An: In this chapter, this is the moment where you all have been waiting for, where all the fun and a major important part of the story!

Ready for your snacks and drinks, my fellow readers. This is where the fun part begins!!

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"Hahaha! Lambs to the slaughter!"

As the cyclops's deep, yet almost playful voice echoed in the dead of night, the bodies of everyone present shivered and the very air itself seemed to vibrate as it congratulated his appearance.

He hefted his giant club he wielded on his shoulder and the beads he wore across his broad chest clattered and danced with each movement.

"Hehehe… look at their faces. They look like sniveling rats!"

At his words, the hundred men under his command burst into cold and cruel laughter.

He wasn't wrong, though. The moment most of the people who gazed at him were able to fully capture his presence, they were shaking profusely.

Was it because they were surrounded by a hundred people? No, not really. They’d faced dangers before and come out unscathed.

Then what was it? What could cause such fear among the very people that had experienced safe travels thus far?

It had to do with the cyclops himself.

“T-that’s… Polyphemus!”

“What’s he doing here? H-how...?”

“This is bad... really bad!”

The voices of the scared men reached the ears of the giant dark-skinned cyclop, and he threw his head back, bursting out into more laughter.

"Looks like you're not totally blinded by the darkness. You all know how fucked you are!"

More laughter echoed from the men around. They were all dressed considerably casually. Other than the scattered Magic Artifacts and crude weapons that they wielded, they looked like mere ruffians than warriors.

One could even think they weren't really serious about the plunder and slaughter they were intending on partaking in.

The reason for their lackadaisical attitude towards their gear and even proper defensive measures was due to the colossal being that was their champion.

Polyphemus. The Warrior of Blood and Iron!

Or, as most called him... The Rock.

He was one of the Eight Heads of the Mercenary Gang. A savage warrior who craved the blood of his victims and loved the thrill of battle. His mere presence alone was enough to elicit sheer intimidation, and his strength commanded a fearful respect.

Even his name was enough to make one tremble.

Even Yuri, the fearless warrior of the ExRump Corporation, was not immune to the pressure he exuded.

“How… did you get in here? W-what happened to the buyer?” she managed to ask while summoning her blade and settling into a battle stance.

“Oho? This bitch has got some nerve… asking me questions like that…”

Yuri's gaze squinted slightly, showing just how intimidated she was of her opponent. But she refused to back down.

“Well, let’s see…” Polyphemus sneered.

He let his massive spiked club drop to the ground, creating a crater and sending debris scattering. The earth-shaking impact made onlookers shrink back, some even jumping in fright.

But Yuri maintained her stance.

"If you're talking about that artifact thingy, we swiped it off that guy's corpse after we ‘murked’ him."

The pink-haired girl gritted her teeth as she watched the ebony-skinned cyclops reach into his dirty pocket and pull something out.

It was white, round, and covered in a slimy liquid.

Polyphemus tossed it towards Yuri, allowing it to roll on the ground as it closed the distance towards her.

"I gotta keep that as a souvenir, but you can keep it."

The white 'thing' tapped Yuri's shoes, and she looked down to see what it was.

It was an eyeball.

"You…"

Yuri's green eyes instantly began to brighten in rage, and energy swelled from her body. It seemed like she totally forgot her fear and embraced the wrath that was slowly consuming her.

No one knew this, except Yuri, Barron/Elon, and Lord Rumpan himself, but the man whose eyeball was now looking right at her was someone Yuri owed a great deal to.

He was the one who saw her skill with the sword and brought her to the ExRump Corporation.

Yet, here he was, dead.

"I'LL KILL YOU…!!!"

BOOOM!

The ground splintered as Yuri launched herself towards the man she glared at with such ominous hate.

Her fury knew no bounds as she activated her skill [Warrior's Mantle]. Pink energy consumed her body, and her eyes gleamed with incandescent light.

But she wasn’t finished.

Her [Berserker] Class had a privilege, among others, that allowed her to attain even more power.

[Rampage]

In exchange for her properly functioning mental faculties, she would be granted an explosive surge in power. Up to triple the amount she already had to match that of a Transcendent.

"UROAAAHHHHH!!!" She screamed, unable to properly utter coherent words at this point as her voice devolved into primal rage and charged forward, parting the winds that stood in her way.

