Chapter 28- Evolution Master (Part 1)
"Step back, that thing is strong," Rein said as he clenched his sword tightly, his eyes completely focused on the giant raccoon. He knew that if he looked away for even a second, it might attack.
He had learned how dangerous a small mistake could be against these creatures. They were shockingly good at noticing those small blunders and punishing them heavily. Rein had tasted what that could do, so he didn't plan to do it again.
The group stared at the monster with wary eyes as they instinctively stepped back. Rein, meanwhile, stepped forward. The monster growled at him angrily, showing its sharp, bloodied teeth.
'It had consumed so many people to get to this level.' He mused as he channeled his energy. His theory that these monsters grow stronger by eating anything was true. Not to mention the speed at which they evolve.
Rein brandished his sword as he aimed it at the monster. As if it took that as a sign, the monster rushed toward him. Rein quickly sprang into motion as he dashed to the side. The monster followed him as he ran toward one of the nearby buildings.
Then, he leaped in the air, pressing his foot against the wall as he launched himself down toward the monster. Like a straight arrow, his sword stabbed down.
The creature realized what he was trying to do as it quickly tried to side step.
'No, you don't.' Rein activated his Gravity Manipulation, making the monster's movement heavy and making it lose all the momentum it tried to build up. The creature didn't comprehend what happened, and before it could even realize, the sword stabbed into its back.
Hissing loudly, the creature quickly tried to shake Rein off. Its reaction was very strong and painful as it threw him back. Then, it jumped away, blood oozing out of its back endlessly as it screeched at Rein.
'That was a very good hit. But, now its enraged.'
Before he could even finish that thought, he saw the monster suddenly run to the side. He watched coldly as it jumped on the wall, sinking its sharp claws into the wall before it started running. Then, it leaped in the air and slashed with its claws.
'You're trying to imitate me?' Rein frowned before he picked a rock and threw it at the monster mid-air. The rock flew like a bullet, smashing into its face before Rein quickly jumped to the side, dodging its falling body.*
*BANG*
The creature recovered instantly from the hit and opened its large jaw, trying to bite Rein. The latter didn't hesitate as he charged his fist.
His punch slammed into the monster's face, knocking it back before he stabbed its mouth, skewering it with ease.
Then, he ruthlessly slammed his fist into its skull again, hearing a crisp cracking noise.
[Fortified Fist has leveled up!]
Rein didn't stop there as he changed the grip on his sword and stabbed the monster in the skull. That was when it completely stopped and died.
[You have killed a Level 9 Mutated Raccoon.]
[You have gained +2 in regeneration.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have gained +3 points to allocate freely.]
Rein felt the rush of strength that coursed through his body as he felt the leveling up effect on his body.
"Good." He exhaled as he looked at his group. The trio watched him with their jaws almost touching the floor.
In their eyes, all they saw was a superhuman, moving around at insane speeds and delivering powerful hits so casually. The way he destroyed that monster felt like something from a fictional story.
"Hm?" Rein looked at them, realizing they weren't moving. 'Did I overdo it perhaps?' He asked himself when he realized that he might've just shown a bit too much power. Those three were still, after all, way weaker than him, so this must've looked so mind-blowing to them.
"Rein… You're… so strong…" Violet said as she snapped out of her daze. "That was unbelievable. How were you able to do that?"
"..."
She approached him in a hurry. "That looked so cool! You moved so fast I couldn't even see you."
"Mm, thanks, I guess." He said as he looked at the dead corpse. His eyes inspect the monster and its features. 'I still don't know why these creatures grow in size so damn fast. It's like they suddenly get inflated like balloons.'
Their aggression was also way worse than when they were normal animals, and even worse than the Undead. Something was clearly different about animals when it comes to this infection.
'That bastard… When did he even get that strong? We awakened at the same time.' Alex thought to himself as he stared at the two, his eyes filled with mixed feelings. He was annoyed and jealous, but also very impressed. That kind of power was simply not human; the way he was fighting was not human either.
For a second, he felt like he was watching a demon massacre one of its prey. A bone-chilling sight to witness.
"For now, let's keep moving. We don't have that much time before nightfall."
"Yes, sir!" Teo said as he chased after the two. The last to move was Alex, after he struggled to swallow the bitter feeling he was experiencing.
'I can't fall behind anymore, or that gap would never be achieved again.' He clenched his teeth as he started walking. 'I have to get way stronger.'
His bitterness turned into a determination to do more. Unless he wanted to admit defeat to Rein, which was something he would rather die than admit.
With that, the group continued moving after that until they disappeared from sight. At that moment, back where the dead corpse was, a silhouette appeared out of nowhere, approaching the corpse before it stopped and looked up. Two sharp, dangerous eyes staring into the empty world.
***
The group marched through the streets, coming across Undead and Mutated monsters occasionally.
Rein dealt with the stronger ones with ease, and the other three killed the Undead, slowly getting stronger and stronger as they moved. Their rhythm increased and their ability to kill the monsters improved gradually, and Rein could see it.
They were still getting familiar with how things worked, and he naturally didn't expect them to learn everything very quickly.
'I might be an anomaly for figuring things out this fast. Or maybe just a bit messed up in the head.' Rein thought to himself as he watched the group fight the Undead. 'Maybe a mix of both.'