Kyle clawed at the ground and reached for his cane.

Unfortunately, my foot came down first, sending the weapon skidding across the floor. It spun wildly before slamming into the wall and bouncing to a stop.

I looked down at him, scanning for any drugs that might turn him into a monster. There was none.

If he had one, he would've used it already. I was fairly certain that turning into a monster would help him stop the bleeding and speed up the healing of his wrecked torso.

"Aren't you going to turn into a monster? You talked so much about how superior they were, didn't you?"

He ground his teeth, resentment dripping from every word. "Unfortunately, my body isn't compatible with the drug… yet. If it were, you would be the one bleeding out on this floor, not me."

Judging by his words, being incompatible could trigger a violent reaction. At worst… death.

"Well, if it's any consolation, your friend's transformation was pathetic. You didn't miss much by not taking those drugs."

He grinned. "I still lost in the end."

I kneel and look him in the eye. "Do you know why you lost?"

Kyle coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. "Because… I underestimated you…"

"No." I shook my head. "That mistake came later."

"You lost because you chose this path. You hurt others and called it progress. Actions like that always come back around. This is karma."

"Stop the preaching. You talk like you never did anything wrong in your entire life."

"Is that really your last words?"

He never got the chance to respond before his head exploded from my punch.

I rose to my feet and turned toward the remaining enemies.

The act was over.

My energy was running low, so this had to end quickly.

Just as I took my first step, a low rumble echoed from where the other S-Rank crashed.

Black steam hissed and thickened as it seeped through the rubble.

My eyes narrowed, and I felt all the hair on my skin standing up. The pressure I was getting now was even stronger than when I was facing Kyle.

And that wasn't all.

Another pressure flooded the air—pure bloodlust. It was so dense I could almost see it, the space around the rubble darkening into a deep red haze.

crack!

One massive hand tore through the rubble, easily large enough to fit a human head in its palm and still have room.

It looked like jagged dark stone, and the nails were long, sharp, and deadly.

One after another, Bruno—or whatever he had become—rose from the rubble.

His body was no longer the same.

Black rocky flesh covered him from head to toe, while red veins glowed beneath the surface like a river of lava.

Steam poured from his skin with every breath, curling and hissing around him.

I swear it looked like a human with a steam engine for a heart and lungs.

The holes in his skin whistled with every breath, sharp and shrill, like a kettle reaching boiling point.

Finally, when he stood fully upright, he towered over everyone—at least ten feet tall.

He lifted his head, revealing eyes that were pure black, blood vessels swollen and bursting within their sockets.

There was no doubt he had grown stronger.

'Should I escape?'

I spent too much energy healing from my earlier injuries. On the outside, I might have looked fine—but inside, I was running on fumes.

'No, I can't do that. I still need those points. Besides, I can just unsummon my clone if things get worse.'

I raised my palm and dropped into a martial stance. My feet planted wide against the floor. The left arm stayed forward, palm open and steady, while the right drew in close to my chest.

The foundation of every martial art was still feet and hands. Unarmed combat offered freedom—every move guided by instinct, every strike limited only by reach.

Still, I could compensate for that weakness with my Qi Veil, turning it into an invisible shield against unseen attacks. Right now, it extended my range by five inches.

As for my shadow ability, I hesitated to use it. If this fight was being recorded, revealing it now would be dangerous.

My duality was my trump card. If all my clones started using the same ability, anyone with a brain would connect the dots sooner or later.

I couldn't let that happen, no matter what.

My only option was to play the part of the ancient master until the very end.

"ARGGGG!"

Bruno roared like a madman.

I braced myself, ready for a direct confrontation.

Instead, his jaw split open, his features further changing. His teeth became jagged like a shark's, glinting as he turned toward his allies.

They cheered, convinced his new form would crush me.

Then—he grabbed the nearest person by the head and bit it off.

Blood sprayed like a fountain. The cheers died instantly, replaced by screams and panic, because he didn't stop at just one.

He tore through the next victim without mercy.

"Run!" one of them shouted.

"Keep your distance. He's in berserk mode!"

"Don't let him catch you!"

They tried to fight back, unleashing their abilities, but their attacks barely scratched his hardened skin. Worse, his speed was far too fast for them to react on time.

With every human he devoured, he grew stronger, bigger, deadlier.

I needed to stop him before he ended up killing all my points.

SWOOSH!

My arms darkened as I gathered what little energy I had left. One strike. One blow meant to crush his head outright.

[DING!]

A notification flashed before my eyes, forcing me to stop mid-way.

[Mission: Allow your opponent to evolve before killing him]

[Reward:500 Points]

My lips twitched. The amount was too tempting to ignore. Even killing every Seeker here wouldn't earn half of it.

I watched the carnage and slowly stepped back, settling into a meditative position.

If he was really going to evolve, I needed to be ready.

At the same time, my curiosity increased. Just how strong could a human become after a complete monstrous transformation?

Even with my eyes closed, I could picture the carnage, just by hearing the screams of pain and agony.

It went on until the only sounds left were his growls and blood dripping from what was left of the mangled corpses.

Opening my eyes, I took in the full result of his transformation. Four eyes locked onto mine, while four massive arms hung from his torso, each built strong enough to crush boulder into dust.

The mindless gaze from before was gone. In its place was something far more disturbing. Self-awareness.

"I should thank you, old man," he growled, his voice rough and dry, as if his throat fought to spit them out.

"Thank me for what?" I asked, rising to my feet.

His lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "For everything. I've been stuck in my evolution for so long, but after taking a hit from you, I finally reached this state. "

"You call this evolution?" I sighed, pretending to be disappointed.

In reality, I was impressed. If the drug truly had no side effects and could be activated or stopped at will, then it could rival my own Metamorphosis.

"Old man, let's see if you can keep that confidence after I break every bone in your body!"

The ground cracked under his feet as he burst forward, speed and power colliding into a single violent charge.

In response, I clenched my fist and met his attack head-on.

BOOOOM!

The impact hit like solid metal barreling at full speed, and I was sent flying through the air.

Before I could recover, his massive hands snatched my legs mid-flight.

With terrifying force, he slammed me into the floor, the impact shaking the ground and sending shards of concrete and stone flying in all directions.

It was humiliating, but there was nothing I could do except rely on my technique.

I twisted just enough to slip free, then struck back with Qi-infused palm strikes.

"Your little attacks won't work on me!" Bruno sneered and tried to grab me.

I leapt back—but he followed almost instantly.

BOOOM!

BOOOM!

BOOOM!

We traded blows, though I was mostly on the defensive. His four arms allowed him to chain attacks seamlessly, a relentless attack that left almost no opening.

I knew Bruno couldn't sustain this state for long. The backlash would catch up to him sooner or later.

All I had to do was wait for the perfect timing.

A minute later.

"Stop moving around like a rat!" he roared in frustration.

Now that I focused on dodging rather than countering, his attacks lost much of their former effectiveness.

Sensing his movements slowing, I picked up the pace. My palm strikes came faster now, one after another, testing his guard and forcing him to react instead of advance.

I struck his chest, went for his knees, then snapped a palm toward his jaw.

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