Raqin exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling in controlled rhythm.
The breakthrough had settled.
But instead of excitement, his gaze turned inward—cold, analytical.
He was reassessing everything.
Bone and Tendon Refinement was not just another step.
It was a foundation rewrite.
His objective became clear:
Reinforce the entire skeletal structure.
Temper the tendons for elasticity and explosive recoil.
Build a combat frame capable of handling higher Qi output.
Silence lingered.
Then—
"Let's begin."
Raqin raised his sword.
This time… slowly.
Painfully slow.
Each movement was deliberate.
Heel.
Spine.
Shoulder.
Wrist.
Blade.
A single strike flowed through his body like a calibrated machine.
At the same time, a translucent overlay flickered across his vision—
skeletal structures mapped in glowing lines.
Micro fractures.
Stress points.
Force leakage.
All exposed.
Corrected.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Then—
A faint pulse.
Nanoblade Qi seeped into his bones like threads of liquid steel.
Tiny vibrations echoed within him.
Not outward—
Inward.
Tempering.
Reinforcing.
Reshaping.
/Host, this method will enhance penetrative capability./
/Strikes will induce internal damage beyond surface impact./
Raqin's lips curled faintly.
"Good enough."
He lowered the sword.
Raised his fists.
Then—
He held.
Muscles tightened.
Tendons stretched to their limit.
A moment of stillness—
Then—
BOOM!
The air cracked.
A short-range punch detonated forward, releasing everything in an instant.
Compression.
Release.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"If I wrap nanoblade qi around my tendons…" he muttered, "simulate resistance…"
/Confirmed./
/Gradual load increase and snap-back acceleration will enhance tendon elasticity./
/Result: Coiled steel cable effect./
/Outcome: Burst speed and shockwave impact./
Another strike.
Faster.
Sharper.
More violent.
"Hm. Not bad."
Raqin stepped into the gravity chamber.
The pressure descended instantly.
His bones creaked.
His tendons screamed.
He moved anyway.
Sprint.
Stop.
Shift.
Turn.
Strike.
No pause.
No wasted motion.
Nanoblade Qi flickered through his joints—
micro-adjusting angles in real time.
Reducing strain.
Maximizing efficiency.
Each step became smoother.
Each burst… more explosive.
Unpredictable.
Fluid.
Lethal.
When he finally stopped—
The air around him trembled faintly.
Not from Qi.
But from perfect motion control.
"Now…"
He opened his panel.
[ STATUS PANEL ]
Cultivation: Mortal Realm — Level 2
(Bone & Tendon Refinement)
Sword Path: Level 5
Fist Path: Level 4
Movement Path: Level 4
Body Path: Level 2 (Passive Growth)
Qi Capacity: 1920
Convertible Energy Reserve: 3,000,000
Beast Link:
Stormfang Drakehound — Tier 1, Rank 5 (Peak)
Raqin's eyes narrowed.
"My growth… isn't reflected properly."
His fingers paused over his attributes.
Sword mastery had improved drastically—
Yet remained at Level 5.
Then—
His gaze froze.
"...3 million?"
His voice dropped.
"System. Explain."
/Host, energy reserve increases through kills and resource consumption./
Silence.
Then realization dawned.
"Drakey…"
A faint smirk appeared.
"So you've been working."
His finger hovered over his attribute points.
Then—
He withdrew his hand.
"Growth rushed is power wasted."
"I'll save it… for when it matters."
Far from Raqin's training grounds—
At the edge of the Black Mountain Range—
A group stood in silence.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Just ahead is the outskirts," the leader said calmly.
"This place… new territory."
He glanced at his men.
"Variant bloodlines. Human wannabes."
A grin spread across his face.
"Either way… profit."
"Alive fetches more," he continued.
"Slaves. Livestock."
A pause.
"If dead… meat. Or alchemy material."
A few chuckled.
"We're not human," he added coldly.
"We only wear the skin."
"Our insides… are different."
He held up a device.
"Synergy scanners. Don't break them."
"They cost more than your lives."
"Boss… can it really tell the difference?"
The leader stepped forward—
Activated the device—
Beep.
Green light.
"Us."
He pointed outward.
"Humans? Light blue."
"Now go."
They vanished into the forest.
Like ghosts.
The leader remained.
Still.
Silent.
Then—
He slowly lifted his sleeve.
A tattoo on his arm shifted.
Alive.
Whispering.
His eyes darkened.
"There's something here…"
"Opportunity… or death."
He looked toward the direction his subordinates had gone.
A faint, cunning smile appeared.
"Let the fools act as bait."
"I'll be the cicada…"
A pause.
"…watching the oriole."
Meanwhile, Drakey slipped out of the Blood Monkey's territory. In the blink of an eye, it reached the mountain where the group had settled—the very mountain imprisoning Raqin. Silent and unseen, it began observing them on his behalf.
The middle-aged man, missing an arm and a leg, lay resting in a hammock when his eyes suddenly snapped open.
A chill ran down his spine.
He felt it—something dangerous watching him.
Then he saw them.
A pair of glowing eyes in the distance.
"…That strange wolf again?" he muttered under his breath. "Does it plan to hunt us next?"
His gaze shifted sharply.
"James. Double the patrol. Reinforce the perimeter—barricade the tents."
He turned again.
