The corrupted sky above the forest darkened, swirling like black ink mixing into storm clouds. The mana pressure thickened..heavy enough to crush the lungs of any ordinary adventurer.
Yuto stood in the clearing, boots planted, aura humming like a heartbeat of light.
Across the decayed field…
The monster moved.
The Lesser Corrupted Dragonkin dashed forward , towering at least thirty feet tall. Its wings were torn, but still full of terrifying power. Patches of scales had melted into corrupted sludge that dripped down its side. Its horns were jagged and cracked. Flames flickered from between its exposed ribs.
But its eyes..
Pitch-black, endless, hateful.
The beast opened its maw..
ROOOAAAAARR!!!
A wave of corrupted flame erupted outward, scorching the earth into glass.
Yuto shielded his face with his forearm as the shockwave blasted his cape back.
"...Yep," he muttered. "Definitely not a normal corrupted beast."
[Advisor: "Congratulations. You've attracted something that wants to kill you specifically. Again."]
"Feels like a recurring theme."
[Advisor: "Because you're very punchable."]
"…You're a system."
[ Advisor: "And you're still punchable."]
---
Zoom!!
The Dragonkin didn't wait.
It stomped forward, earth shattering under its weight.
Yuto braced..
FWOOOM!!
A massive tail whipped through the air faster than a falling meteor.
Yuto stepped, Spirit Instinct activating instantly..
The world slowed.
Particles froze.
The wind became syrup.
He slid to the side..
The tail grazed him,
SKRRRRSH!!!
Stone exploded behind him from pure impact force.
Yuto rolled, dust trailing him.
"Fast," he whispered. "Too fast for that size."
[ Advisor: "In case you forgot, this is the lowest grade of dragon-related threats. The appetizer."]
"A very heavy appetizer."
The dragonkin roared again and stampeded toward him, each footstep creating shockwaves that rippled through the forest like small earthquakes.
Yuto inhaled sharply..
Spirit Reinforcement =45%
Acceleration Burst = Active
His figure blurred, leaving afterimages behind as he charged forward..
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Their impacts collided in the center.
Yuto's fist slammed into corrupted scales.
The dragon's claws slashed.
Mana cracked in the air like thunder.
A hurricane of energy erupted around them.
Yuto skidded back, boots carving trenches into the ground.
His knuckles tingled.
"That hide… it's thicker than the werewolf's."
[Advisor: "Of course. It's a dragonkin. Everything about it is illegal."]
.....
Yuto tightened his jaw.
No backing down.
He dashed, spirit particles bursting behind him.
"Mana Shaping: Crescent Break!"
Twin arcs of compressed mana flew out, slicing across the dragonkin's torso.
The beast flinched..
But only a thin cut appeared.
The dragonkin's eyes glowed red.
SKREEEEEE!!!
A blast of corrupted breath shot toward Yuto.
He crossed his arms..
BOOOOOM!!!
The explosion swallowed the entire clearing.
Leaves vaporized.
Stones melted.
Yuto's silhouette was engulfed in flame.
For a moment, there was only darkness.
Then...
A faint glow.
A soft shimmer.
Yuto emerged from the smoke, spirit aura flickering like a cloak of silver lightning.
He wiped soot from his cheek.
"That actually stung."
[ Advisor: "Your HP dropped by 27%. Try not to die."]
"Not dying is the plan."
---
Immediately..
The Dragonkin Goes Berserk
The beast dug its claws into the earth.
Corruption pulsed through its body, thick black veins crawling across its scales like living worms. Its wings spread wide, creating a gust strong enough to uproot trees.
Then..
Its entire body ignited in corrupted fire.
Its mana signatures spiked.
Yuto's eyes widened.
"Advisor…?"
[Advisor: "…It is entering Berserk Mode."]
"That's a thing?!"
[Advisor: "Yes. And unfortunately… it hates you."]
"Great."
The Dragonkin blurred..
Yes, blurred..
Despite its size.
It appeared above Yuto in less than a second.
Claws descending..
WHOOOOOM!!!
