He was a Tiger-Shark hybrid, but he made King Megalos look like a minnow. He was easily twelve feet tall, his body a roadmap of scars. He wore no armor, only a pair of tattered trousers. His muscles were so dense they looked like rocks beneath his grey skin.

"Wake up," Alvian said, his voice amplified by a mana pulse.

Moore didn't stir. He snored, a sound like a rock crusher.

Alvian frowned. "Inefficient."

He picked up a piece of scrap metal—a solid iron bolt the size of a human head. He didn't use a skill. He just threw it.

"CLANG!"

The bolt hit Moore's forehead. It didn't break the skin. It bounced off with a ringing sound.

Moore opened one eye. It was yellow, bloodshot, and filled with a killing intent that made the water turn cold. He sat up, scratching his head where the bolt had hit.

"Who throws trash at me while I nap?" Moore rumbled, his voice deep enough to vibrate Alvian's chest cavity.

"I am Alvian," Alvian stated. "I want to learn [Abyssal Rage]."

Moore looked at him. He looked at the [Vestments]. He looked at the [Lance] strapped to Alvian's back. He sniffed the water.

"Mage," Moore spat. "You smell like mana. You smell like tricks. Get out of my face before I eat you."

"I am not a mage," Alvian said. "I am the one who killed Megalos. I am the one who froze the Dragon."

"I heard," Moore grunted, lying back down. "Magic tricks. Ice and void. Coward's weapons. Real power comes from the blood. From the muscle. Go away, little wizard. You couldn't handle the Rage. It would burn your twig arms off."

Alvian narrowed his eyes. Negotiation was failing. It was time for demonstration.

"System. Equip [Thundergod Bracers]. Max Output."

Alvian didn't cast a spell. He stepped forward. He activated [Void Step] to appear directly above the reclining giant. He didn't use the lance. He clenched his fist.

"Gravity Assist."

He dropped.

Moore's eyes widened slightly. He sensed the displacement. He raised a massive hand to catch Alvian.

"BOOM!"

Alvian's fist slammed into Moore's palm. The impact sent a shockwave through the engine block, shattering the rusted metal walls. Moore's hand was driven back into the sand. The giant grunted, surprise flickering across his face.

"Heavy," Moore admitted, looking at his hand. "For a mage."

He stood up. He towered over Alvian.

"You want to learn the Rage?" Moore cracked his neck. "The Rage isn't a spell you memorize from a book, boy. It's a fire you light in your blood. If you want it, you have to take it."

Moore assumed a stance. He didn't raise his fists. He simply expanded his chest.

[Target Status: Enraged]

[Passive: [Blood Boil] - Physical Damage increased by 50%.]

"Hit me," Moore roared. "Make me feel something, and I'll teach you. Fail, and I keep your arms as trophies."

Alvian checked his mana. Full. He checked his cooldowns. Ready.

"Valeria, Seraphina," Alvian said calmly over the comms. "Take notes. This is how you negotiate."

He dropped into a combat stance. He didn't draw his weapon.

"Challenge accepted."

The engine block was a cage match. Moore was a juggernaut of physical violence. He didn't use techniques; he used instincts honed by decades of survival in the harshest parts of the ocean.

"SMASH!"

Moore swung a fist the size of a boulder. Alvian dodged, using his 220 Speed to slip under the blow. The punch hit the wall of the engine block, punching a hole clean through six inches of steel.

"Too slow!" Moore laughed. He was fast for his size. He spun, a backhand sweeping through the water.

Alvian blocked. He activated [Runic Aegis +2] in a localized shield on his forearm.

"CLANG!"

The impact slid Alvian back ten feet. His arm went numb.

[-2,500 HP]

"You block with magic!" Moore roared, charging like a bull. "You cheat! Rage is pure! Rage needs no shield!"

Alvian analyzed the data. Moore's strength was increasing. Every second the fight went on, the [Berserker] passive was stacking.

"Inefficient to trade blows," Alvian muttered. "But necessary for the tutorial."

He needed to understand the mechanics of the skill. [Abyssal Rage] worked by converting mana into physical stats, but at the cost of sanity and health. It was a high-risk, high-reward engine.

"System. Analyze target's mana flow."

[Analysis: Target is burning Life Force to fuel muscular density. Adrenaline levels at 400%. Logic centers of the brain are shutting down.]

"He's losing control," Alvian noted. "That is the flaw."

Alvian didn't want to lose control. He needed the stats, but he needed his mind. A mindless soldier was just a weapon for someone else to aim.

