BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!
An eruption of brilliant blue aura exploded from my body.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Calm.
Dense.
Pure.
The lightning around me no longer rampaged like enraged beasts.
It flowed.
Controlled.
Compressed.
Like predators silently circling prey before the kill.
My eyes snapped open wider.
Blue lightning burst from my pupils—
CRACKLING violently across the dark battlefield.
Yet despite the power rising from my body—
I was weak.
Painfully weak.
Every muscle trembled under the pressure I was forcing onto my exhausted body.
Blood leaked more heavily from the corner of my lips.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The metallic taste filled my mouth as I forced more energy outward.
My face remained hard.
Emotionless.
Locked onto him.
This was no longer about victory.
This was about understanding.
About proving to myself—
that I had actually learned something.
Pain surged through every inch of my body like burning blades.
Invisible pressure descended upon me from my own power.
My body was rejecting the force I was trying to control.
Yet when my eyes landed on him—
standing there completely untouched—
I endured.
Perfect posture.
Perfect breathing.
Perfect control.
Like the battle meant absolutely nothing to him.
That alone irritated me enough to keep standing.
The battlefield howled beneath the wind.
Ash drifted through the air.
The destroyed mountains surrounding us stood broken and scarred from our clashes.
Lightning danced silently across the cracked black earth.
And before me—
he stood calmly.
Watching.
Not angry.
Not hateful.
Disappointed.
That expression hurt more than the beating itself.
"I lost again…" I muttered weakly.
Blood dripped from my lips.
"I lost before the fight even began."
Blue lightning flickered lazily around my body.
My breathing rough.
Heavy.
Every inhale felt like shattered glass entering my lungs.
"…Why…" I whispered.
"…Why are you this strong?"
A slow smile stretched across his face.
Predatory.
Cruel.
Terrifying.
Like he had already seen this moment long before it happened.
"…Because you fight like an animal."
His voice echoed through my mind.
My eyes narrowed.
His red pupils glowed brighter.
"Your instincts warn you of danger."
"Your body reacts."
"Your senses sharpen."
A pause.
"But that is all."
The battlefield fell silent.
Only the distant crackling of lightning remained.
"You never think ahead."
Those words struck deeper than any attack.
Pain spread through my body as I pushed my aura even higher.
Blue lightning exploded upward toward the red sky.
The pressure intensified instantly.
My bones creaked.
My muscles screamed.
Every breath became torture.
Yet he remained motionless.
Calm.
Watching me struggle.
Like a hunter observing wounded prey desperately trying to stand.
His red eyes locked onto mine.
Steady.
Cold.
"You know what your greatest weakness is?"
I glared at him silently.
"You think power solves everything."
His voice lowered.
"But power without thought…"
"…is just a sharper weapon waiting to be stolen."
My pupils shrank.
Because deep down—
I knew he was right.
Ever since awakening—
I relied on overwhelming force.
Speed.
Aura.
Authority.
Transformation.
I crushed everything head-on.
And whenever I failed—
something stronger saved me.
Vorgrath.
The System.
The Nameless Sovereign.
But this time—
nobody was coming.
Nobody was saving me.
This battle existed for one purpose.
To expose the truth.
I was inexperienced.
Dangerously inexperienced.
Against ordinary opponents—
my talent looked monstrous.
Against true monsters—
I was predictable.
The Mind Hunter smiled wider.
"There it is."
"That realization."
Power without control is destruction.
Instinct without thought is weakness.
The Nameless Sovereign's words echoed through my mind once more.
"For the first time since entering this tower…"
"…you are finally thinking."
BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!
His aura erupted.
Crimson lightning exploded across the battlefield like the wrath of a dying world.
The pressure shook the mountains themselves.
The cracked ground beneath my feet shattered further.
His aura slammed against mine violently—
forcing immense pressure onto my weakened body.
My instincts screamed instantly.
Defend.
Dodge.
Retreat.
Survive.
But then—
I stopped.
My breathing slowed.
My mind calmed.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
No panic.
No blind reaction.
Only observation.
Blue ethereal energy slowly surrounded my body.
Prime Instinct.
Even I knew activating it now was dangerous.
My body was already near collapse.
But this time—
I wasn't using instinct alone.
I was controlling it.
Using it as information.
Not command.
For the first time—
I truly observed him.
The slight tension in his shoulders.
The angle of his feet.
The gathering pressure beneath his legs before movement.
The contraction of muscle fibers.
Tiny details.
Tiny patterns.
His smile twitched slightly.
Then—
he vanished.
SWISHHHH!!!!!!!!!
But this time—
I didn't react to danger.
I reacted to prediction.
I tilted my head sideways calmly.
A crimson fist passed inches beside my face.
Wind pressure sliced strands of my hair apart.
His eyes widened slightly.
For the first time—
surprise.
My fist exploded upward instantly.
BOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
The air detonated.
But—
he tilted his head away.
The attack missed.
A grin appeared on his face.
Then—
BOOM!!!! BOOM!!!! BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
A barrage of attacks exploded toward me.
Fists.
Elbows.
Knees.
Palm strikes.
Every movement lethal.
Every strike precise.
But instead of panicking—
I minimized movement.
Small dodges.
Tiny shifts.
The minimum effort necessary.
No wasted motion.
No reckless counters.
My body trembled violently from the strain.
Like a broken kite caught within a hurricane.
Sweat mixed with blood across my face.
My muscles screamed.
My mind burned from maintaining focus.
Then—
I saw it.
An opening.
Tiny.
Brief.
But real.
I bent low beneath a punch aimed at my face.
His arm extended slightly too far.
Balance shifted.
For the first time—
I saw the flaw before instinct warned me.
My fist pulled back.
Compressed blue lightning gathered around it.
BAMMMMM!!!!!!!
My punch slammed directly into his ribs.
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
The battlefield shook.
Dust erupted into the air.
For the first time since entering this floor—
he was pushed back properly.
Not luck.
Not accidental.
Intentional.
Controlled.
And more importantly—
repeatable.
His feet skidded backward across the battlefield.
Only a few meters.
But enough.
Enough to prove something.
Silence filled the battlefield.
The wind slowed.
Ash drifted softly through the air.
Then—
he smiled.
Not mocking.
Not cruel.
Satisfied.
"Good."
The crimson lightning around him slowly faded.
"That…"
"…was your first real attack."
I stared silently at my trembling hand.
My body still screamed in agony.
My energy reserves were nearly empty.
My organs felt like they were collapsing.
Yet—
something inside me felt clearer.
Sharper.
Like a veil had finally been torn away from my thoughts.
The Mind Hunter slowly raised one hand.
The battlefield trembled violently.
Then—
a red system screen appeared before my eyes.
> [ THE MIND HUNTER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT : EARNED ]
Another screen flickered into existence.
> [ FLOOR 1 — COMPLETED ] Condition Achieved: Survive long enough to learn.
My eyes widened slightly.
"…This floor…"
"…was never about winning."
The Mind Hunter's smile deepened.
Predatory.
Ancient.
Knowing.
"Now you understand."
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!
His aura exploded once more—
far greater than before.
The mountains cracked apart completely.
The battlefield trembled violently.
The red sky distorted under the pressure.
And for the very first time since entering this tower—
I smiled back.
Not arrogantly.
Not confidently.
But like a warrior who had finally realized—
how weak he truly was.
And how much stronger he needed to become.