Chapter 34 — The Roar That Devours
Then—
ROAR—!!!
A pillar of crimson flames erupted from Kragar's body.
It didn't explode outward wildly—
It rose.
Like a furnace opening to the sky.
The heat surged violently, forcing me back as the ground beneath him melted into glowing slag.
The air warped.
Breathing became heavier.
Distorted.
Alive.
ROAR—!!!
I answered.
Not out of instinct—
But will.
My power rose to meet his.
Not clashing—
Matching.
My hair shifted—
White.
Streaked with faint blue sparks like scattered lightning dust.
My aura tightened around me.
Contained.
Refined.
ROAR—!!!
A deeper roar escaped my chest—
Ancient.
Primal.
Not just sound—
Presence.
For a moment—
Even the flames seemed to hesitate.
---
…So this was it.
Beast Ascension — Form I.
The Awakening of the Roar.
I had touched it before—
When I lost control.
When something inside me took over.
But now—
This time—
I wasn't borrowing it.
I wasn't being consumed.
…I was using it.
Even if only barely.
---
ROAR—!!!
Kragar's furious roar snapped me back.
His aura surged again—
Hotter.
Denser.
The runes on his armor glowed violently, straining under the pressure of his rising power.
They weren't just enhancing him anymore—
They were holding him together.
Interesting…
---
I inhaled.
Then—
Compressed everything.
The surge of energy that threatened to overflow—
I forced it inward.
My body steadied.
My breathing slowed.
My eyes sharpened.
Blue.
Focused.
---
BOOM—!!!
Kragar moved.
Charging forward like a raging beast.
Heavy.
Direct.
Overwhelming.
His armor made his frame look even larger now—
Like a moving fortress.
---
BAM—!!
Our fists collided.
This time—
Neither of us moved.
---
Then—
BAM! BAM! BAM—!!!
The exchange exploded into motion.
Strikes collided in rapid succession.
Fists.
Elbows.
Knees.
Every hit precise.
Every defense calculated.
---
This time—
The fight was even.
---
Before—
He dominated.
Controlled everything.
Measured me.
Now—
We stood on equal ground.
---
BOOM—!!!
I broke the rhythm.
A compressed blast of blue energy erupted from my palm—
Engulfing him completely.
The impact tore through the ground—
Sending dust and molten fragments into the air.
---
But—
BAM—!!
A flaming fist burst through the blast—
Slamming into my chest.
I was sent backward, skidding across the ground before stabilizing.
---
I exhaled sharply.
Looked up.
Kragar stood there—
Scorched.
Marked.
But not broken.
Faint dents lined his armor—
Already repairing.
---
"You've grown stronger…" he said.
This time—
No mockery.
Just acknowledgment.
"…But not enough."
---
Silence.
---
Then—
ROAR—!!!
His power surged again.
Not gradually—
Violently.
Like a tide crashing without warning.
The heat spiked instantly.
The pressure forced me backward into the air.
I stabilized myself mid-air—
Eyes locked on him.
---
"You are still weak compared to me…"
His voice was calm.
Certain.
Final.
"…With time, you could have been a match."
A pause.
Then—
"…Rest."
---
Flames engulfed him.
Completely.
His armor cracked—
Then disintegrated.
Falling away into ash.
Revealing his true form—
Lean.
Dense.
Refined.
Every muscle compressed for efficiency.
Not bulk.
Not intimidation.
Pure function.
---
"You are a weakling…"
The words echoed.
---
"You are a weakling…"
---
"You are a weakling…"
---
Each repetition struck deeper—
Not at my body—
But my mind.
Like ripples spreading across still water.
---
Then—
Everything slowed.
---
My thoughts faded.
Not into rage.
Not into chaos.
But into something else—
Silence.
---
My vision shifted.
Blue.
Completely.
---
Something inside me moved.
Not violently.
Not uncontrollably.
But…
Decisively.
---
My energy rose—
Not exploding outward—
But condensing—
Layer after layer—
Until the pressure alone distorted the air around me.
---
Kragar moved—
But this time—
He was too late.