Yuto barely reacted, arms crossing instinctively as the claws slammed him downward.
CRAAAAAASH!
He smashed into the ground, earth splitting around him.
Yuto coughed blood.
His HP dipped dangerously.
[ Advisor: "Spirit-core safety trigger is ready. If your HP drops below 20%, you WILL revert."]
"Not. Yet."...
The Dragonkin lunged again.
Yuto forced himself up..
Spirit Resonance( evolution ): Flicker
A pulse of silver light erupted from his chest.
The Dragonkin recoiled slightly, as if something ancient inside Yuto threatened its corrupted existence.
Yuto breathed out.
"Looks like… I really am changing."
[Advisor: "Of course]
[ Evolution Progress: 64% → 66%."]
The beast roared, black flames spilling from its jaws.
Yuto raised his hand...
Spirit Aura Burst!
A wave of divine light shot upward, clashing with the corrupt flame.
The sky detonated.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave traveled across the forest, knocking birds from trees miles away.
Yuto used the cover of explosion to appear beneath the beast...
Acceleration Burst (Double Layer)
Spirit Step (Phantom Echo)
He moved so fast the ground didn't register his weight.
His fist glowed white-blue.
He jumped..
"Mana Shaping: Radiant Spiral!"
His spinning strike connected with the Dragonkin's jaw...
CRACK!!!
The beast's head snapped sideways.
It stumbled.
A small victory..
But a real one.
Yuto smirked despite the pain.
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
The Dragonkin growled… slowly turning its head back toward him.
Its neck bones snapped into place with sickening cracks.
Its eyes dimmed to a pure void. It was still alive..
It inhaled...
Yuto sensed danger instantly.
[ Advisor: "RUN."]
He didn't argue.
The dragonkin spat a beam, not a flame, not a blast..
A beam of pure corruption.
It cut through trees.
Through mountainsides.
Through the very air.
Yuto leaped right..
The beam vaporized the ground where he had stood.
"Okay, okay...THIS one is NOT a warm-up!"
[ Advisor: "For a real corrupted dragon?"
"Yes. It is. Try to keep up."]
"I'm going to punch you someday."
[Advisor: "I am literally inside your soul dude."]
"Then I'll punch myself."
[Advisor: "…Acceptable."]
---
Staring at the monster which had now rosen...
Yuto exhaled deeply.
Sweat dripped from his jaw.
His arms shook.
His aura flickered.
But...
His spirit core pulsed with a rhythm he had never felt.
A deeper heartbeat.
A calling.
Like something was whispering:
"Become more."
Yuto looked at his hands.
"This… feels different."
[ Advisor: "Because you're fighting a dragon-related species. Your spirit instinct reacts to apex predators."]
"So this is fear?"
[ Advisor: "No. This is growth."]
Yuto grinned.
"Good."
He raised his fists.
Spirit Aura surged.
The air turned silver.
The trees bent away from him.
Clouds spiraled overhead.
The Dragonkin roared and charged..
Yuto did too.
Their auras collided...
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion created a crater the size of a small lake.
Shockwaves rippled toward Nerulia Haven.
---
Far Away… Back in the City
Elira dropped the basket she was carrying.
Her heart tightened.
"That mana…"
Seraphina felt her hair stand on end. "Yuto…"
Mimi's tail bristled. "He's going all out."
Zarek cracked his knuckles. "Time to be ready. If he loses, we're next."
Lyra looked toward the forest, fearful. "Please come back alive…"
Their hope hung in the air.
Because they all felt it...
Yuto was fighting something monstrous.
---
Back in the crater..
Dust swirled.
Ash drifted.
Silence.
Then...
A massive shape crawled back to its feet.
The Dragonkin still lived.
And Yuto...
Stood across from it, chest heaving, body shaking, aura unstable but blazing like a newborn star.
He wiped blood from his lip.
"Round two."
[Advisor: "…You are clinically insane."]
"Let's finish this."
The Dragonkin roared, charging again,
And Yuto sprinted toward it..
Their final clash for the chapter exploded in a blinding shockwave of silver and black..
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
Fade to white
----