Renewal Taekwondo in Multiverse

The Hand Demon was stunned. It had expected the human to be torn apart or at the very least struggle under the weight of its massive limb, yet the boy had effortlessly kicked it away. A low growl rumbled from the demon's throat as three more grotesque arms burst from its body, each one larger than the last. Without hesitation, the demon lunged toward Mori, its monstrous limbs stretching forward like whips.

Mori sighed, stretching his arms above his head in a casual manner.

"This again? Can't you do something else interesting?" he muttered.

The arms shot forward at blinding speeds, but Mori didn't even flinch. Instead, he lazily lifted his legs, deflecting each one with ease. The impact sent powerful shockwaves through the area, rustling the nearby trees and disturbing the dirt beneath them. Suddenly, the ground below Mori gave way, caving in to reveal a grotesque mass of writhing arms reaching up from the darkness beneath.

The Hand Demon's lips curled into a wicked grin as it watched the human plummet. It could already picture his legs being crushed, his movement permanently restricted, leaving him helpless and vulnerable. It was certain of its victory.

However, reality was far different from the demon's expectations.

Still mid-air, Mori reached behind his back and grabbed the heavy Stone Staff from its holster. With a single, effortless motion, he let the ten-thousand-pound staff drop straight down onto the conglomeration of arms. The demon's grin widened, mistaking the act as surrender.

But then, the staff made contact.

The thin yet tall stone weapon crashed through the grotesque pile of limbs, piercing directly through the center and leaving a tiny hole in its wake. The ground surrounding the arms cracked like shattered glass, spider-webbing outwards. The moment the impact settled, the mass of arms became paralyzed, unable to move as if their very core had been shattered.

Mori, still falling slowly, uttered a single command.

"Grow, Yeoui."

The demon barely had time to react before the staff expanded, its length shooting upward like a rapidly growing tree. In the blink of an eye, a towering stone pillar, standing at a solid five meters tall, had formed in the middle of the battlefield. The Hand Demon, wide-eyed with shock, could only stare in disbelief.

Mori sat on the very top of the pillar, leaning back comfortably against the edge while gazing up at the star-filled sky. His green eye mask covered his eyes, but there was a small smirk on his lips as he sighed dramatically.

"Man, you're really weak, you know. At this point, I can't even tell if you're a strong or weak demon. Sorry about that," he said, flashing an apologetic grin.

The Hand Demon's confidence shattered. A deep fear it had never experienced before crept into its body, freezing its very core. Every single cell in its body screamed at it to run.

Without hesitation, it turned and bolted.

"Weird weapon, weird attacks… and this dangerous feeling… what the hell is he?" the demon muttered to itself, using its multiple arms to propel itself forward at an even faster speed. It crushed everything in its path, breaking trees and tearing apart anything that stood in its way.

"Is he even human? Why is he so strong? Is he here just to kill me? What is going on?" The Hand Demon's thoughts spiraled into chaos as it frantically escaped into the night.

Mori, still sitting on top of his staff, simply watched with amusement before finally hopping off. As he landed gracefully on the ground, he casually shrank Yeoui back down to its regular size and placed it in its holster.

"Meh, I'll just kill it later," he muttered, stretching his arms above his head once more. "I thought demons didn't feel fear, but I guess I was wrong about that."

Letting out a hearty laugh, Mori walked off in a completely different direction, not bothering to chase after the fleeing demon.

After walking for about an hour, Mori felt his drowsiness completely fade away. Now that he was wide awake, he decided to go hunting once again. His mind wandered for a moment before an idea struck him.

"Demons always say I smell delicious," he murmured, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "If I spread my blood around, I wonder if they'll come to me instead of me going to them..."

A wide, mischievous grin spread across his face.

Without hesitation, he grabbed one of the broken Nichirin sword pieces from his inventory and lightly cut his wrist. The wound was shallow, but the scent of fresh blood immediately filled the air. Flicking his wrist, Mori sent droplets of his blood flying across the surrounding terrain, letting it splatter onto the trees and dirt.

His wrist healed almost instantly.

"Now… time to wait," he thought to himself, laying down as he pulled a pillow out of his inventory.

Thirty minutes passed.

The forest had changed.

The moment Mori opened his eyes, he saw it—hundreds of glowing yellow eyes watching him from every direction. The once-empty terrain was now completely overrun with demons, their various bodily forms blending into the darkness of the night. The air was thick with hunger and bloodlust, but Mori simply smiled.

"My full strength is mostly sealed right now… I'm just barely stronger than Ilpyo when he first used the 'Key' in the tournament," Mori mused aloud, rolling his shoulders in anticipation as he got up. "As I thought, this is great training."

His heart pounded with excitement.

Reaching up, he removed his green eye mask, placing it into his inventory before slowly unholstering his Stone Staff. A single yellow star could be seen within each of his pupil's as he activated his "Fiery Eyes" to full power.

The demons remained frozen for a brief moment, sensing the shift in atmosphere. A few of the weaker ones instinctively took a step back, their bodies trembling as they tried to suppress their newfound fear.

Mori grinned widely, twirling his staff in his hands as he planted his feet firmly into the dirt.

"I can use this to further my staff proficiency too," he muttered but he quickly abandoned the idea, his excitement bubbling over. "Man… this world is a lot better than I initially thought."

Without another word, he launched himself forward.

The hunt had begun.