---
My arm lifted.
Slow.
Effortless.
---
No wasted motion.
No roar—
At first.
---
Then—
ROAR—!!!
It came.
Deep.
Ancient.
Final.
---
My palm faced forward.
Energy gathered—
Not as a chaotic blast—
But as a single, condensed point.
---
Kragar's eyes widened.
For the first time—
True realization.
---
Too late.
---
BOOOOOOM—!!!!!
The blast erupted.
Not wide.
Not uncontrolled.
Focused.
Absolute.
---
It struck him instantly.
No resistance.
No clash.
---
Just—Chapter 35 – The Price of Ascension
Consciousness returned slowly.
Not like waking up—
But like something leaking back into place.
Drip… by drip.
My thoughts were heavy.
Scattered.
Incomplete.
Pain came next.
Not sharp.
Not sudden.
But overwhelming.
My head throbbed as if something had crushed it from the inside. My spine burned like molten iron had been poured into it. Every inch of my body ached—deep, internal pain, the kind that didn't fade with time.
It lingered.
Rooted.
"…What… happened…"
My voice didn't come out.
Only a faint breath escaped my lips.
I forced my eyes open.
Red.
That was the first thing I saw.
My body was suspended—no… sealed—inside a dense layer of pulsating red flesh-like energy. It wrapped around me like a cocoon, contracting and expanding slowly.
Alive.
Feeding.
A circular core floated just above my chest—radiating heat, power… and something far more violent.
Then—
> [MERGING WITH KRAGAR'S CORE]
[Progress: 10%...]
My pupils trembled slightly.
"…So it wasn't over…"
Fragments of the fight replayed in my mind.
The explosion.
The roar.
The loss of control.
That last surge of power—
That wasn't fully mine.
I clenched my teeth slightly.
"…I didn't win cleanly."
That realization sat heavier than the pain.
Then—
> [Destruction: A Body Cultivation Technique Acquired]
A method that tempers the body through extreme pressure and damage, forging durability capable of resisting overwhelming force.
My breathing slowed.
So that's what this is…
Not a reward.
A process.
A dangerous one.
The red energy tightened around my body.
Pain surged again.
Deeper this time.
Like something was being rewritten.
Bone.
Muscle.
Nerves.
Everything.
I endured.
Not because I wanted to—
But because stopping wasn't an option.
---
Moments later—
The red cocoon shattered.
CRACK—
Fragments dissolved into particles of light.
I dropped to the ground.
KNEE.
HAND.
BREATH.
"…Haa…"
Air rushed into my lungs violently.
My body trembled—but it held.
Barely.
Then—
The red screen appeared.
Cold.
Indifferent.
> [CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING THE SECOND STAGE]
[REWARDS ARE BEING CALCULATED…]
I didn't react.
Didn't care.
Not yet.
> [You Have Been Awarded: 3,000,000 Points]
[Bonus Reward: Flame God Physique]
[Bonus Reward: Body Cultivation Solution]
"…Solution?"
I frowned slightly.
That word—
Didn't sit right.
Because I already understood how body cultivation worked.
Pain.
Damage.
Reconstruction.
Over and over again.
There was no shortcut.
So what exactly was this…?
My thoughts didn't finish.
---
> [Use Body Cultivation Solution]
My system responded instantly.
Then—
Reality shifted.
---
Before I could react—
My body was locked in place.
Encased.
A narrow cylindrical chamber.
No movement.
No escape.
Above me—
A red liquid pulsed violently.
Lightning flickered inside it.
Unstable.
Aggressive.
My instincts screamed immediately.
Danger.
Real danger.
"…This is not normal…"
Too late.
The chamber opened.
The liquid dropped.
---
Contact.
---
CRACK!!!
Pain exploded.
Not gradual.
Not manageable.
Absolute.
Red and black lightning tore through my body like living blades. My muscles convulsed uncontrollably as flames wrapped around my skin.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't escape.
Couldn't even scream properly.
My skin—
Burned.
Peeled.
Destroyed.
Then regenerated—
Only to be destroyed again.
