolf lost balance. White skin on the stomach side tore until revealing throbbing small intestines. Pain and confusion swallowed consciousness.

  Huh?

  "..." Chimera Wolf's eyes rolled wildly.

  "Hurts good, right? Your face says so." Jinyo showed a mischievous smile. Pain attacked right arm until couldn't move. Numb from shoulder to fingertips. Punishment from using Earth Splitter without meeting qualifications worked the right arm until couldn't pick up anything anymore. Regrettable that Jinyo couldn't control the axe to chop its skull. Otherwise Jinyo would've seen Chimera Wolf lying unconscious.

  Why was it injured by a weak human?

  Why did just a small Heaven demon make it lose dignity?

  "GRAAAH!" Chimera Wolf roared nerve-shaking sounds. It almost didn't care about intestines nearly flowing through the wound. Ran at Jinyo like a zombie. Devoid of fear of death or caring for this body. Jinyo hurriedly dropped the copper axe to grip sword with both hands. Three-colored aura sparked in the gray demon's body. The aura transformed from before. Only the stench of blood, rotting flesh and curses.

  Must aim at the old wound! Jinyo gathered focus to concentrate on the opponent.

  Iron Body is condensing muscles and enhancing skin durability. We already opened its stomach. Must attack in for sure. Jinyo stomped feet to start running. Released complex yet swift movements. In the second when the sword was reaching it, Chimera Wolf displayed something beyond expectations. It moved arms into circular forms. Crescent moon patterns occurred in the air.

  Three patterns of planar spread from the body. Sealed and combined at claw blades layered with Sword Spirit. The second it swung arms, Jinyo stepped feet on ground, stopping abruptly. Wooden sword swung clashing with claws aimed to end life. Three streams of intense planar clashed with pink planar.

  CRACK!

  Heavy planar, like lightning crackling at Jinyo. The young man was directly destroyed by planar currents at meridians. Jinyo lost body control in a moment of life and death. The whole world spun slowly as if everything was stopping still.

  What happened... this is... its planar is destroying our body. Plus...

  Jinyo was blasted flying. Compression impact waves from three planar patterns. It still lingered and eroded Jinyo from within. The young man rolled many tumbles on the rice paddy plot until poor seedlings were crushed flat. Jinyo hurriedly got up but dizzy until almost collapsed. Emerald green eyes shook with fear when staring at that gray demon.

  What was that just now? Just got grazed by the attack.

  "Hack... hack." Red blood flowed from wounds. Nose and mouth in small drops sprinkled on the paddy field. Jinyo hurriedly grabbed potato sticks and carrot pieces from shirt pocket to chew. Special body that digested herbs and vegetables and absorbed them in the blink of an eye. Helped relieve dizziness symptoms and improved power balance.

  Exploding Potatoes helped recover physical power. Happy Carrots helped adjust mood and detoxify poison. Though minimal, helped greatly in the critical situation. Jinyo felt that if attacked directly even once, his life would've stopped at just an unemployed botanist and minimum wage contract teacher for sure.

  "Eye of the Sage..." Jinyo used Eye of the Sage skill to examine the earlier attack.

  [Punishment Wave (A)] [Double Impact (A)]

  "Ha ha. Must be joking for sure." Jinyo was strangely familiar with these two names. Punishment Wave aside. But what was called Double Impact was a technique that could be said existed only in manuals. Few people in history could use this technique.

  Punishment Wave, adapted from internal power techniques, sent one's own power to directly destroy internal organs and opponent's power meridians. An advanced combat technique only master-level users could use skillfully. It consumed power and had high risk of recoil backlash. But if successful, it would deliver pain and greatly erode opponent's combat strength.

  As for Double Impact, it was a magical technique where users needed to have more than two elemental planar to use. Merged more than two types of planar into one attack. In appropriate proportions. When attacking with Punishment Wave, would make it like attacking opponent's power meridians twice in one attack.

  The two techniques weren't popular in modern times anymore. Because too difficult to train. High risk.

  Because normal humans would train only one most suitable elemental planar. Training two or more elemental planar would risk power backlash. Ancient language called it Fire Element Interference. If mistaken even one step, might be disabled or die. Many reached dead ends because couldn't find ways forward from training two elements.

  Punishment Wave still had some users. Among high-level hunters or old-era martial arts masters. But Double Impact almost disappeared from history because he knew people who used Double Impact well. It was a technique requiring high fighter IQ. No way ordinary monsters or crazy people with poor sanity could use this technique.

  "Really crazy. What... am I fighting right now? Mother..."