I lowered my hand and looked at my fist.
Blood dripped from my knuckles.
I hadn't controlled the Essence properly. Even with Essence Manipulation active, my control wasn't precise enough. My knuckles burst, and a few veins ruptured as well.
But...I felt progress.
I turned around and started walking forward, heading toward the next orc.
Another lava pool bubbled, and an orc slowly emerged from it.
I scanned it.
Level 20.
I allowed the orc to fully step out and get into position.
The moment it did, I burst forward.
Power surged through my body.
Seismic Fist activated.
Strength gathered into my arm. I channeled Essence into my fist, this time more careful with the flow and release.
I focused on the raw power I could feel within my muscles and adjusted the amount of Essence accordingly.
Right before impact, I triggered the explosion.
My fist struck the orc's chest, and the combined shockwave and Essence burst forward, completely shattering the orc's upper torso.
Dust scattered around me.
I exhaled and looked at my fist again.
This time...the damage wasn't as bad.
But the skill wasn't perfect yet. The system hadn't acknowledged it as an evolved skill.
I stepped forward, but the same lava pool bubbled once more.
I frowned and took a step back, eyes narrowing as I waited.
The surface of the pool rippled, and from within, another Orc emerged.
I scanned it.
Level 21.
'Ohh... so you're increasing the level now, huh.'
The Orc stomped forward, dragging its massive club along the cracked ground.
I cracked my neck and raised my fists.
This time, I didn't aim to kill it in one hit.
I needed to understand how Seismic Fist worked when combined with Essence.
I had already felt the power when I released everything at once... but what if I controlled it? What if I compressed less strength, supplied less Essence, and slowed down the explosion?
I activated [Seismic Fist].
Strength gathered in my arm, raw power flowing through my muscles and concentrating into my fist.
I followed it immediately with [Essence Manipulation], but this time, I only channeled a thin stream of Essence into my arm.
I dashed forward, avoiding the orc's downward swing and slipping to its side. I twisted my body and punched at its ribs.
Boom!
The shockwave burst out, but this time, it didn't obliterate the Orc's torso. Instead, the force sent it skidding several meters back, cracking the ground beneath its feet.
The Orc roared and charged at me again.
Good.
I adjusted the power, lowered the strength compression, and supplied a little more Essence this time. I dashed in again, dodging its wild swing and slamming my fist into its shoulder.
Boom!
Its massive body staggered, but it didn't break apart.
Perfect.
I grinned and kept going.
We clashed again and again. For half an hour, I danced around the Orc, refining my control over the skill with each punch.
I activated [Seismic Fist] eight times during the fight. That was my limit.
I experimented with different variations:
Compressing less strength but supplying more Essence.
Compressing more strength and adding just a thin layer of Essence to control the shockwave.
Injecting as much Essence as I could to burst outside.
With each hit, I adjusted the balance between raw power and Essence infusion, slowly shaping the skill in real time.
The Orc's body cracked as I continued the relentless cycle of attacks.
My fists burned, my arms ached, and Essence surged through my veins.
But I was making progress.
I could feel it.
The fusion of Seismic Fist and Essence...
I was getting closer to something entirely new.
I exhaled and stepped toward the next Orc.
My body burned from the repeated clashes, but I felt it.
I was close.
The Orc roared and stomped forward, lifting its club high.
I activated [Seismic Fist].
Raw strength flooded my arm, surging toward my fist.
I followed it with [Essence Manipulation], carefully channeling just the right amount of Essence to wrap around the compressed power.
Not too much. Not too little.
This time, I focused on controlling the Essence and guiding the shockwave instead of letting it burst out wildly.
The Orc swung its club down.
I burst forward.
Essence crackled inside my fist as I slipped past the club and closed the distance.
My eyes locked onto its stomach.
My body twisted, muscles coiling like a spring.
And then I punched.
At the moment of impact, I triggered the explosion.
BOOM!
The shockwave erupted from my fist, but this time, it didn't scatter in all directions. The Essence controlled the explosion, focusing all that destructive force into a single point.
My fist pierced through the Orc's stomach like a bullet. The shockwave and Essence blasted out from the back of its body, leaving a clean hole the size of my fist.
The Orc's eyes dimmed as its body crumbled into dust.
I lowered my fist and stared at the spot where the Orc once stood. My knuckles bleed slightly, but the damage was far less than before.
I did it.
Seismic Fist...perfectly merged with Essence.
I clenched my hand and felt the lingering power. This wasn't the same skill anymore.
And I heard the notification.
[Skill Evolved]
[Seismic Fist -> Seismic Burst – Level 1]
I grinned and checked the skill's description.
- [Seismic Burst] : An advanced technique born from the evolution of Seismic Fist. By merging compressed raw strength with Essence, the user creates a controlled explosion that directs both shockwave and Essence into a single point. The force is condensed within the muscles and guided by Essence, allowing for devastating, pinpoint destruction.
'Doesn't this mean I don't need to rely only on my fists? Maybe I should try using my legs as well.'
And then another notification popped up.
[Level Up!]
[Level 15 -> Level 16]
I immediately allocated all five stat points to Psynapse.
I needed more control to push my skills further, especially [Psynapse Boost].
I stopped and sat down on a rock.
It burned against my skin, but I had no other option. The ground was scorching, and with my pants already torn, they wouldn't survive the heat.
'Maybe I should ask Arkas for some new pants… and now that I think about it, what about food?'
I shook my head, pushing the distracting thoughts away, and leaned back on the rock in silence.
My body ached from the continuous use of [Seismic Fist], and even my eyes throbbed slightly from activating [Psynapse Boost].
My thoughts drifted to Unit 02. I couldn't check the rankings from here, so I had no idea how Steve or even North were doing.
I smiled to myself, thinking about telling Steve about Arkas's plan. I knew I would grow stronger than the rest, but I didn't want Steve to fall too far behind. We'd have to come up with something for that.
And then... there was North. I had to make a plan for us too.
I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. For a moment, I just focused on the thumping of my heart.
Level 16.
I had nine levels left.
It felt...close. Too close.
If I kept going at this pace, I could reach level 25 before the month ended. But that wasn't enough. I didn't just want to reach level 25. I wanted to tear through it. Break past the limit and step into something beyond.
A Class that no one else in this world had ever seen before.
An Essence-based Class.
I clenched my fists.
That was the goal.
I needed more fights.
More Essence.
And...I needed to push [Essence Manipulation] to its limits.
I glanced at my status.
[Essence Manipulation (Level 2)]
[Seismic Burst (Level 1)]
[Psynapse Boost (Level 2)]
Three Essence-related skills.
I was already halfway there.
But another thought weighed heavily on my mind.
What should I do about gaining stats without leveling up?
My talent [Generator] allowed me to absorb energy, convert it to Essence, and directly transfer it to my attributes.
And the best part...20% of the Essence would permanently fuse with my stats.
If I kept doing that, I could push my stats insanely high before reaching level 25 and gaining my Class.
But that's exactly where the problem was.
If I kept focusing on increasing my stats, I wouldn't be able to level up fast enough.
And Arkas...he wanted me to reach level 25 as soon as possible.
The longer I stayed here, the stronger I'd become...but I'd be wasting time.
On the other hand, if I focused purely on leveling up, I'd miss the chance to push my body to its true limit.
My eyes shifted toward the bubbling lava pool ahead.
The orcs would keep coming, stronger with each one.
And I would keep breaking them. Again and again. Until this entire space acknowledged my existence.
I stood up, cracking my neck.
One more.
I stepped forward, and the pool began to ripple.