The elite lizardman stepped forward, dragging its heavy weapon across the ground. Its scales were darker than the others, plates overlapping at the shoulders and chest, a faint blue sheen moving across its skin—water-aspected reinforcement.
Jin watched it closely.
No weak-point markers appeared.
So it's not like before, he thought. There's no shortcuts.
He exhaled once.
I don't want to use this skill much.
But if it's only once,it is fine.
The lizardman suddenly twisted its spear.
Water gathered along the blade, compressing unnaturally.
[ Tidal Pierce ].
The spear shot forward like a lance of flowing steel.
Jin activated [Swift Step], slipping sideways as the attack tore past him and slammed into the ground behind, exploding into a spray of water that gouged the earth.
Too fast.
He closed in immediately.
[Focused Strike]—elbow to the ribs.
The blow landed, but the scales absorbed most of it. Jin felt the resistance travel back up his arm.
It's scales are Tough.
The elite hissed and spun its spear again.
Water spiraled along the shaft.
[ Tidal Pierce ] — second release.
Jin tried to evade—
—but the angle shifted mid-thrust.
The spear grazed his side.
Pain flared as compressed water tore through his jacket and slammed into his ribs, throwing him back several steps.
Jin landed hard, boots skidding.
He clenched his jaw.
…That one actually hit.
The lizardman pressed the advantage, charging forward, spear sweeping low as its tail lashed out in tandem.
Jin ducked under the tail, rolled, and came up behind it, driving a kick into the back of its knee. The joint bent—barely—but it slowed the creature.
The elite roared and slammed both arms down. Water energy detonated outward, shaking the ground.
Jin jumped back, shoulders tightening as the shockwave struck him. His breathing grew heavier.
Dragging this out is bad.
He circled, forcing the lizardman to turn. Every movement was deliberate. No wasted force.
Then—
He felt it.
Not a glowing point.
Not a weakness.
Just a moment of opening.
The lizardman overextended its spear arm.
Jin stepped in.
Lightning crackled faintly around his fingers.
[Lightning Claw].
He didn't swing wildly.
He drove the attack straight into the narrow gap between two overlapping scales at the monster's collarbone.
The lightning surged inward.
The elite stiffened, convulsed once, then collapsed forward, its spear clattering to the ground.
Jin stepped aside as the body hit the floor.
Silence followed.
For half a second, no one spoke.
Zhou Kang clenched and unclenched his fist. Han Rui stared. Mu Chen's eyes were half-lidded, but sharper than before. Lan Xue let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
Yan Feiyu looked at Jin again—this time without looking down but still disappointed because of his behaviour.
Old Qiao smiled.
Jin didn't react to any of it.
He moved.
As soon as the area was clear, Jin went to the fallen monsters. One by one, he placed his hand against their bodies.
Zhou Kang sighed. "Seriously… if you'd just stop doing that habit of yours, you'd look way cooler."
Lan Xue laughed softly. Han Rui chuckled as well.
Old Qiao laughed outright.
Yan Feiyu turned away, disappointed shaking her head.
Mu Chen sighed, "What a waste."
Jin finished quickly and stood up.
They regrouped.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Lan Xue broke the silence.
"Jinlin… why did you hide your strength?" she asked directly. "You're clearly not just a sensory type and u also have rare lightning element to."
Zhou Kang crossed his arms, frowning. "Yeah. And that last skill—don't tell me that was rare skill. There's no way."
Han Rui didn't speak, but his eyes were fixed on Jin.
Mu Chen glanced over lazily, but he was listening.
Even Yan Feiyu, walking a few steps ahead, slowed slightly. She didn't turn around, but her attention was clearly on him.
Jin looked at them, then shrugged lightly.
"I wasn't hiding anything," he said. "You already know my star level and gene quality. That hasn't changed."
Lan Xue frowned. "Then that skill—"
"It's not something I can use freely," Jin cut in. "Think of it as a trump card. It has Heavy gene consumption. And High backlash."
He tapped his chest once. "My gene quality is still lower than yours. You can see that. I don't have the build to support skills like that repeatedly."
Zhou Kang scoffed. "But you made it look easy."
"That's because I ended it fast," Jin replied. "If it dragged on any longer, I'd be the one collapsing."
He let out a controlled breath. "I'm already exhausted. So don't expect much more from me."
There was a brief pause.
Zhou kang looked unconvinced, but she didn't push further.
Han Rui finally nodded once, as if accepting the explanation.
Zhou Kang muttered, "Figures."
Yan Feiyu resumed her pace, expression unreadable.
Old Qiao cleared his throat lightly.
"Well, if the discussion is over—"
He smiled, eyes sweeping over the group.
"We still have a task at hand. It's getting late. Let's move."
No one argued.
They continued deeper into the dungeon.
Jin slowed his steps slightly, letting the others move a few paces ahead.
He lowered his gaze, summoning the interface quietly.
Gene Quality Progress:
Grade 3 — Low Purity
Progress: 225 / 250
Skill Acquired:
[Tidal Pierce]
New Affinity Unlocked:
Water (Low)
Jin stared at the numbers for a moment.
"…look's good."
Should push for Grade 4 ,Before the NCEE.
The thought settled firmly in his mind.
In his past life, he hadn't even been qualified to register for NCEE. Since he has no gene evaluation worth mentioning. No skills. No path forward. He'd been filtered out before he ever reached the starting line.
Now? Is different.looked at numbers again
225 out of 250.
Another push. Just a little more.
"I'm already miles ahead from my past self," he thought calmly. "If this keeps up… top 50 isn't unrealistic."
He clenched his fingers once, feeling the faint residual ache from the earlier fight.
No time to getting lazy.
There were still two days left.
Two full days to grind.
But need to clear this dungeon first.
Jin dismissed the interface and looked up.
The terrain ahead changed.
The swampy ground gradually gave way to solid stone, damp and uneven. A massive cave entrance rose before them, half-hidden by roots and moss-covered rock. Faint water sounds echoed from within.
The boss chamber.
And guarding the approach—
Too many silhouettes.
Jin narrowed his eyes.
More lizardmen than expected.
He could feel it now—the pressure from deeper inside the cave, steady and heavy. The dungeon's core was in middle. And guarding it was the boss monster "lizard king krothak".