Byung led Maui and Naruz away from the mine's bustling entrance, the morning sun climbing high and casting golden light across the open field that stretched beyond the foothills. The grass was tall and wild, swaying in a gentle breeze that carried the fresh scent of pine and earth from the nearby woods. The distant rumble of a stream added a soothing backdrop to the vast, open space. It was secluded enough—no goblins nearby, just the three of them under the wide blue sky.

"Here," Byung said, stopping in a flat clearing where the grass was shorter.

"This'll do." He gripped the hem of his tunic and pulled it off in one smooth motion, tossing it aside onto a boulder. The fabric whispered as it landed. His torso was exposed now—lean, toned muscle rippling under green skin that gleamed faintly in the sunlight. Broad shoulders tapered to a chiseled chest and abs etched like carved stone, veins tracing paths across biceps and forearms that looked forged for war. He hadn't worked out this body—not a single push-up or lift since the evolution. Yet it was perfect, as if the system had sculpted him from raw potential into something beyond goblin, beyond human. Scars from Kraghul's fists had stitched themselves together, adding to the intimidating perfection. He was healing at an abnormal pace even for his kind.

Maui and Naruz stared, eyes widening in surprise. Maui's tusks parted slightly, her breath catching as she took in the definition—the way his pecs flexed with each breath, the V-lines disappearing into his trousers.

"Wow," she muttered,

"You look like you were chiseled by a smith. How? You haven't even trained yet," Naruz blurted out.

Maui crossed her arms, her massive frame shifting, but her gaze lingered too, a flush creeping under her green skin.

"Built like an orc now," Maui muttered under her breath.

But the surprise faded fast. Their expressions hardened, eyes narrowing with seriousness. They knew Byung meant this spar—no games, no holding back. The duel with the Chieftess loomed in less than 24 hours; if he couldn't keep up, if his new body failed, better they end him here than let him die humiliated by her. He was stronger than every goblin in existence now—that was no debate. His punches cracked stone, his speed blurred the air. But against the Chieftess? They needed to test him as she was a different monster altogether.

"Ready?" Maui asked, drawing her dual swords with a metallic ring that carried across the open field. Naruz cracked her knuckles with pops that echoed like breaking branches, and hefted her axe.

Byung nodded, fists rising.

"Come at me," Byung gave the starting signal.

They lunged simultaneously, a coordinated assault honed from years of fighting side by side. Maui came high from the left, her swords scissoring in a deadly cross meant to open his throat and chest. Naruz charged low from the right, axe sweeping in a brutal arc for his knees, the blade whistling through the air with enough force to cleave rock. The field filled with the rush of movement—their heavy breaths, the swish of weapons, the rustle of grass under boots.

Instead of dodging, Byung planted his feet. His hands shot out like striking snakes. His left palm caught Maui's crossed swords at the hilts, the impact jarred up his arm with a bone-deep vibration, steel biting into his skin but not breaking it. His right hand clamped around Naruz's axe haft mid-swing, fingers digging into wood with a creak, halting the momentum cold. The force rippled through him—Maui's blades trembling an inch from his neck, Naruz's axe frozen mid-chop. The air crackled with tension, their surprised grunts mixing with the distant bird calls.

"What the—" Maui's eyes widened. They planned to divert their attacks' momentum at the very last second if Byung couldn't react to it but he not only reacted, he blocked the attacks as well.

Byung shoved back.

Byung had no idea what his combat strength was but had no plans of checking it as it had a way of breaking his resolve, he twisted Maui's swords aside, forcing her to stumble left, and yanked Naruz's axe forward, pulling her off-balance. She recovered fast, spinning the haft to free it, but Byung was already moving. He started slow—deliberate, testing. A punch toward Maui's midsection; she blocked with crossed swords, the impact ringing across the field, jarring her arms. Naruz swung her axe overhead; Byung sidestepped, feeling the wind of it ruffle his hair, and countered with a kick to her knee. She grunted, leg buckling slightly, but held her ground.

They pressed him. Maui's dual blades whirled in a flurry—high slash, low thrust, spinning cut. Naruz's axe came in heavy sweeps, forcing him to weave between them. Byung blocked where he could, his palms smacking against steel with thuds that carried on the breeze, skin toughened. He took a glancing blow from Naruz's haft across the ribs—a sharp sting that would have broken a normal goblin—but he rolled with it, using the momentum to duck Maui's thrust and land a palm strike on her shoulder. She staggered back two steps, rubbing the spot with a wince.

Maui realized it first. He was starting slow, but adapting—watching their patterns, the way Maui favored her left sword for feints, how Naruz telegraphed her heavy swings with a shoulder dip. Each exchange, he got faster, more precise. A dodge here became a counter there; a block turned into a redirection. Naruz charged with an overhead chop; Byung caught the haft one-handed, twisted, and used her own force to flip her over his shoulder. She hit the ground with a thud that flattened the grass, rolling up with a growl but impressed.

They came harder. Maui's swords blurred in a storm of strikes—thrust, slash, parry-feint-thrust. Byung weaved through them like wind in the field, his new body moving with fluid grace. He caught her right sword mid-swing, yanked her close, and drove his elbow into her solar plexus. Air escaped from her lungs; she doubled over, gasping.

Naruz swung wild; Byung ducked under, swept her legs, and she crashed down hard, the impact sending a ripple through the grass.

The spar turned. Byung pressed now, fists a barrage—left hook to Naruz's guard, right uppercut to Maui's chin. They blocked most, but he adapted, feinting high and striking low, his strength sending them reeling. Maui crossed her swords to catch a punch; the force drove her back three steps, arms numb. Naruz swung her axe low; Byung jumped, landing on the haft and using it as a springboard to kick her in the jaw. Her head snapped back, blood spraying from her lip.

"I cannot explain it but they are moving so slow..." Byung thought to himself, standing over them with his breath heavy.

"I-I won..." Byung muttered under his breath in shock. He knew he had gotten stronger but this jump in strength was extreme.

Not only that, he could adapt to the fighting patterns of his enemies, it must be the half-blood mutation.

"I can do it..." Byung was resolved but the two orcs instantly knew this wasn't natural.

"Huh? Am I afraid of him?" Maui thought when she found herself trembling.

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