9

Chapter 9: Into the Forest Fang Nest

The forest inside the dungeon was much larger than Subin had expected.

After defeating the first three Forest Fang Wolves, he continued forward without rushing. The path beneath his feet was covered with damp leaves, twisted roots, and patches of dark soil. Strange plants grew between the trees, some of them giving off a faint blue glow from the mana flowing through their veins.

Unlike Goblin's Hollow, Forest Fang Nest didn't feel like an artificial structure with obvious rooms and corridors. It felt like an actual ecosystem.

That immediately made Subin more cautious.

An ecosystem meant the monsters didn't necessarily wait for him.

They could hunt.

They could retreat.

They could cooperate.

And they could potentially attack from anywhere.

Subin slowly walked forward with his sword in his right hand.

He had already learned that Forest Fang Wolves were different from the Grey Fang Wolf he had encountered outside the dungeon.

They were faster.

Their bodies were more muscular.

Their coordination was better.

More importantly, their movements seemed to change depending on the number of wolves attacking together.

The first three had been testing him.

The next group might not make the same mistake.

A faint rustling came from his left.

Subin stopped.

Nothing happened.

He waited.

Another rustle.

This time, he looked upward.

A wolf was standing on a thick branch.

It stared down at him.

[Forest Fang Wolf — Level 7]

Subin smiled.

"You've learned to use the environment."

The wolf growled.

Two more appeared behind him.

Subin didn't turn immediately.

He listened.

The sound of claws touching bark.

Three.

No.

Four.

He turned.

[Forest Fang Wolf — Level 7]

[Forest Fang Wolf — Level 7]

[Forest Fang Wolf — Level 8]

The fourth wolf emerged from behind a tree.

[Forest Fang Wolf — Level 8]

Subin's expression became slightly more serious.

Four wolves.

Two Level 7.

Two Level 8.

His level was still only five.

If he had been an ordinary swordsman, this would have been a dangerous battle.

For Subin, however, danger had a different meaning.

It meant there was something to learn.

The wolves attacked.

The first two came from opposite sides.

Subin didn't retreat.

He stepped toward the stronger Level 8 wolf.

Its jaws opened.

Subin saw the movement before the wolf completed it.

His sword moved.

The blade struck beneath its jaw and redirected its head upward.

The wolf's attack missed.

Subin immediately rotated his body.

The second wolf was already behind him.

He lowered his shoulder.

Its claws passed above him.

His sword swept backward.

The blade struck its side.

The wolf landed several meters away but didn't fall.

Subin noticed something.

His strike had been too shallow.

The creature's muscles had absorbed part of the impact.

The Level 7 wolf attacked again.

Subin blocked.

The impact pushed him backward.

His shoes dug into the soil.

"Stronger."

The wolf attacked again.

This time Subin didn't block.

He stepped inside the attack.

His sword moved upward.

The wolf's foreleg was cut.

Blood splashed across the ground.

The creature stumbled.

Subin finished it with a second strike.

[Forest Fang Wolf defeated.]

[Experience gained.]

The remaining wolves became more aggressive.

The Level 8 wolf charged.

Subin raised his sword.

Claws collided with steel.

The force pushed him backward several meters.

His arms tingled.

Subin's eyes narrowed.

This was the strongest physical impact he had experienced since awakening.

He didn't dislike it.

He actually enjoyed it.

The wolf lunged again.

Subin shifted his stance.

The system activated.

[Sword Comprehension analyzing movement.]

[Progress: 18%]

The wolf attacked.

Subin dodged.

[Progress: 31%]

Another attack.

Dodge.

[Progress: 47%]

The wolf changed direction.

Subin adjusted.

[Progress: 59%]

The creature suddenly stopped.

Its body lowered.

Subin immediately understood.

It was preparing to jump.

He moved first.

The wolf launched itself.

Subin's sword traveled upward.

The two passed each other.

The wolf landed behind him.

A thin line appeared across its chest.

Then blood began to flow.

The creature collapsed.

[Forest Fang Wolf defeated.]

The final Level 8 wolf hesitated.

Subin looked at it.

The creature looked back.

For a brief moment, neither moved.

Then the wolf turned and ran.

Subin didn't chase.

He lowered his sword.

"Interesting."

He had learned something important.

Not every monster would fight until death.

Some could recognize overwhelming strength.

That meant future battles might become more complicated.

Monsters weren't merely targets.

They had instincts.

Some might flee.

Some might cooperate.

Some might protect their territory.

