'Finally…!'
Tony's eyelids trembled before slowly opening, his vision hazy as if he had just crawled back from the edge of death.
For a few long seconds, he didn't move. He simply floated at the bottom of the well, staring upward at the distant circle of light, his thoughts sluggish and disjointed.
He was still inside… Still submerged. And yet- He was breathing.
Not struggling. Not panicking. His lungs were filled with water, yet his body functioned as if nothing was wrong. The realization came slowly, like a delayed echo.
"So this is what changed…" he murmured, his voice rough, barely audible.
His body ached, but it was a dull, fading soreness… not the unbearable agony from before.
That pain had been something else entirely, something that clawed at both flesh and mind. Now, what remained was only the aftermath, a lingering reminder of what he had endured.
He closed his eyes briefly, letting his thoughts catch up.
A faint, uneven breath escaped his lips as he began moving upward, his body cutting through the water with unnatural ease. There was no resistance, no drag, as if the liquid itself accepted his presence.
As he rose, the memory of what he had gone through returned in fragments.
The boiling blood… The cracking bones… The feeling of being torn apart and rebuilt over and over again. Even recalling it made his chest tighten.
"If anyone told me body evolution is easy, I'd have laughed in their face," he muttered bitterly.
The thought of repeating that process sent a chill through him. No sane person would willingly go through such torment again.
Yet he knew better.
This wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
He let out a slow breath as he reached the surface, pulling himself out of the well with controlled movement.
His body landed lightly on the ground, far more stable than he expected. For a moment, he simply stood there, adjusting to the new sensations coursing through him.
Then he tested it.
A simple clench of his fist.
The response was immediate.
Power surged through his arm… dense, controlled, and far heavier than before. It wasn't explosive or chaotic. It was refined strength, compressed into every fiber of his body.
Tony's brows lifted slightly. "This is different…!"
Before, his strength had always felt external, something he had to consciously gather and direct. Now, it was part of him. Natural… Instinctive...
He rolled his shoulders slowly, feeling the shift in his muscles. Every movement carried precision. Every motion responded instantly to his intent. Even his breathing felt deeper, more efficient.
It was as if his entire body had been reforged into something sharper.
Something stronger.
He took a step forward.
And immediately stopped.
His movement had been too fast.
Tony blinked, glancing down at his feet, then forward again.
"That wasn't intentional..."
He tried again, this time controlling his pace.
Even then, his speed was noticeably higher. Not just faster… more explosive. The kind of speed that came without buildup, without warning.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Looks like I didn't come out of that hell empty-handed."
His gaze lifted.
The beasts were still there in the distance… staring at him with caution.
The same pack that had nearly torn him apart earlier now stood at a distance, their eyes fixed on him. But this time, their posture had changed. There was hesitation. Wariness.
Tony stepped forward.
"Come on," he said quietly, his tone almost inviting. "You were so eager before."
The pack leader growled, stepping forward with bared fangs. The rest followed, their formation tightening as they circled him once more.
Tony didn't reach for a weapon or Didn't prepare to retreat.
Instead, he lowered his stance slightly, letting his body settle into familiarity.
The first form of the Tyrant Dragon Fist emerged naturally.
Silent Punch!
His blood surged, his muscles coiling with contained force. His entire body aligned into a single, precise motion.
BOOM!
The ground beneath his feet cracked instantly as he pushed forward, his body cutting through the space between them in a blur. Before the nearest beast could react, his fist drove forward.
A dull explosion echoed.
The impact didn't just strike.. it erupted outward, sending a compressed wave of force through the air. The beast's body folded mid-motion, its form thrown backward as if it had collided with something immovable.
Tony's eyes slightly widened. "That felt… AWSOME!"
He flexed his fingers once more, testing the sensation, then turned toward the rest of the pack.
"Let's try that again." This time, he didn't wait.
He stepped forward again, his movements faster, more fluid. Each strike landed with crushing precision, his fists moving like controlled bursts of force. The beasts that rushed him were no longer threats—they were targets.
One fell.
Then another.
Then three more.
The difference was undeniable.
Within moments, the pack began to break. Their growls turned uncertain, their movements hesitant. They stepped back.
Tony didn't chase… He simply stood there, watching.
One by one, the beasts retreated, disappearing into the forest without looking back.
Silence followed.
Tony lowered his hand slowly, glancing at his palm as if seeing it for the first time.
"So this is what that suffering bought me." There was no excitement in his voice.
This wasn't power he had borrowed… This was something carved into his body.
Something earned through pain. He exhaled slowly, his gaze lifting toward the darkened sky above.
"But it's still not enough.." The realization came naturally.
Even with this strength, he wasn't at the top. Not yet. There were still those far above him… people who could crush him without effort if he remained stagnant.
And then… There was her. Lily Frost… A Heaven-blessed existence.
If someone like that stood against him, raw strength alone wouldn't be enough.
His thoughts paused for a moment before another realization surfaced.
"How long was I down there…?!"
If too much time had passed, the situation outside might have already changed. His disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed, especially not in a place like this.
Tony's gaze swept across the forest, sharper now, more aware of every subtle movement and sound.
Just as he was thinking of the exit path… he heard some faint footsteps from far away.