The forest became silent.
The campfire crackled softly between them.
John and the mysterious man stood facing each other.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
The dagger user smiled.
“If you defeat me, I might tell you.”
John slowly drew his sword.
The sound of steel echoed through the forest.
His eyes remained fixed on the man.
“You talk too much.”
The man’s smile widened.
“And you kill too easily for a prince.”
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Then—
The dagger user vanished.
John’s eyes narrowed.
Fast.
Even faster than before.
CLANG!
Sparks flew.
John blocked the dagger just inches from his throat.
The mysterious man’s smile disappeared for the first time.
“Oh?”
John pushed him back.
The man landed several meters away.
A surprised look appeared in his eyes.
“You saw that?”
John didn’t answer.
Instead, he rushed forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The dagger user immediately raised his weapon.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Steel collided repeatedly.
The two exchanged blows at incredible speed.
One attacked.
The other defended.
Then reversed instantly.
For the first time in years—
John felt excitement.
This man was strong.
Very strong.
The dagger user jumped backward.
His eyes carefully observed John.
Something was wrong.
Prince John wasn’t fighting like a twenty-two-year-old prince.
His movements were too efficient.
Too precise.
Too experienced.
As if he had fought hundreds of life-and-death battles.
“Interesting.”
The man smiled again.
Then suddenly disappeared once more.
This time, he appeared behind John.
The dagger shot toward John’s neck.
But John had already turned.
CLANG!
The attack failed.
The man’s eyes widened.
Impossible.
Nobody should have reacted that quickly.
Unless—
John knew exactly where he would attack.
The mysterious man immediately jumped away.
For the first time since arriving—
His expression became serious.
“Who are you?”
John almost laughed.
The same question he wanted to ask.
“I’m Prince John.”
The man shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“That’s not what I meant.”
The two continued circling each other.
The firelight danced between them.
Then the man suddenly asked: You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Have we met before?”
John’s heart skipped a beat.
For a brief moment.
Only a brief moment.
But the man noticed.
And he smiled.
“I see.”
John immediately attacked.
The sword descended with enough force to split a man in half.
The dagger user barely avoided it.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath the strike.
The man stared at the crater.
Then back at John.
“…Monster.”
John didn’t stop.
He attacked again.
And again.
And again.
The mysterious man was gradually forced backward.
For the first time since the battle began, the smile on his face disappeared.
His eyes carefully studied Prince John.
The strength.
The experience.
The calmness.
None of it matched a twenty-two-year-old prince.
The more he fought John, the more dangerous the prince seemed.
Finally, the man spoke.
“It seems I underestimated you.”
John remained silent.
His sword pointed directly at the man.
The mysterious man slowly reached behind his back.
Then—
SHING!
A sword emerged from its sheath.
John’s eyes narrowed.
Until now, the man had only used a dagger.
The man looked at the blade in his hand and sighed.
“I never thought I would have to draw my sword during this fight.”
His gaze returned to John.
“But I think you’re worthy of dying by it.”
The forest became silent.
John slowly adjusted his grip.
The man smiled coldly.
“Prince…”
His sword lowered toward John.
“We’ll see who dies tonight.”
The next second—
Both disappeared.
CLANG!
A shockwave exploded through the forest.
Trees trembled violently.
The mysterious man’s sword moved like lightning.
Fast.
Unbelievably fast.
Every swing aimed directly for a vital point.
John dodged one strike.
Then another.
Then another.
The sword flashed through the darkness again and again.
Even John couldn’t afford a single mistake.
One wrong move meant death.
His clothes were gradually torn by near misses.
The enemy’s speed was monstrous.
But John knew something.
If he continued defending forever—
He would eventually lose.
So he changed his approach.
Instead of matching speed with speed—
He matched power with power.
BOOM!
John’s sword crashed downward.
The mysterious man’s eyes widened.
The impact felt less like a sword strike—
And more like a giant hammer smashing into him.
He barely blocked.
BOOM!
Then another.
And another.
Every collision shook his entire body.
The man’s arms started trembling.
His feet dug into the ground.
For the first time, he began retreating.
Step by step.
Trying to create distance.
Trying to escape the pressure.
And that was exactly what John wanted.
The moment the man tried to jump backward—
John exploded forward.
Faster than before.
His sword cut through the darkness.
Straight toward the man’s neck.
The mysterious man’s eyes widened.
Too fast.
He immediately raised his sword to defend.
CLANG!
The attack was blocked.
But not completely.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Three fingers fell onto the forest floor.
The man landed several meters away.
His sword almost slipped from his hand.
He stared at the bloody stump where three fingers had once been.
For the first time that night—
His expression twisted.
Not from fear.
From shock.
John stood silently with blood dripping from his blade.
The mysterious man slowly looked up.
Then suddenly—
A distant whistle echoed through the forest.
His eyes shifted toward the darkness.
Someone was calling him.
His higher-up.
The man clicked his tongue.
“Tch.”
John immediately took a step forward.
“Running away?”
The mysterious man laughed.
Despite losing three fingers, he seemed strangely calm.
“Afraid of dying?”
John asked coldly.
The man shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes met John’s.
“I’m not afraid of dying.”
Then he glanced toward the direction of the whistle.
“But we’re not allowed to kill you.”
John froze slightly.
Not allowed?
The man smiled.
“At least not yet.”
Slowly, he stepped backward into the shadows.
“Maybe next time.”
His voice echoed through the forest.
“When we meet again…”
The smile on his face widened.
“I’ll kill you.”
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
John immediately chased after him.
But after several moments—
Nothing.
The forest had swallowed him completely.
The fight was over.
Unfinished.
John stood alone beneath the night sky.
His sword still stained with blood.
Three severed fingers lay on the ground.
Proof that the battle had happened.
Proof that he had wounded a monster.
But John’s expression remained grim.
Because one sentence continued repeating inside his mind.
“We’re not allowed to kill you.”
Who exactly was giving that order?
And why?
To be continued…