Within a second, she was able to traverse the several meters that existed between her and her target. Her muscles enlarged as she tightly gripped her sword to deliver a powerful strike.

However…

CLANG!

Yuri's blade was met with the unyielding force of her opponent's spiky club. Sparks flew as the both made contact, sending a shockwave flying all around them.

"GRRRRR!!!"

Twisting her body to absorb the impact, she rushed to his unprotected right flank and prepared to strike again to deal another damage, but before she realized it, his club intercepted her blade with lightning speed.

SWOOSH!

The thing rose up, pushing Yuri into the air with the brute strength being released by her grinning adversary.

It made her even more enraged as she jumped away from the club, nimble like an animal. She flipped in the air and landed right behind him, her prey, wielding her blade with the most power she could muster.

“DIEEEEEEEEE!!!”

With a savage cry, she swung her sword with all her might, aiming a decisive and horizontal strike.

SWOOSH!

Her blade crashed down, and—

Crack!

“Eh…?!”

Yuri stared in disbelief as the blade of her sword shattered, all without drawing a single drop of blood from her adversary.

This despair pierced her rage, bringing a fleeting moment of clarity as her eyes became clear for just a second, allowing for rational thought.

'What just… happened…?!'

Yuri was currently thrice as strong as she would be normally, which meant her strength, speed, and resilience had tripled to the point she was almost at the same level as Polyphemus in power.

She was sure her enchanted Orichulcum blade had made an impact, and her swordsmanship skills were her pride.

Yet after all her efforts, she stared at the broken remains of her weapon, and wondering how she could possibly be in this moment of utter defeat.

Right as she was thinking this, a massive fist came from the cyclop before her and dug itself right into her stomach.

"PUACK!"

Vomits mixed with blood were forcefully ejected from Yuri's mouth and her bloodshot eyes seemed to neatly pop out of their sockets as she choked on the impact.

"Hahahaha! Pathetic! Did you really think you could win?"

As Yuri's body floated in the air, barely conscious, the man grabbed her by her short pink hair with one hand and landed another brutal fist into her face with another.

“Come on, boys! Sing along while I beat this bitch to pieces!!”

At his command, the men around him broke into a chant.

“““They gon' rumble! They gon' take yo' face off!!”””

“““They gon' rumble! They gon' take yo' face off!!”””

“““They gon' rumble! They gon' take yo' face off!!”””

“““They gon’ rumble! They gon' take yo' face off!!””

With each line, Polyphemus’s club whistled through the air.

“It’s about drive!” he growled as he swung the weapon with impossible speed, smashing Yuri like a baseball bat and sending her flying into the air like a ragdoll caught in a storm.

"It's about power!" he continued, reappearing before her midair in an instant and slammed the club down at her from a new angle, launching her back into the ground.

“We stay hungry, we devour!” His strikes came with blinding speed, each one bending the air with force as he reappeared to drive her into the earth.

“Put in the work! Put in the hours, and take what’s ours!”

“““WOOH!!!”””

The men’s voices grew louder and fiercer as each line drove Polyphemus to deliver bone-crushing blows that slammed Yuri in every direction.

“Black and Samoan in my veins, my culture bangin’ with Strange!” he roared as he landed another blow that sent Yuri spinning through the air.

"I changed the game so what's my motherfuckin' name?"

“““““ROCK!!!”””””

BOOOOOMMM!!!

With that final word, he lifted the club high and thundered down with all his might, smashing Yuri into the ground and creating a large crater blossoming beneath her as the impact shook the entire city.

Buildings shuddered, and the ground trembled as dust and rubble swirled up high into the air, sealing the area in a grim silence as the dust slowly cleared.

For Yuri, all that blow she received shattered most of her teeth, dislocated her jaw, broke her nose in her squished face, and was barely able to breath.

"G-Gurgh!" She lay on the ground, covered in dirt and too powerless to stand.

Yuri felt her consciousness fading as her brain pounded and she could hardly feel any pain, but her body wasn't responding to her any longer.

Her swollen eyes slightly popped open as her blurry vision caught the cyclop holding his spiky club as he intended to smash it on her.

That would be more than enough to settle it. Yuri already realized it.

All her mana was spent, and once the club made contact with her body, she was going to be totally crushed by it, turning into a mix of thick red paste and mangled pink flesh.

