The dawn sky bled crimson over the mist-covered forest. Rian stood on a cliff, his silver eyes scanning the valley below — an ancient hunting ground filled with rogue cultivators and corrupted beasts.
Tia still slept inside a small energy cocoon beside him. Her wounds hadn't fully healed, but her spiritual pulse was stabilizing thanks to the Nano Spirit's medical sub-routine.
> [Host Vital Sync: 99% stable. Foreign Entity Vital Sync: 67%. Healing complete in approximately 12 hours.]
Rian nodded. "Good. She'll live."
He turned toward the forest again. The Nano Spirit's interface glowed faintly within his vision.
> [Mission Directive: Collect 10 Spirit Cores to upgrade Nano Matrix to Level 2.]
[Warning: Area saturated with mutated energy — potential threat level B+.]
Rian smirked. "Threat level B+? Sounds perfect for a warm-up."
---
He leapt from the cliff.
The moment his boots touched the forest floor, the ground trembled — energy waves rippled outward. Creatures emerged from the shadows: Spirit Wolves with eyes like molten fire, their fur matted with corrupted qi.
> [Target acquired. Initiating Combat Protocol.]
Rian's hand opened, and the air around him shimmered. Metallic particles burst from his pores, forming twin blades that pulsed with silver-blue light.
He moved like lightning, slicing through the first wolf before it could even growl.
Each strike was a fusion of martial discipline and machine precision. The Nano Spirit adjusted his body in real time — calculating angles, predicting enemy movement, amplifying strength.
Blood sprayed. Metal sang.
Within minutes, ten beasts lay motionless, their cores floating toward Rian like glowing embers.
> [Spirit Cores assimilated. Nano Matrix upgraded to Level 2.]
[New skill unlocked — Nano Reconstruction Field.]
A faint hum enveloped him as his wounds sealed instantly. His qi flowed more smoothly than ever — an endless current of energy mixed with nanite precision.
"Too easy," Rian muttered, wiping blood from his face. "This world's beasts can't keep up."
But just as he turned back toward the cave, the Nano Spirit's tone shifted.
> [Alert. Unknown life-form detected. Threat level — A.]
The ground cracked open behind him. A massive creature — a Spirit Devourer, part-beast, part-machine — erupted from the earth, its body laced with metal veins that pulsed crimson.
Its roar shattered trees, shaking the forest like thunder.
Rian's eyes narrowed. "A beast… fused with metal essence? Like me."
> [Affirmative. Possible experimental fusion by Azure Sect's sub-division.]
Rian's fury flared. The sect again. They were experimenting with his forbidden research even after destroying him.
"Perfect," he hissed. "Then I'll test their creation against mine."
The beast lunged — claws glowing with spirit lightning. Rian raised his palm; nanites swirled around him, forming a circular field.
> [Nano Reconstruction Field — Activate.]
Every attack that hit him was instantly repaired, while each movement he made sharpened with mechanical precision. The battle turned into a blur of silver and red — a dance of fury and precision.
Finally, Rian pierced the beast's heart with a condensed Nano Lance. The explosion lit up the valley like a miniature sun.
When the light faded, only silence remained — and the faint glow of a Crimson Core in his hand.
> [Core Type: Hybrid Essence — suitable for weapon evolution.]
He closed his fingers around it. "Good. I'll forge this into something worthy."
Hours later, back at the shrine, Tia awoke. Her crimson eyes met Rian's — now colder, but steadier.
She studied the blood-stained ground around him. "You fought again… didn't you?"
Rian simply nodded. "Testing the limits."
Tia sighed softly. "You don't fight like a human. You fight like something trying to prove it still is one."
He looked away. "Maybe that's all I am now."
For a moment, silence. Then Tia smiled faintly.
> "Then let's find out… together."
The Nano Spirit's voice resonated quietly in his mind.
[Warning: Emotional attachment detected. Probability of deviation — increasing.]
Rian ignored it. For the first time since his rebirth, he felt something other than rage.
> "The path of revenge doesn't end here," he said. "It's just beginning."
And above them, in the clouds, an unseen presence watched — cloaked in silver light.
> "The hybrid awakens… the balance will shatter soon."