A Primal Victory in 45 Seconds
The bones creaked and thickened with a deep, grinding sound.
Muscles swelled and expanded repeatedly to match the transformed skeleton.
The jaw and tail stretched longer.
The legs grew thicker, and the arms shortened in response.
At that moment, a system message flashed before my eyes.
The Void Mirror reflects the Orc's essence.
It projected the Orc essence and triggered another transformation in my body. My arms stretched out longer. The change came from incorporating the bipedal monster’s essence.
The problem was—
“Kaaaaaaaah!”
This hurts so much I could cry! It felt like someone was yanking my arms with every ounce of their strength.
“Mr. Yu’s ability… it truly knows no limits.”
Ellen muttered in open admiration as she swung her right arm. That massive fist came flying.
Isn’t there an unwritten rule against attacking someone mid-transformation?
With that fleeting thought, I whipped my tail around. My arms were still undergoing their secondary transformation, but the tail had already reached its complete form.
Herculean Strength
Dark Battle Spirit
After shifting into the body of a primal species, my strength had multiplied several times over. I wrapped my tail in dark battle spirit and slammed it into Ellen’s right arm with pure herculean force.
The moment of impact sent a powerful shockwave rippling outward. Unable to dissipate the overwhelming force carried in my tail, Ellen was blasted back more than twenty meters.
“To think I was the one pushed back.”
Ellen glanced at her fist in clear surprise. The secondary mutation that incorporated the Orc essence had finished. My arms were now three times longer. The structure still wasn’t ideal for throwing punches, but I could at least execute some martial techniques.
My original goal had been a bipedal form like an Orc layered over the Tyrannosaurus body. Since the Tyrannosaurus essence served as the base and the gap in quality between the two essences was massive, this was probably the best I could hope for.
Still, the result was worth burning two full minutes of duration.
Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Endurance increased by 500%.
Due to the body’s structural transformation, some skills have become unusable.
Traces of two souls have been manifested simultaneously. Some previously sealed skills can now be used.
Martial arts unleashed with these overwhelming specs—I was already excited to see exactly how much power they would produce. And since a skilled opponent capable of receiving my full strength stood right before me, there was no need to hold anything back.
I stomped the ground hard, flooding it with abundant internal energy. The entire island trembled. The barrier that had endured everything until now shook violently from a single step.
“W-whoa?!”
“Master, even we…”
Even those who had distanced themselves from the sparring area couldn’t keep their balance against the shockwave of the White Tiger Dominating Steps.
Ellen, standing closest to the epicenter, planted her feet and endured the wave. But all she managed was—
“Kh!”
—not losing her center of gravity. The accumulated shock from earlier had left her with no visible wounds, yet she had to be feeling considerable fatigue. That was exactly why I chose this moment to press for the win.
Wrath of the Evil Spirit
I activated the final skill I had been saving. Energy surged wildly. I couldn’t maintain this state for long. This power far exceeded what my original level could handle. Even without the skill’s time limit, my body would collapse if I held it too long.
Therefore—
“I’ll finish this match within one minute.”
While Ellen was still neutralizing the shock from the White Tiger Dominating Steps, I closed the distance in an instant. My claws had grown even sharper under the primal species’ influence. I coated them with Metal Reflection Gloves to heighten their cutting power, then amplified their force with the Blessing of Greed.
Mountain Lord Wave Claw
My claws drew a sharp arc. Thanks to the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method, a massive amount of blackened energy poured out. The larger body allowed me to release far more internal energy than usual.
Ellen, who had just regained her footing, interlocked her fingers over both arms.
Gigantic Pressure
Blue energy waves condensed over her interlocked fists. The aura swirled violently, amplifying its power. It was a secret technique that converted even her defensive aura entirely into offense.
A storm of aura erupted from her fists and surged straight toward me.
Crack! Crunch!
The collision between aura and materialized energy rang out. My fingers felt like they would snap from the crushing force, but I took one step forward and poured even more internal energy into the clash.
Ellen’s eyes widened in shock. Even though I had inflated my stats with the Void Mirror, she still held the advantage in total aura versus internal energy. Yet instead of being pushed back or dodging, I was advancing. Of course she was surprised.
“Ughhhhh.”
I clenched my teeth. I knew the weakness of Gigantic Pressure well—it was a technique I had seen endlessly before my regression. The rotational axis of the swirling aura. If I struck there—
Swoosh!
The aura storm was sliced apart. My black-energy-coated claws reached Ellen’s throat.
She glanced at my claws, then slowly raised both hands.
“…It seems I have lost.”
She let out a quiet sigh. It was the moment the world’s most famous and powerful ranker declared surrender.
***
Void Mirror has been deactivated.
The total time—from the start of the transformation, through the battle, all the way to accepting Ellen’s surrender—had been forty-five seconds.
But—
“Urrghhhk.”
The backlash from using the Void Mirror was brutal. The price for manifesting power far beyond my level was steep. The skill’s original owner, Grand Duke Naeshan, had seen his body collapse near the end of the duration. Handling power one could not control was this dangerous.
“Master, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, so stop wor— urk.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to overdo it?”
Nyx patted my back lightly.
I’m not even drunk, so why does it feel like this!