And some might become significantly more dangerous when cornered.

Subin continued deeper into the dungeon.

---

Several hours passed.

He encountered more wolves.

Sometimes there were two.

Sometimes five.

Once, he encountered a pack of eight.

That battle was considerably harder.

The wolves coordinated their attacks from different directions, forcing Subin to constantly move.

But every second of the battle gave him more information.

His footwork improved.

His reaction speed improved.

His understanding of pack behavior improved.

Most importantly, Basic Sword Flow began becoming natural.

He no longer consciously thought about every movement.

His body simply followed the most efficient path.

By the time the eighth wolf fell, another notification appeared.

[Level Up.]

[Level 5 → Level 6]

Subin stopped.

A warm sensation spread throughout his body.

His muscles tightened slightly.

His senses sharpened.

The fatigue he had accumulated disappeared.

He opened his status window.

[Name: Subin Vans]

[Level: 6]

[Class: Sword God]

[Strength: 18]

[Agility: 17]

[Vitality: 15]

[Intelligence: 14]

[Mana: 15]

[Unassigned Attribute Points: 10]

Subin stared at the number.

Five points from his previous level.

Five more from this one.

He hadn't used them yet because he wanted to understand how much his natural growth could accomplish.

He considered his options.

Strength would increase his attack power.

Agility would improve his movement and reaction speed.

Vitality would improve endurance.

Intelligence would improve comprehension and mana control.

Mana would increase his available magical energy.

For a swordsman, Strength and Agility were obvious choices.

But Subin wasn't an ordinary swordsman.

His Intelligence was already higher than his other basic attributes, and his Sword Comprehension seemed to benefit from his mental abilities.

He decided to divide the points.

Strength +4

Agility +4

Intelligence +2

His status changed.

[Strength: 22]

[Agility: 21]

[Intelligence: 16]

Subin clenched his fist.

The difference wasn't dramatic, but he could feel it.

His body responded faster.

His movements felt lighter.

His mind felt sharper.

He picked up one of the mana stones dropped by a wolf.

It was larger than the stones from Goblin's Hollow.

Subin examined it.

[Mana Stone]

[Quality: Low]

[Purity: 14%]

[Mana Content: 31]

Subin's eyebrows rose.

The wolves were producing better mana stones than the goblins.

He placed it inside his storage pouch.

He would sell most of them.

But he also wanted to understand their uses.

The Association had mentioned that researchers were experimenting with ways to refine mana stones.

If mana could eventually be used to power weapons, machinery, transportation, medicine, or other technologies, then these stones could become one of the most important resources on Earth.

Subin continued walking.

---

Near sunset, he noticed something unusual.

The trees became larger.

The air became denser.

Mana was noticeably stronger.

Subin stopped.

He opened his status window.

The system automatically displayed a warning.

[Warning.]

[Mana density has increased.]

[Recommended combat level: 8+]

Subin looked ahead.

The forest floor was covered with enormous paw prints.

They were much larger than those of the wolves he had fought.

He crouched and touched one.

Fresh.

Whatever had made them wasn't far away.

Subin stood.

A low growl echoed through the forest.

Then another.

He looked around.

Nothing.

Suddenly, a massive wolf stepped between the trees.

Its body was almost twice the size of the normal Forest Fang Wolves.

Its fur was dark brown with streaks of silver.

Its eyes were bright yellow.

The system displayed its information.

[Forest Fang Alpha — Level 10]

Subin's expression changed.

Level 10.

He had finally encountered an enemy significantly above his own level.

The wolf stared at him.

Unlike the ordinary wolves, it didn't attack immediately.

It studied him.

Subin slowly drew his sword.

The wolf lowered its body.

Subin adjusted his stance.

Neither moved.

Then the Alpha disappeared.

Subin's eyes widened.

Too fast.

He barely raised his sword in time.

CLANG!

The impact sent him sliding across the ground.

His arms shook.

The wolf landed several meters away.

Subin looked at his sword.

A deep scratch had appeared near the guard.

He looked back at the Alpha.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Now this is interesting."

The Forest Fang Alpha charged again.

Subin stepped forward instead of retreating.

Sword against claws.

Human against monster.

Level 6 against Level 10.

For the first time since entering the dungeon, Subin wasn't completely certain how the battle would end.

And that was exactly what he wanted.

[Sword Comprehension activated.]

[Analyzing Forest Fang Alpha movement.]

[Analysis progress: 3%]

Subin tightened his grip.

The battle began.