Over and over.
A cycle of suffering.
"HAA—!!"
My voice broke out this time.
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
My vision blurred.
My mind trembled.
Violence.
That was the only thing my brain screamed.
Destroy something.
Anything.
End the pain.
My instincts turned hostile—
Not outward.
But inward.
I was losing control.
"…No…"
I bit down hard.
"…Stay… conscious…"
If I blacked out—
I didn't know what would take over.
And that—
Was far more dangerous than the pain.
---
Time lost meaning.
Seconds felt like hours.
Minutes like days.
Then—
Silence.
The liquid was gone.
Absorbed.
My body dropped.
---
PUM—
The chamber opened.
Air rushed in.
I stepped out slowly.
Unstable.
My breathing was uneven.
My eyes—
Red.
Not glowing.
Not powerful.
Just…
Unstable.
Bloodlust lingered.
Thick.
Heavy.
Like something inside me was still hungry.
"…This is the cost…"
Not power.
Not growth.
But imbalance.
I immediately activated Prime Instinct.
Not for combat.
For control.
My breathing steadied.
My thoughts aligned.
The rage receded.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
---
Then—
> [MISSION COMPLETE: Defeat Kragar]
[Reward: 5,000 Points]
"…Late."
I muttered.
Then—
> [Beast God Solution Acquired]
"…What?"
No time.
---
Another shift.
Another chamber.
This time—
Blue.
Calm.
But dense.
Too dense.
The liquid above me shimmered with blue lightning.
Opposite.
Conflicting.
My instincts flared again.
"…You're kidding me…"
The chamber opened.
---
Impact.
---
CRACK!!!
This pain—
Was worse.
Not because it was stronger.
But because it clashed.
Red vs Blue.
Flame vs Beast.
Two forces collided inside my body.
Tearing.
Rewriting.
Fighting for dominance.
My body arched violently.
I couldn't control it.
This wasn't just pain—
This was internal war.
My mind fractured under the pressure.
"…I can't… control this…"
Then—
Prime Instinct.
Again.
Not as defense.
But as anchor.
I let go of resistance.
Let the body adapt instead of forcing control.
Slowly—
The conflict stabilized.
Not resolved.
But contained.
---
Minutes later—
Silence.
Again.
The chamber opened.
I stepped out.
Barely standing.
---
> [Beast God Physique: 50%]
[Flame God Physique: 50%]
[Fusion in Progress…]
[Result: Beast God Inferno Physique – 50% Complete]
My breathing was heavy.
"…Incomplete…"
Good.
If that had fully completed—
My body might not have survived it.
---
> [System Points: 0]
"…You're joking…"
I let out a weak breath.
"…You really don't play fair."
---
Then—
Light consumed everything.
---
I was back.
My room.
My bed.
Silence.
---
I dropped onto it instantly.
No strength left.
No resistance.
Just collapse.
---
My body—
Felt incredible.
Stronger.
Denser.
More responsive.
Every movement held explosive potential.
But my mind—
Was different.
Heavy.
Strained.
Unstable.
"…So this is the aftermath…"
Power always came with a cost.
This time—
The cost wasn't just physical.
It was mental.
Emotional.
Instinctual.
That thing inside me—
It was closer now.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
I closed my eyes slowly.
"…I need to rest…"
Not just sleep.
Recovery.
Stability.
Control.
Because if I entered another trial like this—
"…I won't be the one fighting."
---
Darkness took me.
Not violently.
But gently.
For once—
There was no resistance.
Erasure.
---
The ground beneath split open in a perfect circular pit—
Smooth.
Clean.
As if reality itself had been carved away.
---
The blast continued forward—
Cutting through the battlefield—
Before slowly fading into silence.
---
And Kragar—
Was gone.
---
No ash.
No remains.
---
Nothing.
---
The battlefield fell still.
The heat faded.
The wind returned.
---
And I stood there—
Alone.
---
My arm lowered slowly.
My body finally relaxing.
---
The blue light around me flickered—
Then dimmed.
---
Silence.
---
Then—
Darkness crept in.