Chapter 78: Martial arts

The martial arts Kai had learned from the scroll taught him how to use every part of his body with maximum efficiency.

There were techniques for breathing, punching, kicking, grappling, even choking. Every movement had a purpose, and every shift of his weight could be turned into an advantage.

The backhanded punch he had just delivered, or a smack more accurately, had not been a casual strike. It was a concentrated burst of mana woven together with precise technique.

To anyone watching, it might have looked as though Kai had simply slapped the mantis.

But there had been technique behind it, reinforced by raw power.

And the result was obvious.

The mantis was furious.

"Kriiiik!"

The creature released a shrill screech before charging forward on its long, spindly legs. Its scythe-like arms blurred as it began slashing at Kai in rapid succession.

Kai’s eyes shifted calmly from one attack to another as he evaded every strike. Truthfully, the attacks were not particularly fast, and with his concentration sharpened by Monk Breathing, he could sense the vibrations generated by each movement.

He was not so much watching the attacks come toward him as he was sensing them before they arrived.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

To the spectators, Rem and Kei, it looked as though Kai was barely avoiding the mantis’s attacks by the narrowest of margins.

In reality, Kai was completely in control.

"Kreeeei!"

The creature screeched again and suddenly raised both scythes.

Mana erupted from the blades, stretching them outward until they became even longer.

Kai’s expression hardened.

He abruptly leaped backward.

THUNK!

The attack crashed into the ground where he had been standing, sending chunks of rock erupting into the air. The force alone made it clear that the mantis had not been trying to drive him back.

It had been aiming to kill him.

The creature surged forward again, swinging one of its enormous arms in a horizontal arc.

Kai ducked beneath it and immediately lunged forward.

His fist tightened.

Mana began gathering inside his knuckles.

’Second Stance... is it?’

He mimicked the technique he had witnessed within his memories.

Heat gathered inside his fist as mana surged through his arm, compressing tighter and tighter around his knuckles.

The creature reacted quickly, bringing its other scythe around to intercept him.

Kai simply drifted past it.

He did not even need to raise his gaze.

The monster panicked.

There was a certain range around its body where its scythes could not reach effectively, and Kai had already discovered that weakness.

He had exploited it once.

Now he was doing it again.

Suddenly, the creature’s face bulged.

A stream of green fluid erupted from its mouth.

"Watch out!" Kei shouted in panic.

HISS!

Kai raised his free hand.

The acidic fluid splashed directly against it.

Pain flared across his skin, but Kai did not stop.

The attack had failed to break his momentum.

His hip rotated.

His front leg locked into place.

His shoulder aligned.

Then his arm came forward from beside his ear.

’...Iron Fist.’

DOOOOOMM!

For a moment, several shockwaves rippled through the creature’s body.

Everyone saw them.

The mantis’s entire body seemed to tremble from the inside as the force of the punch tore through its shell and flesh.

Then, in the next instant...

BOOOOOM!

The creature exploded.

Its shell shattered.

Its flesh split apart.

Limbs and fragments of its body were hurled in every direction, accompanied by dark, violet blood and chunks of innards.

A rain of violet blood erupted across the dungeon.

At the center of it all stood Kai.

His fist remained extended.

His eyes were wide.

His entire body was drenched in monster blood.

Slowly, he pulled his fist back and stared at the remains scattered across the ground.

’System... haven’t I learned something way too strong?’

[Host, it wasn’t simply the technique. You possess a strange mana efficiency that allows you to release condensed magic from a single point of your body.]

[Congratulations. You have killed a D-rank Blade Mantis.]

[+50 EXP]

[Congratulations. You have completed the Quest.]

[Reward: Sage Eye]

[Rank: EX]

"..."

Kai froze.

Wait a second.

If his memories served him correctly, EX rank was actually above SSS.

’System... just what exactly is this eye?’

[Host...]

The message was abruptly interrupted.

Kei suddenly grabbed both of Kai’s shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice tense. "We need to leave. Now!"

Kai blinked.

Only then did he realize something.

The ground beneath his feet was trembling.

Dust was drifting down from the ceiling above, and somewhere deeper within the dungeon, the sound of shifting stone echoed through the darkness.

"So the Mantis was the final boss, huh?"

Kai began moving immediately. Like Kei, he grabbed Rem and hurried toward the exit, wasting no time now that the dungeon had begun to collapse.

Kei wanted to take the captain’s body with them, but there was no time.

Whatever happened next, their only priority was getting out alive.

...

[Hunter Association HQ]

"Hmm, yes?"

Adam picked up the call almost on the second ring. He had been staring at his phone ever since he learned that Kai had entered the dungeon.

{Sir, two of the raid members have just come out! They said a Blade Mantis suddenly appeared inside. They’ve already lost their team captain.}

Adam’s eyes sharpened.

"What about Hunter Kai?"

{He hasn’t returned yet. He’s still inside with two other members.}

Adam’s expression tightened.

A Blade Mantis was a D-rank monster, but its rank did not tell the whole story. A solitary Blade Mantis was considered a particularly deadly opponent, even for experienced hunters.

Yes, Kai was a reawakened.

But he had only gone through his second awakening recently.

He would undoubtedly struggle against a monster like that.

Adam rose from his seat.

"Have you requested reinforcements?"

{Yes, sir. Ah!}

Adam frowned at the sudden change in the man’s voice.

"What happened?"

{Sir... the dungeon is closing. And I can see some people coming out.}

Adam’s eyes widened slightly.

"Is Hunter Kai alive?"

{Yes, sir... and I think he might have fought the Blade Mantis as well.}

Adam paused.

"Hmm. Why do you say that?"

{I’ve sent you an image, sir.}

A notification appeared on Adam’s phone.

He opened the attachment.

His eyes moved across the image for a few seconds before the corners of his lips slowly curved upward.

’As I thought...’