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.