The larger Trouble was imposing, much more massive than the one I faced the other night. Its muscles rippled beneath its scaly skin as it roared, baring rows of sharp teeth. Min-ah had already launched herself at the smaller one, a gust of wind around her as she moved with lightning speed.
"Focus, Ryu Hyuk!" Min-ah shouted over the roar of the large Trouble. "Remember what I taught you!"
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the trembling in my hands. I had to do this. I couldn't leave Min-ah to fight two of these things alone. I looked at the large Trouble. It was mostly flesh and bone, but it also had traces of what looked like metal embedded in its skin, as if it had absorbed metallic objects while growing up.
I focused on those metal fragments. They weren't very large, but they were something I could work with. I tried to vibrate them, tried to pull them from its skin. The Trouble growled and thrashed, as if in discomfort, but the fragments remained firmly attached.
Frustrated, I changed tactics. I visualized the steel bar Min-ah had brought for practice. It was leaning against a nearby tree. With intense mental effort, I levitated it. It was heavy, but I managed to lift it a few meters off the ground.
The big Trouble glared at me with his glowing red eyes, his face a mask of pure fury. He lunged at me, his heavy feet slamming into the ground. He wasn't as fast as the little one, but his size and raw strength were terrifying.
I threw the steel bar at him, aiming for his chest. The blow was direct, landing with a metallic sound. The Trouble staggered back and let out a roar of pain. It didn't seem to have caused serious damage, but at least I had slowed him down for a moment.
Meanwhile, Min-ah was a whirlwind of movement against the smaller Trouble. She whipped him with gusts of wind, spinning him around in the air, preventing him from getting close. The smaller one was more agile than the larger one, but Min-ah's precision and the power of her wind kept him at bay.
The large Trouble quickly recovered and attacked me again. This time, it was more cautious, moving from side to side as it tried to corner me. I tried to use the metal fragments embedded in its skin as anchor points, trying to knock it off balance, but they were too small and too securely fastened.
Suddenly, the little Trouble managed to dodge a gust of wind from Min-ah and lunged at her, its claws sharp as razors. Min-ah reacted quickly, creating a wind shield just in time to block the attack, but the impact knocked her back a few steps.
I saw my opportunity. While the little Trouble was distracted attacking Min-ah, I raised the steel bar again and threw it with all my might at the big Trouble, this time aiming for its head.
The blow was a direct hit. The steel bar impacted Trouble's skull with a hollow sound, and the creature fell to the ground with a crash, motionless. For a moment, I gasped, watching to see if it would move.
Min-ah quickly finished off the tiny Trouble, enveloping it in a whirlwind so strong it slammed into a nearby tree. The creature groaned and then vanished, leaving only a trail of dust in the air.
We stood there, panting, staring at the wreckage of the two Troubles. We'd won, but it had been much harder than the other night. These Troubles were stronger, more dangerous.
"You did well, Ryu Hyuk," Min-ah said, approaching me. There was a small cut on her arm. "You used the steel bar wisely."
"You too," I replied, feeling immense relief. "Your wind control is incredible."
"We have to learn to work together," Min-ah said, examining her cut. "This is getting more serious. Two Troubles at once... I've never seen anything like this."
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