I exhaled and rolled my shoulders. My body felt light, my muscles relaxed after the intense battle.
"That felt good... now what?"
I stood there for a few minutes, thinking about my next target.
My Strength had already crossed 50, and my Constitution was solid. The next logical step was Dexterity. I needed eight more points to reach the 50 mark.
There were two ways to do that.
Either level up once and then add 10 units of Essence to bridge the gap, or absorb energy to generate Essence and increase Dexterity.
I decided to go with the first option.
I moved forward.
Soon enough, I reached another lava pool.
Ten more orcs emerged, all level 24.
"How many damn level 24s are there in this place?" I muttered in frustration.
Without wasting time, I rushed in and ended the fight in five minutes.
I stood there, waiting....but the level-up notification never came.
"Oh, come on."
Annoyed, I had no choice but to keep moving.
I found another pool, and this time, as I crushed the fourth orc's head, the notification finally appeared.
[Level Up!]
[Level 21 -> Level 22]
I ignored it and finished off the remaining orcs before looking at the notification again.
I dumped all the newly earned stat points into Dexterity, raising it to 47.
Then, without hesitation, I accessed my Essence storage and transferred 10 units directly into Dexterity permanently increasing it to 50.
As soon as I transferred the Essence into Dexterity, the familiar sensation of transformation spread through my body, but this time, it was different.
I felt a strange tension in my muscles, as if countless invisible threads were weaving through my flesh, tightening and refining every fiber.
My nerves burned, not with pain, but with an electrifying sharpness.
I clenched my fists and felt the subtle shift in control.
I could feel my muscles adjusting themselves, loosening in some places and tightening in others. I even felt my connection with different body parts strengthening.
I raised my hand in front of me and waved it.
It blurred.
I narrowed my eyes and tried again.
My hand sliced through the air, but this time I could see it—perfectly.
Every minute detail, every muscle contraction, every micro-movement. My eyes were able to keep up with the insane speed.
I took a step forward, and my foot landed exactly where I intended.
Another step.
Then a sprint.
The ground beneath me cracked as I exploded forward. My body felt light, almost weightless, and yet every step carried terrifying force. My balance was flawless, my control absolute.
I stopped instantly, without any struggle. No loss of momentum, no awkward halt.
I raised my leg and kicked the air.
Used my fists to punch the air and check my coordination and things felt perfect.
My muscles responded perfectly, flowing without resistance, my flexibility and reaction speed sharper than ever.
I leaped high into the air, twisted my body, and landed without making a sound.
The change was subtle but the impact was very impressive.
I stopped and took a deep breath.
Next only the skill was left to focus on but before I could move forward suddenly a tremor ran through my body.
My heart thumped violently, Essence stirring inside my Generator Core.
A sudden crack resounded from within my chest. My breath hitched. My entire skeleton... shifted.
My legs buckled, and I dropped to one knee.
Pain shot through my bones — sharp, burning, like molten steel being poured into my veins. I clenched my fists as my fingers bent in strange angles, the bones snapping and reforming in real-time.
"What... the hell is this..."
I gritted my teeth and endured.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
My entire skeleton was breaking itself down.
Every bone, every joint, every fragment of my skeleton was shattering and reconstructing itself into something.
The heat from the magma around me no longer burned. The pressure in the air no longer weighed on my bones.
My body was adapting.
No...
I felt the weight of the earth, the pressure of the atmosphere, and even the tremors from the volcano beneath me...
And my body adjusted.
My bones shifted and reinforced themselves, becoming heavier yet more flexible.
Stronger, yet lighter.
The moment the transformation completed, I felt... unshakable.
I breathed heavily from the pain as I shakily stood up.
[Passive Ability Acquired: Apex Body - I]
[Stage I Unlocked: Adaptive Skeleton]
[Your bones can now adapt to any environment, granting increased durability, flexibility, and impact resistance. Damaged bones will reinforce upon healing, becoming stronger against similar injuries.]