"Lisa. Take those who can't fight. Start cutting down trees. We need defenses now. Our safety is already at risk."
"Really?" James blurted out. "Did you notice something, Uncle Marcus?"
Marcus' expression darkened.
"I sensed a terrifying presence… then I saw it. Those eyes. That wolf again."
A tense silence fell.
"What do we do now?" someone asked.
Marcus exhaled slowly.
"Other than me… only James and Lisa can protect you all. And we only have one Berserk Enigma Fruit."
Everyone stiffened.
They all knew the consequences.
The fruit could greatly increase qi capacity… but without a cultivation technique to regulate it—
The body would explode.
Marcus' voice softened, yet carried resolve.
"I'll take the risk."
They looked at him in shock.
"Don't look at me like that," he said calmly. "I've been stuck at peak 3rd level Mortal Realm for years. If sacrificing my future—crippling my foundation—is what it takes to keep you alive… then so be it."
Without another word, he turned and entered one of the tents.
Inside, he took out the Berserk Enigma Fruit.
For a moment… he just stared at it.
Then he sat cross-legged, steadied his breath—and swallowed it.
Instantly, violent energy erupted within him.
His qi capacity surged wildly.
It kept rising… swelling… expanding—
Until it hit its limit.
Marcus clenched his teeth.
"Now!"
He forcefully redirected the berserk energy toward his limbs.
"Ghk—!"
He coughed up a mouthful of blackish-red blood as his body convulsed.
"I must endure…!"
The energy raged through him like a storm. His bones cracked, muscles tore and reformed—
Then—
His missing arm and leg began regenerating at a visible rate.
His face twisted in unbearable pain, veins bulging, body trembling—
But he did not scream.
He endured.
Slowly… the violent energy subsided.
His breathing steadied.
When it was over, Marcus sat there—whole once more.
His cultivation remained at peak 3rd level Mortal Realm…
But his qi capacity had dropped to that of a 2nd level cultivator.
A heavy price.
He sighed, then stood and stepped outside.
Everyone was waiting.
Watching.
"Don't say anything," he said quietly. "I already know."
He looked at them all.
"What we lack most… are cultivation techniques and resources."
He gestured toward the vast wilderness.
"We're in the Black Mountain Range. Resources are abundant… but techniques are not."
His gaze hardened.
"My sacrifice ensures we survive—until we find a way forward."
Miles away, at the outskirts of the region—
A female hunter activated her Synergy Scanner, searching for traces of human aura.
A faint signal appeared.
She followed it.
Soon, she arrived at a waterfall.
Below it, two humanoid beings with antenna-like protrusions on their foreheads were fishing with crude wooden spears.
She sneered.
"Mosquito meat is still meat."
In a flash, she dove down.
Thud.
Both figures collapsed instantly—unconscious before they even realized what happened.
She pulled out a cube-like device, opened it, and retrieved two containment tubes. Swiftly, she sealed them inside.
The tubes hummed softly, inducing a coma.
She returned them into the cube.
"If I want the highest cut… enough to buy a cultivation technique… I have to outperform everyone."
Without hesitation, she vanished into the forest.
Elsewhere—
A massacre was unfolding.
A hunter stood amidst a bloodbath, surrounded by the corpses of wolf-like humanoids—beings with manes, glowing eyes, clawed hands, and digitigrade legs.
Before him, the Alpha and two of its strongest pack members fought desperately.
The hunter laughed wildly.
"Ha ha ha! This is amazing! I can finally kill as much as I want!"
His eyes gleamed with madness.
"Who cares if they're alive? The weak don't deserve to exist!"
Suddenly—
His comms buzzed.
"Ralph," a cold voice echoed, "you better not be ruining my profits. I'll skin you alive if you mess this operation up."
Ralph stiffened.
"Yes, boss! Right on it, sir!"
"I want them alive. Not dead. Are we clear?"
"…Yes, sir."
The connection cut.
Ralph exhaled shakily.
"Damn… just his voice…" he muttered. "Felt like I couldn't breathe."
His eyes darkened.
"If I ever reach his level… I'll kill him first."
He turned back to the wolf-humanoids.
"Well… since I can't kill all of you…"
His grin widened.
"One will do."
"Transform."
His body twisted grotesquely—
Limbs elongated, chitin spread across his skin, a scorpion stinger emerged from his back, and multiple legs unfolded beneath him.
A monstrous fusion of spider and scorpion.
The Alpha froze.
Fear flooded its mind.
"A mystic beast… with a cultivation technique…!"
It turned to flee—
—but the creature was already in front of it.
Behind it—
Silence.
Its companions were gone.
Dead.
It let out a furious, grief-filled roar. Its eyes turned blood-red as it charged, ignoring its fear.
The creature only laughed louder.
"Good! Show me that spirit!"
SHNK—!
The stinger pierced through the Alpha, pinning it to the ground.
"Don't worry," Ralph chuckled, reverting to human form. "You won't die…"
He crouched beside it, grinning.
"But that poison… will make you wish you did."
The Alpha convulsed in agony.
Laughing, Ralph sealed it into a containment tube and stored it.
He glanced around at the carnage.
Blood soaked the ground.
Bodies torn apart.
"…This is art," he murmured. "The art of blood."
He picked up his scanner again.
"I'll kill the weak… and keep the strong alive."
His smile returned.
"More efficient that way."
Then he disappeared into the wild once more.