When Fae Go Wild

Yun Jin and Merlin retraced their steps back to the main path, leaving behind the unsettling void at the dungeon’s edge. The eerie silence of that infinite darkness still lingered in Yun Jin’s mind, but he shook off the feeling. There were more immediate concerns—like clearing this dungeon and seeing how he and Merlin measured up against these so-called fae.

As they walked, the magical forest seemed almost alive, whispering around them. The bioluminescent fungi pulsed faintly, casting shifting shadows across the twisted roots and gnarled branches. Yun Jin’s eyes flicked between the trees, tracking movement beyond the path.

“They know we’re here,” he muttered.

Merlin tensed, adjusting his grip on his staff. “Of course they do. Fae aren’t mindless like goblins—they’re watching, waiting.” His voice lowered. “They’re playful. They won’t just attack outright. They like to mess with their prey first.”

Yun Jin grinned, excitement sparking in his eyes. “Sounds like fun.”

Merlin shot him a look. “For them, maybe.”

Just as he finished speaking, a soft giggle echoed from the trees, unnervingly close. Then, a gust of wind swept past, carrying whispers in a language neither of them understood. Yun Jin's grip tightened on his sword, his stance shifting.

A flicker of movement.

Then another.

Merlin’s wind bird flitted about anxiously, its spectral feathers ruffling as it circled overhead.

“They’re coming,” Merlin warned.

Yun Jin exhaled, his heartbeat steady, his instincts sharpening. Then—

A sharp rustling from above.

“Move!”

Merlin barely had time to react before Yun Jin grabbed his collar and yanked him backward. A massive tangle of thorned vines crashed down where they had been standing, writhing like a living creature. The vines twisted and coiled, rising into the form of two humanoid figures—Brambleguards.

Yun Jin clicked his tongue. “Annoying.”

The Brambleguards creaked and groaned as they moved, their thorny limbs snapping into place as they raised their vine-covered arms.

Then, like a signal, high-pitched laughter erupted from the treetops.

Three figures darted into view—Pixie Tricksters. Their translucent wings shimmered with iridescent light, their small, mischievous faces twisted with glee. They chattered in a language that sounded both melodic and mocking, their tiny hands weaving faint trails of magic into the air.

Merlin’s eyes widened. “They’re already casting illusions!”

Yun Jin didn’t hesitate. “Then we take them out first.”

He surged forward, his sword flashing as he closed the distance between himself and the nearest Pixie Trickster.

The pixie smirked, raising a hand—

And then vanished.

Yun Jin’s sword sliced through empty air.

Before he could react, a second pixie appeared at his side, giggling as it tapped his shoulder. Yun Jin spun, but once again, there was nothing there.

Merlin gritted his teeth. “They’re phasing between locations! They can warp short distances, but it’s not unlimited—just keep moving, don’t give them time to focus!”

Yun Jin’s grin widened. “Got it.”

He shifted his stance.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: Third Form – Dance of the Firefly.

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A blur of movement—Yun Jin struck again, but this time, he didn't stop after the first swing. His blade weaved through the air in rapid succession, slashing through the empty space where the pixies flickered in and out of view.

They reappeared just long enough for him to adjust his strikes mid-motion.

A startled shriek—one of the Pixie Tricksters failed to phase in time. Yun Jin’s blade connected, cleaving straight through its small frame. The creature let out a final, distorted giggle before its body shimmered, breaking apart into tiny motes of fading light.

The remaining two pixies screeched in alarm, retreating higher into the treetops.

Meanwhile, the Brambleguards surged forward, their thorned limbs lashing out toward Yun Jin and Merlin.

Merlin took a sharp breath, his staff pulsing with green light. He slammed the butt of it into the ground, tracing a quick diagram in the air.

“Wind Snare!”

A burst of emerald energy shot forward, wrapping around the limbs of one of the Brambleguards. The vines recoiled, twisting against themselves, temporarily halting its movement.

Yun Jin capitalized immediately.

He stepped in, twisting his body—

[Aura Blade]

His sword flared with a sharp, radiant glow as qi surged along its edge, extending its reach with lethal precision.

Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form – Arc Lightning.

