"Ouch... I felt that," Inosuke groaned, rising slowly from the cratered ground. The Calamity Beast had sent him flying. He was now nearly 50 meters away from the rest of the battlefield.
☆ [Damage Endurance +15] ☆
The punch he took was unlike anything before,ten times… no, a hundred times stronger than Kaena's full-powered strikes. But instead of fear, Inosuke grinned. To him, this monster wasn't just an enemy—it was a training partner. A living weight to measure his growth.
He dashed back toward the battlefield, wind howling around him.
☆ [Speed +10] ☆
"Hah... now this is fun," he muttered, heart pounding with excitement.
When he arrived, he stopped in his tracks. The sight before the calamity was brutal. No one...no one had ever survived a hit from the beast's second form. Even Kael had nearly died.
But here stood Inosuke alive, standing tall.
A wave of hope washed over the warriors. Their king was back. Bruised, bloody, but unbroken. His presence reignited their will to fight.
"Now… where was I?" Inosuke cracked his neck, stepping forward as his muscles tightened in anticipation.
"Shall we begin…?"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the beast roared and threw another punch twice as fast, twice as heavy.
BOOM!
Inosuke was sent flying again, this time over 100 meters.
"AGAIN?!" he yelled mid-air. As he landed, he caught a tooth in his palm. "Damn it that hit was to much... Why is there nothing that truly shows me how strong I really am?!"
Suddenly—snap—his Qi surged.
It was different this time. A strange awareness bloomed in his mind, like a voice whispering truths only told in old tales. System power.
"…System status."
As the words left his lips, a brilliant blue light formed in front of his eyes. A glowing screen appeared floating, alive.
♤ [System Status] ♤
◇ Name: Inosuke Yamada
◇ Age: 18
◇ Status: Single
◇ Level: 1
◇ Skills: Martial Arts, Adaptability
◇ Points: 60 / 100
◇ Ability: ¤Locked¤
◇ Intelligence: 250 / 300
◇ Strength: 150 / 300
◇ Speed: 200 / 300
◇ Endurance: 285 / 300
◇ Resistance: 300 / 300
Inosuke blinked in disbelief.
"So this… this is what the Shrine Master meant by a gift to help me navigate... Huh." He looked closer. "Points? What are they for?"
The system shifted, and new text appeared.
♤ [System Explanation] ♤
Points are essential for progression. Reaching key thresholds allows the user to evolve to higher levels of power. Points can also be used to temporarily enhance physical stats at the cost of permanent growth. Points are earned through missions, battles, and personal growth.
Inosuke nodded. "Makes sense… So the fact that the system's finally showing up means this beast is trouble. But what do I need to do to unlock my ability?"
♤ [System Message] ♤
¤ Certain rites must be held to unlock abilities. ¤
"What kind of rites?"
♤ [System Message] ♤
"Error: Information Corrupt"
"Huh... I guess everything has its time," he sighed. "Just like Qi—it operates with levels, power, and progression. Guess I really do need to get stronger."
The screen flickered, then vanished.
Back on the battlefield, the beast lumbered toward Kaena and the soldiers. Bloodied but determined, the remaining warriors lifted their weapons in shaky hands.
"Don't engage!" Kaena shouted, holding out a hand to stop them.
The soldiers turned to her, fear in their eyes. One of them shouted, "You want us to stand here and die while that thing slaughters us?! While we wait for a dead king?!"
"I know my master… He'll return," she whispered, bowing her head. "Please...have faith."
"Watch out!!"
Kaena snapped her head back only to see a massive claw hurtling toward her skull. It was fast. Too fast.
CRACK!!!
The beast was flung sideways, trees exploding in its path.
Inosuke stood where the beast had been.
"Thanks for believing, Kaena. I owe you a treat," he said with a grin.
Then, without warning, he vanished reappearing in front of the flying beast mid-air.
"You never let me finish my words before. But this time… I will."
He raced beside the beast as it tumbled through the air. His fist ignited with dark energy.
"Welcome to hell, my dear friend."
The blow landed,an earth-shattering punch to the beast's gut. The shockwave didn't just blast the land,it accelerated the beast's flight, tearing through trees, stone, and sky.
Inosuke watched it crash. To him, it was art.
Before returning, he had completed several small tasks to increase his point total. He had nearly maxed all stats but hadn't hit the 100-point threshold yet. Still, he spent 10 points for a temporary buff. The effect would last only 10 minutes.
The soldiers behind could only stare. Their king had become a monster. A good one.
Kaena smiled faintly, eyes glimmering. "Let's head back to the kingdom… And where's the loot the king asked for?"
"They… are… there," Kael grunted, pointing to a pile of gear he had secured before the fight.
"Retrieve it," Kaena ordered. "And rest up in your basic form, my friend."
Kael nodded, shrinking slowly back to human size.
Meanwhile...
Inosuke and the Calamity Beast clashed violently. Each blow tore the earth asunder. Yet neither would yield.
A ringing echoed in Inosuke's ears. A familiar signal,his stats were climbing with each blow. But he wasn't just fighting blindly.
The beast launched a devastating punch.
Inosuke sidestepped.
Another attack. He crouched low and weaved through it.
He had a plan. Taking hits would increase stats faster but this technique required absolute focus. One hit could break his concentration and cost him everything.
A crackle of electricity flickered across his head. The signal.
It was ready.
The beast roared and threw its final strike. Inosuke shifted just slightly, barely dodging. Then, in the space between heartbeats, he struck back.
A full-power punch, delivered to the beast's gut.
The shockwave didn't blast outward.
It imploded, traveling inside the beast—destroying it from within.
The beast's eyes went white.
And then... silence.
It crashed to the earth, lifeless.
"And victory… belongs to me," Inosuke whispered, standing over its broken form. His eyes were pitch-black. His shadow... twisted. Two shapes now reflected from his feet. Two entities that were never meant to live in unity.
But now they did.
To be continued...