BANG!

His head snapped upward.

"I'm not done yet. The lesson is just starting." My feet slid forward, stance tightening as my breath sank low. Qi surged through my arms.

Then I struck

My palms moved faster than sound, snapping forward in clean, controlled bursts. Twelve hits landed in a single second.

Chest. Sternum. Ribs. Diaphragm. Liver. Spine.

To end the combo, I drove my two palms into his ribs. The force rippled through his body and blasted him way.

He slid back across the floor. Cracks spread under his feet, but he did not fall.

He straightened slowly and grinned.

There was no doubt his body reached a level far beyond any S-Rank. The density of his flesh was absurd. Hitting him felt like striking a moving fortress.

Although my body was durable, it didn't reach this level yet.

If anyone else stood here instead of me, they would not even leave a bruise.

SWOOSH!

I struck again, this time aiming for his stomach. He tried to grab me, but his timing was already clear to me. I slipped past his arms with ease, kicked his knee to throw him off balance, then drove another strike into his abdomen.

The impact sent him flying backward, smashing through broken concrete and dust.

His strength and speed might have increased, but his technique stayed clumsy. If he learned how to fight properly, his combat ability would have doubled.

Bruno rolled his shoulders once and laughed.

"Is that all you've got, old man?" he sneered "My power keeps rising, while you're burning through yours. Sooner or later, you'll fall."

Unfortunately, he was right.

But so, what? It wasn't like he could kill me either.

One thought was all I need. My clone could vanish, and the real body would be safe.

Besides, even though my energy was running low, I still didn't see myself losing.

We clashed again.

His fists came faster now. Each swing carried enough weight to tear me apart. The air screamed when he moved, which really made all his move fatal.

One mistake. One hit. That was all he needed. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

I slipped past one arm, ducked another, and countered with short palm strikes. No wasted motion. Every hit went where it mattered.

Bruno ignored it the pain. His speed kept rising as his anger grew. His emotions acted like an engine, burning fuel faster and faster for a temporary boost in strength.

In theory, it should have helped him win the fight. But he just relied more on raw strength, making his already clumsy fighting style even worse.

We exchanged more blows, and it became obvious who would come out on top in this bout.

thud!

Bruno's knees slammed into the ground.

"BUAAHH"

Black blood poured freely, leaking from his mouth, nose, and eyes. It dripped onto the floor in thick strands. His four arms twitched without order.

"You… old…" he tried to speak, but his jaw trembled too hard to form the words.

I stepped back and exhaled slowly.

The fight had drained what little energy remained.

Still, the result was clear.

Bruno's body reached its limit before I did.

He tried to rise again. One arm pressed against the ground, stone fingers digging deep into the concrete. Some of his strength was still there, but coordination was gone.

"No… no…" he muttered, voice cracking. "I am still getting stronger…I am still evolving."

I watched him calmly.

"You were," I admitted. "But you never stopped to question what my attacks were doing to your body."

He raised his head, confusion cutting through the rage. "What do you mean?"

I took a slow step forward. My breathing stayed even, though my chest burned for exertion.

"My strikes were never meant to break your hard skin. They passed through it. Your organs took the damage. Your nerves reacted too late. The damage kept piling up while you ignored it."

His eyes widened in shock.

"You felt faster. Stronger," I went on. "That illusion let you ignore the warning signs. The tremors. The delay in your breath. The way your movements started correcting themselves too late."

He swallowed hard.

"By the time you noticed, your body was already breaking itself apart just to keep up."

"I…" He tried to argue, but the words would not come. He knew I was right.

"Old man… just you wait. I'll make sure to make you—"

BANG!

My palm crashed into his temple. The shock rattled his brain, cutting his words short. I did not stop.

I struck the same spot again and again. Each hit carried focused force, digging deeper past bone and resistance. Cracks spread across his skull, sharp and ugly

One final blow turned his brain into mushed.

Only when I saw the reward did I relax.

[DING!]

[Host, take the core located in his chest.]

To my surprise, there really was a core inside him. It was pure black, streaked with glowing red veins. Not as big as a boss core, but clearly more refined than normal ones.

[Host, please take the core with you and absorb it using your original body.]

Carefully, I picked it up. Its heat radiated through my hand, a dangerous reminder of the power it contained.

After securing the core, I also picked up the cane.

My clone had no way to retain power, so everything needed to be transferred to my real body.

'I should do a final sweep of this area and call it a night.'

With the immediate threat gone, I allowed myself a moment to survey the remaining areas.

Another laboratory stood there, but this one was different.

Rows of cells lined the room, built like a prison. Inside them were humans who had turned into monsters. Any trace of self‑awareness was gone.

I killed one, hoping to get points. Nothing happened.

What a bummer. More points were never a bad thing.

Anything useful became the next priority. That was when the monitors stood out.

Dozens of screens covered the walls; each linked to a different angle of the facility. Whoever was watching had fled the moment they realized no one left could stop me

It was a good thing that my shadow ability was kept in check and not used too openly.

Knowing my clone's identity actually worked in my favor. That persona existed for one purpose—to be the central figure to rally other organizations against DARKNESS.

The order wouldn't easily trust a young billionaire, but they would be more open to partnering with an old, mysterious master—someone who could kill S-Ranks with a Celestial weapon and a steroid-fueled monster.

Plus, the more bases I destroyed singlehandedly, the more infamous the name "Master Cheng" would become.

I looked at the camera one last time and smiled, making sure they got a good look at my face.

'What's the sound?'

A weird beeping cut through the silence. I glanced around, trying to locate it.

When I looked down, I saw a bomb right under the desk.

Too late. The heat slammed into my face as it detonated at point-blank range.

BOOOM!

I opened my eyes back in my room and let out a chuckle. Falling for such an old self‑destruction trick was embarrassing.

Still, enough time was bought to defend myself and unsummon the clone, so everything worked out in the end.

My smile widened as I pictured Mr. Sakamoto and the Mythical executives losing their minds the moment they found the ruins. Years of work, gone in one night.

I could almost hear the shouting, the blame, the panic behind closed doors.

This was only the beginning. Plenty of unpleasant surprises were still waiting for them, and every one of them would be fun to watch unfold.

"Time to check my spoils." I stretched my legs and stood up from the bed.

I summoned my clone again and took all the items from it. The core came first.

[Would you like to absorb the core or refine it?]

[Absorb] – Instantly integrates the core's power into your body. This method is fast, but comes with little control, and the effects are unpredictable, ranging from sudden boost to unintended side effects.

[Refine] – Processes the core. This allows you to stabilize and enhance its energy, unlocking hidden potential and smoothing out any dangerous spikes. The result is a stronger, more controlled power that's easier to manage.

"What are the requirements for Refine? It's obvious that's the better choice."

[Host, you need another core of the same level. Combine them both, and the system will synthesize a new core that perfectly fits your body and current fighting style.]

Another core, huh… It's not like I desperately need it right now. I'm already strong enough, and I still have the cane to absorb.

Besides, I was curious what kind of reward I would get by combining two powerful cores.

"Refine it."

The core vanished from my palm and transformed into a card. It has no color yet, but I could see a faint glow forming at the bottom, slowly filling up.

Once the bar reached full, the refinement process would be complete.

The next on the agenda was the cane. I held it in my hands, and the familiar notification appeared. I answered yes and my vision blinked out.

I found myself on a high cliff, surrounded by clouds. I was so far above the ground that the bottom was completely invisible.

Turning, I saw a long stairway stretching ahead, leading to a pagoda temple with golden rooftops gleaming in the sunlight.

Time to meet the owner of this place.

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