“Just… leave me alone for a bit.”
I made my wishes clear and vomited again. Maybe it would have been slightly better if I hadn’t used Wrath of the Evil Spirit. Still, to secure a perfect victory against Ellen, this had been the optimal path. If I had given her even a little more time, she would have deployed one of her hidden cards. I wasn’t sure whether she had realized that technique yet at this point, but eliminating all variables meant pressing the attack before she could resort to her final measure.
“Mr. Yu, that was magnificent.”
Ellen approached, now back in casual clothes. Looking only at our battered appearances, it would be easy to mistake the winner for the loser. I was the one who had won, after all.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“Hohoho, kind words? That doesn’t sound right coming from someone stronger than me.”
“I was simply lucky.”
I offered my right hand. Ellen stared at it for a moment, then—
“It was a good match.”
She smiled brightly and took it.
“The dinosaur fossil. So it really was connected to your power, Mr. Yu.”
“Thanks to it, I was able to fight Director Ellen on equal footing.”
“Which means I essentially helped bring about my own defeat.”
Despite her words, Ellen’s face showed no trace of discomfort. As always, she held no lingering resentment.
“But will this really be all right?”
“You mean Karla?”
“Gold Moon probably won’t welcome the idea.”
“Don’t worry. I can persuade the Guild Master.”
“Did you actually expect me to win?”
“Hoho, of course not. But now that this result has occurred, I have proper justification to convince him.”
Ellen pointed at me.
“Who would refuse a Silver-rank player who defeated America’s number one ranker?”
I gave a bitter smile. To think she would even use her own defeat as negotiation material.
“Oh, and you understand about this matter, yes?”
“I’ll keep it secret, so there’s no need to worry.”
If news of Ellen’s defeat spread, Gold Moon would also face trouble. Seeing William Rockefeller, the guild master of Gold Moon, make a troubled face wouldn’t be bad, but since it would put Ellen in an awkward position, I would let it slide this time.
“Junior, that was truly incredible!”
“It was an amazing fight.”
The two rankers approached with bright expressions, competitive spirit flickering in their eyes. Shin Junseok was one thing, but I hadn’t expected even the usually reserved Hong Yunsu to react this way.
Hong Yunsu had joined the guild after losing a bet. Although he listened to me, I had never sensed genuine admiration from him before. Yet after watching my fight with Ellen, his eyes were positively sparkling.
“It’s all thanks to the thousand-year snow ginseng that Ranker Hong Yunsu gave me.”
“Wait, when did you give junior something like that?”
“The Guild Master once saved my sister. That was my repayment.”
Hong Yunsu’s nose shot skyward.
“I must train even harder.”
No, senior, you’re directing your competitive spirit in the wrong direction.
“I’ve made up my mind, Guild Master.”
“About what?”
“Yellow Storm. I will bring every member of my team into the guild.”
Team Yellow Storm was a five-man squad centered around Hong Yunsu. While they couldn’t match his level, they were skilled players with considerable fame within Korea.
“Perfect. I was thinking the same thing.”
Shin Junseok’s team, Mugeuk, was in the same situation. Every member used martial arts. Though evaluated as slightly below Team Yellow Storm, they were talented individuals who had grown strong by mastering techniques that were currently considered nothing but penalties.
“Good. However, I’ll leave training the team members to the two of you.”
I couldn’t oversee every guild member’s training. It was already overwhelming to train those we had gathered so far; adding more was out of the question.
“Understood.”
“We shall do so.”
The two rankers’ eyes sparkled. It was obvious they wanted to spar with me. Both Shin Junseok and Hong Yunsu genuinely pursued strength above all else.
While the two rankers pestered me, Ellen spoke quietly with Karla.
“Karla, I will stake my honor on resolving your guild transfer.”
“Director Ellen.”
“Don’t speak so formally. Can you talk to me comfortably like before?”
“…Master.”
“And I’m sorry for noticing the pain in your heart so late.”
“It’s all right.”
Karla was at a loss for words. Her face remained expressionless as always, but moisture glistened in her eyes.
“Karla, that’s wonderful!”
Jiyoung, completely missing the mood, hugged Karla tightly.
“No, I… that is…”
“Let’s keep traveling together from now on. I hate Ping Lei.”
“This one also dislikes the young lady.”
“Hmph. Still better than those bread guys.”
The guild members had grown so comfortable together that it now felt completely natural. Even Enrique, the latest to join, seemed to have built solid camaraderie despite his initial hesitation.
With the guild member issues settled, only one thing remained.
“All that’s left is the 35th-floor mission.”
“You mean those fools who dared to issue a challenge against you?”
“Yeah. Our preparations are complete, so it’s time to set a date.”
“Hehe, what foolish mortals.”
Nyx smiled slyly.
“Goddess.”
“What is it?”
“Your smile looks quite sinister.”
“Ah, I was unaware. I was merely imitating the smile you often make.”
“……”
There were all kinds of ways to tease a person.
“Snacks confiscated for three days.”
“This is a clear violation of our contract!”
“Offering tributes on a regular basis was never part of the contract, was it?”
“My partner, this one shall never forget this matter.”
“Yes, yes. Be sure to remember it well.”
I stuck my tongue out at her.