# Chapter 17
The massive ritual guardian lunged toward Kang Jin-woo and Detective Choi, his large axe drawing a deadly arc through the dark air of the ritual warehouse. The scene was a mixture of chaos and horror, but Jin-woo felt only the cold thrill of excitement flowing through his veins. This was life, or at least, this was the kind of life that made him feel alive.
Jin-woo roughly pushed Detective Choi aside, avoiding the first axe strike that shattered into the concrete floor, sending fragments of stone and dust in every direction. He wasn't concerned about the detective's safety as much as he wanted sufficient space to maneuver.
"Stay out of my way, old man," whispered Jin-woo, the wolf's smile still on his face. "This kind of dance requires only one partner."
Detective Choi, despite his initial shock, was a seasoned investigator who had seen his share of violence. He quickly retreated, trying to find a safe angle while still observing this surreal battle. He had no weapon, but he was looking for anything that could be used for self-defense or to help this mysterious and frightening young man who seemed to be fighting on their behalf.
The ritual guardian was growling with anger, attacking Jin-woo with a series of brutal axe strikes. He was surprisingly strong and fast for his size, and each blow carried enough force to crush bones. But Jin-woo was faster and more agile. He was dodging the strikes with the grace of a deadly ballet dancer, the shadow dagger in his hand moving as if it were an extension of his dark will.
[Whisper: ...blood... our god craves blood... the blood of intruders is the most delicious...]
The heart whispers in Jin-woo's head harmonized with the guardian's fanatical screams, creating a strange and disturbing melody for the battle. Jin-woo was using his dagger not just for defense, but also for attack. He was directing quick and precise stabs at the guardian's weak points: joints, tendons, areas not protected by the primitive ritual armor he was wearing.
With each successful strike from the shadow dagger, the guardian screamed in pain and anger, but he continued fighting with insane stubbornness. Black blood splattered from his wounds, but he didn't seem to feel pain in the same way a normal human would. His "pain resistance" mentioned by the system was evident.
"You fight well for a stupid piece of meat," sneered Jin-woo, dodging an axe strike that nearly split him in two. "But you're too slow. And too boring."
Jin-woo decided to end this quickly. He didn't want to waste more time on this single fanatic. There were more secrets to uncover in this warehouse, and perhaps more enemies to deal with.
At the moment the guardian raised his axe for another strike, Jin-woo lunged forward, ignoring the danger. He slid under the guardian's raised arm, dangerously close to him. Before the guardian could respond, Jin-woo plunged the shadow dagger deep into the guardian's thigh, then twisted the dagger savagely.
The guardian let out an animalistic scream of pain and fell to one knee, the axe dropping from his trembling hand. He tried to reach for Jin-woo with his massive hands, but Jin-woo was faster. He pulled out his dagger, then stabbed again, this time into the side of the guardian's neck, targeting the carotid artery.
Blood flowed profusely, dark and unnaturally thick. The guardian staggered, his glassy eyes staring at Jin-woo with hatred and despair. Then, he fell face-first, his huge body convulsing for moments before becoming completely still.
[Eliminated "Ritual Guardian (Sons of the Bloody Dawn)" (Level 5).]
[Gained 75 system experience points.]
[Absorbed a tiny shadow essence. Your "shadow affinity" has increased very slightly.]
[Your shadow dagger feels satisfied. Its sharpness has slightly increased.]
Jin-woo stood over the guardian's corpse, panting slightly, blood dripping from his dagger. He looked at Detective Choi, who was watching him with wide eyes and a mixture of horror and amazement.
"Are you alright, detective?" asked Jin-woo, with a frighteningly innocent smile on his face. "I hope you haven't been traumatized. This is just the beginning, I think."
Detective Choi couldn't speak for a moment. He had seen death before, but he had never seen anything like this. This cold cruelty, this lethal efficiency... this young man was a monster in human form.
"Who... who are you really?" the detective finally managed to whisper.
"I'm just a curious tourist," said Jin-woo, wiping his dagger with a piece of cloth he found on the floor. "Now, let's see if there's anything else interesting in this lovely place."
Jin-woo left Detective Choi to deal with his shock and began to examine the ritual room again more carefully. He was looking for anything that might indicate the nature of the entity the cult was trying to summon, or for any hidden treasures that might be useful to him.
He found more books and manuscripts, some written in a language he had never seen before, and some containing disgusting drawings of creatures with nightmarish forms. He also found some strange ritual tools: knives made of bones, cups made from skulls, and small amulets made of human hair and teeth.
[Discovered "Diary of a Bloody Dawn Priest (Fragmented)"]
[Description: Personal diary of one of the cult's priests. Contains details about rituals, cult beliefs, and some hints about the nature of the "Messenger of the Bloody Dawn". Most of it is written in encrypted symbols.]
"This might be useful," thought Jin-woo, taking the diary and putting it in his inventory. "I might need to spend some time deciphering it later."
While Jin-woo was examining the place, Detective Choi had regained some of his composure. He approached Jin-woo, with a new look of cautious determination in his eyes.
"This place... it's worse than I imagined," said the detective. "These people are insane. We need to report this to the authorities."
Jin-woo looked at him with contempt. "The authorities? Do you really think they'll do anything? They fired you because you were getting too close to the truth. Do you think they'll care now?"
"But... we can't handle this alone," said the detective.
"Maybe you can't," said Jin-woo. "As for me, I enjoy the challenge. And if this cult is trying to summon something powerful, I want to be there to greet it. And perhaps... to get my share of the power."
Detective Choi was about to argue, but he stopped when he saw Jin-woo suddenly pause in his speech, tilting his head as if listening to something the detective couldn't hear.
[Whisper: ...behind the wall... there's something else... something alive... something afraid...]
The heart whispers were pointing to a specific wall in the ritual room, a wall that looked solid and ordinary. Jin-woo approached the wall and tapped it gently. He heard a hollow sound.
"There's something here," Jin-woo told the detective. "A secret passage, or a hidden room."
He began to examine the wall carefully, looking for any mechanism or key. He found nothing obvious. Then, he noticed that one of the bloody symbols drawn on the wall was slightly different from the others. It looked as if it had been touched recently.
Jin-woo reached out and pressed on the symbol. He heard a faint clicking sound, then a section of the wall slid inward, revealing a narrow, dark opening.
"It seems our adventure isn't over yet, detective," said Jin-woo, with an eager smile on his face. "Are you ready to find out what's hiding in this rabbit hole?"