She would die a brutal death… just like her victims.

'I don't… want to die…'

As the club descended upon her, Yuri had this one thought.

'Sir Rumpan… Lord Barron… anyone… please save me.'

Unfortunately, the two people she mentioned were nowhere near close to save her, not one close enough to hear her desperate call.

Or so it seemed.

And right as her blurry vision went dark and her consciousness began to slip away, she noticed a small red dot appear on Polyphemus’s chest.

And then—

BANG!!!

————————————————————————

[Moments Earlier]

'Polyphemus? That name sounds familiar…'

Watching the crowd tremble, Riley couldn’t help but feel a bit left out. Everyone else seemed to know exactly who this hulking cyclops was, muttering his name in hushed, fearful tones. He became curious and resorted to the only way to satisfy his current state.

“Hey, Polities,” he whispered to his radio to contact the elf member of his team, “You’re local here. Do you know who he is?”

[Yeah, he’s one of the Eight Heads of Destruction. Known for his immense strength and nearly unbreakable defense, he’s considered invincible by most. According to your Mana-Monitoring device, his Magicule Level is over 15,230.]

"Ah, I see."

Riley had been hearing about the Mercenary Gang's Executives and how scary they were supposed to be, but he never expected to meet one of them so soon.

This man, Polyphemus, certainly looked the part, and judging by everyone’s reactions, he was the real deal.

But something didn’t sit right.

‘That’s strange… 15,000?’ Riley frowned. It was a high number, enough to reach Transcendent level, but it wasn’t nearly as high as he’d anticipated.

The Eight Heads of Destruction were supposedly powerful enough to give the Elf Queen herself a run for her money, but this level didn’t seem to match those tales.

Compared to Melian’s Magicule Level of over 200,000, Polyphemus seemed almost... underwhelming.

While Riley was thinking, the cyclops managed to piss off Yuri.

BOOOM!

Riley heard the ground shatter with an earth-rending boom and watched Yuri charging Polyphemus with an unbelievable amount of speed and ferocity as her body surges with pink energy.

Riley glanced down at his Mana-Monitoring device and widened his eyes as he saw her numbers spike into five digits.

‘Her levels are rising like crazy. If she keeps this up, she might even have a chance.’

He already knew her power was much lower than Polyphemus’, but with her tripling the base numbers, she is enough to rival Polyphemus’ level and a chance for her.

For one, Riley felt she would be more skilled in actual combat.

He wasn't wrong.

Despite the gap in level, Yuri did extremely well and fought an impressive fight.

By the time she landed behind Polyphemus and went for the kill, Riley felt strangely proud of her and watched what would happen.

[Oh, and Captain,] Polities’s voice chimed in. [What makes Polyphemus truly terrifying is his skill [Damage Nullification]. It grants him a perfect body that nullifies any damage given, as long as they do not exceed your total Magicule Level.]

Riley felt a surge of dopamine hit his body after he heard Polities’ words.

‘With this Skill, he won't even take damage from anything weaker than him.’

As long as his opponent's Magicule Level was lower, even if it was by 1 unit, he could not be harmed in the slightest.

It was no wonder they called him invincible. One fighter or a hundred, it doesn't matter. If anyone was even remotely weaker too faced him, it would end in their inevitable defeat.

Riley took a slow deep breath as he watched Yuri’s next move.

“That… would be problematic.”

————————————————————————

“Damn, I did not expect that bloody cyclops to show up here,” Polities grumbled as he stood next to the window looking outside. “That guy’s ridiculously strong.”

“You know him?” Belinski asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” Polities nodded with a grim expression. “I saw him single-handedly tear down an entire Orc stronghold and fought multiple High Orcs on his own…” He spat at the side in irritation. “Ran into him in a bar once too. He nearly crushed me with that stupid club of his. If it wasn’t for his damn [Damage Nullification], I would’ve given him a nosebleed that night.”

"Well, we have to be careful with him," Mason suddenly said, "He is here and dangerous."

“Well, maybe we’re lucky we’ve got that bunny girl to handle him,” Tavish said. “Hopefully, she might buy us enough time to learn his weaknesses. The last thing we want is to waste our strength on a Transcendent.”