[Strength + 10]
[Dexterity + 10]
[Constitution + 10]
[Psynapse + 10]
"Well... ain't this beautiful."
I opened my status.
[Status]
----------------------------------------------------
Name : Billion Ironhart
Race : Human
Class : N/A
Laws : N/A
Level : 22
Talent :
- Generator 3
- Essence : 10/20
Attributes :
- Strength: 61
- Constitution: 60
- Dexterity: 60
- Psynapse : 61
Unused Stats: 0
Skills:
- Essence Manipulation (Innate) Level 3
- Psynapse Boost (Innate) Level 3
- Seismic Burst Level 1
Abilities:
- Apex Body – I (Passive)
----------------------------------------------------
A new Ability section appeared on my status screen.
I moved my body around, testing for any noticeable changes, but I couldn't feel much difference.
The changes I felt after crossing the threshold were finally reflected.
I glanced at the messages. This was only Stage 1, which meant there were more stat-related milestones waiting ahead.
"Nice. I like that. Maybe I'll push it further before hitting the next class evolution."
I decided to take a little break.
I rested for an hour and ate some food.
I thought about the next major milestone ahead of me.
My Class.
I wondered what options I would get.
The past few weeks have been incredible from my perspective.
I had three skills, two Essence-based at Level 3 and another at Level 1. I had used Essence extensively in my fights, and my Talent was tied to it as well.
If I managed to get a strong Essence-based Class, the advantage would be massive.
Most people only started experimenting with Essence after reaching Level 100. But I could already wield it now, and that would make all the difference in my path forward.
I took a deep breath and stood up.
"Ahh, it's starting to get boring again."
At this point, no number of Level 24 opponents could challenge me. I wanted something stronger, something that would actually push me.
I grabbed my communicator from the bag and called Arkas.
His voice came through soon after.
"Billion, I hope you're not calling to give up, are you?"
I chuckled.
"No, Commander. I wanted to request something from you."
Arkas didn't hesitate.
"What do you want?"
I paused for a moment before answering.
"I'm Level 22 now, and the Level 24s I've been fighting aren't enough anymore. They're too easy to deal with. So…can you send a real challenge my way?"
Arkas went silent for a few seconds, then finally spoke.
"Are you sure?"
I replied without hesitation.
"Yes, Commander."
"Alright then," Arkas said. "Wait for half an hour, then start moving ahead. You'll find your challenge on the way."
With that, he ended the call.
I kept the communicator back in the bag.
'Half hour hmmm..'
I decided to do some light exercise to pass the half hour.
I started with squats, then moved on to push-ups, followed by some running and light shadowboxing.
As soon as I felt enough time had passed, I grabbed my bag and moved ahead.
I was curious to see what kind of challenge Arkas had planned for me.
I had been walking for about ten minutes when it happened.
A lava pool in the distance began bubbling furiously.
I felt the ground tremble beneath my feet.
Focusing my senses, I could see the heat particles in the air agitated, swirling, and rushing in chaotic patterns.
The temperature around me spiked.
I dropped my bag at a safe distance and started walking toward the pool.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from within the molten depths.
I stopped.
My eyes narrowed as I observed the disturbances around me.
'What did Arkas arrange?'
I remained steady and focused.
"Power Up."
The moment I activated my talent, the frenzied heat particles around me slowed, then began flowing toward me. I let the Generator absorb them, converting the raw energy into Essence.
Then, without warning, the lava in the pool erupted.
Molten rock splashed outward as a single, clawed hand burst from the surface, latching onto the edge.
The creature heaved itself upward, its grip digging into the solidified crust. Inch by inch, it crawled out, molten flesh dripping from its frame.
My eyes widened at the sight before me.
I quickly scanned the creature.
[Gurobi Raksha - Level 30]
My heart pounded against my ribs.
"Fuck... what did you do, Commander?" I muttered.