A burst of speed propelled him forward, his blade carving through the Brambleguard’s thick mass of tangled vines. The enhanced edge bit deep—deeper than a normal strike could—but failed to cleave all the way through its hardened core.

Yun Jin's eyes widened slightly. Tch, tough bastard—!

Before he could react, the Brambleguard’s massive thorned fist lashed out, catching him clean in the chest.

BOOM!

The force sent him flying backward, the impact rippling through his body—until the shimmering glow of Magic Armor absorbed most of the blow. He skidded back, boots digging into the dirt, breath slightly shaken but unharmed.

Had it not been for Merlin’s spell, that punch would’ve shattered his ribs.

The Brambleguard reared back, vines shifting as it prepared another strike. But Yun Jin, undeterred, tightened his grip.

“Hah… that actually hurt.”

He exhaled, adjusting his stance. This time, he aimed precisely—not for a full cleave, but for a decisive kill.

A single step forward.

His blade traced a calculated arc.

The Brambleguard jerked violently as his sword pierced straight through its core, twisting the embedded steel with a brutal efficiency. The vines spasmed, then fell limp, its form unraveling into lifeless plant matter.

Yun Jin exhaled, watching as the remnants of the creature crumbled before him.

“That’s one down,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders.

Yun Jin turned, eyes darting to Merlin—

The mage was struggling, barely holding his defensive barrier as thorned vines lashed at him. The Treant and remaining Brambleguard pressed in, their sheer force causing cracks to shimmer across the protective spell.

Yun Jin moved—instinct and muscle memory taking over. But just as he stepped forward—

Everything went dark.

A sharp, unnatural silence followed.

His vision vanished. His ears deafened.

Pixie magic.

Yun Jin clenched his jaw, immediately purging his Qi outward, pushing against the foreign magic disrupting his senses. Through the pulsing energy in the air, he felt them—three distinct flickers of movement, hovering erratically around him.

But Yun Jin didn’t panic.

His Qi pulsed outward, rippling through the air. Three distortions. Two flickering fast. One stationary.

“Merlin—close your eyes!” he commanded, trusting the mage to react immediately.

Merlin obeyed without hesitation.

Then—

Light erupted.

A radiant pulse of magic burst from Yun Jin, illuminating the air like a sudden sunrise.

The Pixie Tricksters screamed.

The spell dispelled their invisibility, exposing their tiny, fluttering forms midair, now frantically trying to retreat.

Merlin’s emerald falcons screeched.

With a single motion, he sent both wind-forged birds diving.

Slash.

Slash.

The Pixies fell, their tiny bodies dissolving into shimmering pixie dust before they could even react.

And Yun Jin’s vision snapped back.

And he saw Merlin’s barrier flickering—seconds from shattering.

He didn’t think.

He lunged.

[Aura Blade.]

His sword blazed with Qi as he exploded forward—

Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form – Arc Lightning.

A thunderous burst. A straight-line blitz.

The Brambleguard’s thorned strike came down—

But Yun Jin was faster.

Instead of slashing, he drove his sword forward—piercing straight through its core.

A deep, jagged crack tore through the Brambleguard’s wooden core, its magic unraveling as the vines convulsed in a final, desperate attempt to hold itself together

The monster twitched violently, its vines spasming, as the blade’s Qi surged inside, unraveling its magic.

Then—

Boom.

The Brambleguard collapsed, its body crumbling into lifeless wood and vines.

Yun Jin exhaled, flicking his sword clean.

Behind him, Merlin stumbled forward, his legs shaky as he caught his breath.

“Hah… Hah… That was—too close.”

Then—

THUMP.

A deep, resonant vibration rolled through the air.

Yun Jin’s grip tightened on his sword. Merlin stiffened, his breath hitching.

Another step.

THUMP.

The ground trembled beneath them. Leaves shuddered. The air felt heavier.

Then it emerged.

Towering over the trees, a ten-meter-tall wooden giant loomed into view. Its bark-covered body creaked with every movement, its hollowed eyes glowing faintly with an eerie green light. Vines slithered along its limbs, tightening like cords of muscle as it took another slow, earth-shaking step forward.

[Treant LV.10]