Consciousness returned slowly.
Not like waking up—
But like something leaking back into place.
Drip…
By drip.
My thoughts were heavy.
Scattered.
Incomplete.
Then came the pain.
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 through it.
Every inch of my body ached.
Not on the surface.
Deep within.
The kind of pain that didn't fade with time.
It lingered.
Rooted itself inside my flesh.
I tried to move.
Nothing happened.
"…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.
A dense layer of pulsating, flesh-like energy surrounded me, wrapping around my body like a living cocoon.
It contracted.
Expanded.
Contracted again.
Alive.
Feeding.
Above my chest floated a circular core.
It radiated heat.
Power.
And something far more violent.
Then—
«[MERGING WITH KRAGAR'S CORE]
[Progress: 10%...]»
My pupils trembled.
I stared at the notification.
"…So it wasn't over…"
Fragments of the battle returned.
Kragar.
The crimson flame.
The final exchange.
My palm.
The concentrated energy.
The roar.
Then—
Nothing.
I remembered the moment my body collapsed.
The power of Beast Ascension.
The surge I had released.
That final strike.
My fingers curled weakly.
"…I didn't win cleanly."
The words were difficult to admit.
But they were true.
I had defeated Kragar.
Yet the battle had pushed me beyond what my body could safely contain.
The power I had unleashed had nearly consumed me.
Then—
Another notification appeared.
«[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 was…
Not a reward.
A process.
A dangerous one.
The red energy surrounding me tightened.
Pain surged through my body again.
Deeper this time.
Bone.
Muscle.
Nerves.
Everything felt as though it were being rewritten.
My teeth clenched.
I endured.
Not because I wanted to.
But because stopping wasn't an option.
The cocoon tightened again.
And the process continued.
---
Moments later—
CRACK.
The red cocoon shattered.
Fragments dissolved into particles of light.
My body dropped.
KNEE.
HAND.
BREATH.
I caught myself against the ground.
"…Haa…"
Air rushed violently into my lungs.
My body trembled.
But it held.
Barely.
Then—
The familiar red screen appeared.
Cold.
Indifferent.
«[CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING THE SECOND STAGE]
[REWARDS ARE BEING CALCULATED…]»
I stared at it.
I didn't react.
Didn't care.
Not yet.
Then the next notification appeared.
«[You Have Been Awarded: 3,000,000 Points]
[Bonus Reward: Flame God Physique]
[Bonus Reward: Body Cultivation Solution]»
My eyes narrowed.
"…Solution?"
That word didn't sit right with me.
I already understood how body cultivation worked.
Pain.
Damage.
Reconstruction.
Then repeat.
There was no shortcut.
So what exactly was this…?
My thoughts didn't finish.
«[Use Body Cultivation Solution]»
The System responded instantly.
Then—
Reality shifted.
Before I could react, my body locked in place.
A narrow cylindrical chamber surrounded me.
No movement.
No escape.
Above me—
A red liquid pulsed violently.
Lightning flickered inside it.
Unstable.
Aggressive.
My instincts screamed.
Danger.
Real danger.
"…This is not normal…"
Too late.
The chamber opened.
The liquid dropped.
Contact.
CRACK!!!
Pain exploded through my entire body.
Not gradually.
Not something I could prepare for.
Absolute pain.
Red and black lightning tore through my flesh like living blades.
My muscles convulsed uncontrollably.
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.
Again.
And again.
A cycle without mercy.
"HAA—!!"
My voice finally broke free.
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
My vision blurred.
My mind trembled.
Violence.
That was the only thing my brain could scream.
Destroy something.
Anything.
End the pain.
My instincts turned hostile.
Not outward.
Inward.
I felt myself slipping.
"…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 itself.
So I endured.
Again.
And again.
Time lost meaning.
Seconds became hours.
Minutes became days.
Until—
Silence.
The liquid was gone.
Absorbed into my body.
The chamber opened.
PUM.
My body dropped forward.
Air rushed into my lungs.
I slowly stepped out.
Unstable.
My breathing was uneven.
My eyes—
Red.
Not glowing.
Not powerful.
Just…
Unstable.
Bloodlust lingered around me.
Thick.
Heavy.
Like something inside me was still hungry.
I lowered my head.
"…This is the cost…"
Not power.
Not growth.
Imbalance.
I immediately activated Prime Instinct.
Not for combat.
For control.
My breathing steadied.
My thoughts aligned.
The rage receded.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
Only then could I think clearly again.
Then—
«[MISSION COMPLETE: Defeat Kragar]
[Reward: 5,000 Points]»
I stared at the notification.
"…Late."
A weak breath escaped me.
Then—
«[Beast God Solution Acquired]»
My eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
No time.
Reality shifted again.
Another chamber appeared.
This time—
Blue.
Calm.
But dense.
Far too dense.
The liquid above me shimmered with blue lightning.
The opposite of what I had just endured.
My instincts immediately flared.
"…You're kidding me…"
The chamber opened.
Impact.
CRACK!!!
Pain exploded through my body once again.
But this pain was different.
Not because it was stronger.
Because it clashed.
Red against blue.
Flame against Beast.
Two forces collided inside my body.
Tearing.
Rewriting.
Fighting for dominance.
My body arched violently.
My muscles tightened.
My vision fractured.
This wasn't simply pain.
It was an internal war.
"…I can't… control this…"
Then—
Prime Instinct.
Again.
Not as a weapon.
Not as defense.
But as an anchor.
I stopped fighting the process.
Stopped forcing the two powers apart.
Instead—
I allowed my body to adapt.
Slowly…
The conflict began to stabilize.
Not resolved.
Contained.
The red and blue energies continued moving through my body.
But they were no longer tearing everything apart.
They were beginning to coexist.
Minutes later—
Silence.
Again.
The chamber opened.
I stepped out.
Barely standing.
The System appeared.
«[Beast God Physique: 50%]
[Flame God Physique: 50%]
[Fusion in Progress…]
[Result: Beast God Inferno Physique — 50% Complete]»
I stared at the notification.
My breathing remained heavy.
"…Incomplete…"
Good.
If that had completely finished—
I wasn't sure my body would have survived it.
Then another notification appeared.
«[System Points: 0]»
I stared at the number.
For several seconds—
I said nothing.
"…You're joking…"
A weak breath escaped my lips.
"…You really don't play fair."
Then—
Light consumed everything.
---
I was back.
My room.
My bed.
Silence.
My body dropped onto the mattress instantly.
No strength left.
No resistance.
No desire to move.
Just—
Collapse.
For several moments, I simply lay there.
Then I slowly clenched my fist.
My body felt…
Different.
Stronger.
Denser.
More responsive.
Every movement contained explosive potential.
The changes were undeniable.
But my mind—
That was different.
Heavy.
Strained.
Unstable.
I closed my eyes.
"…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—
The Beast within my blood.
It felt closer now.
Not speaking.
Not thinking.
Just…
Watching.
Waiting.
My breathing slowed.
I remembered the battle.
Kragar.
His overwhelming strength.
My transformation.
The roar.
The final strike.
And the moment my body could no longer continue.
Beast Ascension had given me power.
But power alone wasn't enough.
If I couldn't control what came with it—
Then sooner or later…
It would control me.
I opened my eyes.
"…I need to rest…"
Not just sleep.
Recovery.
Stability.
Control.
Because if I entered another trial like this—
My fists tightened weakly.
"…I won't be the one fighting."
My eyes slowly closed.
Darkness took me.
Not violently.
Not like the collapse after the battle.
But gently.
Quietly.
For once—
There was no resistance.
And I slept.