Moore lunged, his mouth opening to bite. Alvian used [Void Step]. He appeared on Moore's back. He didn't stab. He placed his hands on Moore's neck.

"[Frost Descent +2]: Cool Down."

He dumped a massive amount of cold mana into the Berserker. He didn't freeze him solid; he lowered his body temperature to hypothermic levels instantly.

"ARGH!" Moore staggered, his rage faltering as the cold shocked his system. His red eyes flickered.

"You... cold..." Moore shivered, his movements slowing.

"Rage burns," Alvian whispered in his ear. "But ice preserves."

Alvian jumped off. He landed in front of the shivering giant.

"I don't want your mindless anger," Alvian stated. "I want the conversion ratio. How do you turn mana into muscle?"

Moore looked at him, his teeth chattering. The killing intent was gone, replaced by confusion and a grudging respect. No one had ever cooled his blood before.

"You... you are a strange monster," Moore grunted. He reached into a pouch at his waist. He pulled out a rough, stone tablet carved with jagged runes. "This... is the technique. But it demands a price. It takes your mind."

Alvian took the tablet.

[Skill Book: Abyssal Rage (Epic)]

[Effect: Converts Mana into Strength and Physique at a 1:1 ratio. Duration: Variable.]

[Drawback: User enters [Berserk] state. Loss of control. Cannot cast spells.]

"Inefficient," Alvian said immediately. "I cannot afford to lose the ability to cast. And I cannot afford to be an idiot."

He looked at his daily charges. He had one left. ( Assuming day reset or stored).

"System. I have a target for [Super Upgrade]."

[Target: Abyssal Rage.]

"I want to fuse it. Combine [Abyssal Rage] with [Frost Heart]. Use the [Void Monarch] passive as a stabilizer."

[Calculating...]

[Warning! Fusing conflicting elements (Fire/Rage vs Ice/Calm). Success rate: 15%.]

"I am the Anomaly," Alvian said. "Force it."

[Ding!]

[SSS-Rank Authority Invoked.]

[Consuming One (1) Daily Charge...]

The stone tablet in his hand crumbled. The red energy within tried to fight the violet light of his talent, but Alvian forced his will upon it. He channeled the cold of the [Tear of the Infinite]. He wrapped the fire of the rage in a prison of absolute zero ice.

The energy shifted. The red turned blue. Then white.

[Upgrade Successful!]

[Skill Evolved: [Abyssal Rage] -> [Cold Fury] (Legendary).]

[Description: The user enters a state of hyper-focused aggression. Mana is converted into Physical Stats at a 1:2 ratio. The mind is not lost; it is frozen in a state of absolute calculation. Emotions are suppressed.]

[New Effect: [Glacial Muscle]. Physical attacks deal additional Frost damage.]

[Drawback Removed: Casting is allowed.]

Alvian smiled. It was cold, sharp, and terrifying.

"Perfect."

He activated the skill.

"[Cold Fury]."

His eyes turned pure white. The water around him didn't boil; it stilled. His muscles didn't bulge grotesquely; they condensed, becoming hard as diamond. He felt his emotions—fear, doubt, even his ambition...freeze over. All that remained was the objective.

[Strength: 290 -> 580]

[Physique: 240 -> 480]

He looked at Moore.

"Spar," Alvian said. His voice sounded like cracking ice.

Moore grinned, his teeth chattering. "Now you're speaking my language."

Moore charged. Alvian didn't dodge. He stepped in. He caught Moore's fist.

"CRACK."

He stopped the giant cold. The shockwave cleared the debris from the engine block. Alvian didn't budge a millimeter.

"You possess strength," Alvian said, echoing his words to Korg. "But I possess optimized violence."

He threw Moore. The giant flew through the water, crashing into a pile of scrap metal.

[Spar Concluded.]

Alvian deactivated the skill. The color returned to his eyes. He panted slightly. The mana drain was significant, but the [Tear of the Infinite] topped him off in seconds.

Valeria walked into the clearing. She looked at Moore groaning in the scrap heap, then at Alvian.

"You okay?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Your eyes... they looked dead for a second."

Alvian looked at her hand. He remembered the coldness of the skill. It was efficient. But it was lonely.

"I'm fine," Alvian said, covering her hand with his own. "Just recalibrating."

He turned to the exit.

"We have the physical power," Alvian said. "Now, we go test it on the Golden King."

----

A/N: Creation is wild, exhausting, and sometimes my brain wants to run away. Power stones are my only bargaining chip to drag it back. If you liked this chapter, toss me one or a few, it helps more than you think.

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