“Speaking of exhaustion…” Woods chimed in with a smirk. “Considering how bunnies breed in our world, I could imagine Captain is completely exhausted while that bunny girl isn't and want more~”

Belinski shot Woods a look. “You realize our captain’s over 40 years old, and that bunny girl seemed old enough to be a freshman college student. They are literally 20 years apart, man.”

Woods just shrugged, unfazed. “Still beats not getting any.”

The men shared a low chuckle among themselves, but their amusement was shattered by a sudden, violent rumble that shook the building they were in.

"What's going on?" Belinski asked as he quickly put away the precious radio equipment into a leather carrier while Mason and Tavish brought out their guns from their Spatial Rings.

Their heads snapped toward the window, and silence fell as they took in the sight outside. Yuri was sprawled on the ground, her face bloodied and barely recognizable. Above her, Polyphemus stood there with his spiked club raised high in the air, about to be smashed on her entire body.

[Woods and Belinski, you two form one team and engage on the field to rescue the girl, this is now a rescue mission,] Riley ordered through the radio. [Mason and Tavish, you’re with me as the second team. Polities, go up top and keep watch from the roof.]

The members of Tempest Scion split up as ordered, each moving quickly to their designated positions.

Polities hoisted himself up from the side of the window and hooked his feet over the roof shingles before rolling himself up onto the surface. He leaned down, grabbing his gear handed out from the window by Mason and set it aside as he extended a hand to help the others climb up.

“Captain, I’m taking the enemy leader. He’s mine!” Polities declared as he set into position with his scoped AF-3, eyeing the cyclops’s broad chest through the 6x scope.

[Understood. Team two, get the girl. Team one, distract the surrounding enemies with the Monster Repellent!]

“Roger that!” Everyone except Polities swung down from the roof and rapidly disappeared from view..

Riley continued, [Polities, provide as much cover as you can while they pull the girl out. And remember, guys, don’t tangle with the Mercenary Gang Executive solo!]

“Roger that, captain!” Polities confirmed while making sure that his gear was properly secured as he sat with one knee raised. He braced his left elbow against it and used it as support for his rifle and aimed at Polyphemus, who was sauntering toward the injured Yuri with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

The dim lights barely cast enough lights to illuminate him but under the scope, Polities centered the crosshair squarely on the cyclops’ broad chest, feeling the tension mount as his finger curled around the trigger.

“This one’s for nearly killing me, you fuck.”

BANG!!!

The shot barely could be heard over the chaotic noise of shouts and cheers of the surrounding Mercenary Gang members celebrating their leader. The soft puff of the barrel whisked away by the night breeze, and Polities watched with satisfaction as the adamantite bullet cut through the air at hypersonic speed, dropping neatly toward its target.

————————————————————————

Polyphemus’s grin widened as he looked down at the girl before him, savoring the thrill. There was something raw and exhilarating about killing innocent-looking people, a different satisfaction from slaughtering monsters, which felt even sweeter.

"Stay there, little bunny," He laughed cheerfully. "It's a nice night to die!"

Just then, his senses warned him of danger, and he subconsciously activated his magical defenses just in time before something slammed against his chest powerful enough to knock him back a step. Frowning, he glanced down and was surprised to see a strange, flat object hovering mere centimeters from his chest, held back by the faint flickering of his magical barrier.

Curious, he plucked the object from where it hovered and turned it over between his thick fingers. It wasn’t a throwing dart, nor an arrowhead. It looked like no hidden weapon he’d ever seen as he ran his thumb over its smooth, heavy surface.

Then, his curiosity turned to a flicker of admiration as he realized it was adamantite.

"If not for my [Damage Nullification],” he muttered, his grin returning, “That would’ve punched a hole straight through me.”

Whoever had launched this wasn’t just skilled. They were bold enough to face him with a weapon meant to pierce his defenses. Crushing the heavy pellet with a single squeeze, he felt it flatten in his grip as he narrowed his gaze and scanned the area for the one who dared challenge him.

————————————————————————

Polities cursed under his breath, “Frak! So close!” He worked the bolt of his rifle and re-aimed his scope at Polyphemus, only to lock eyes with the cyclop, who seemed to know exactly where he was. “Shit!”

He quickly keyed his communicator in his pointy ear. “I failed to take out the enemy leader! Make ready. He's coming, and he’s shielded!”

The members of Tempest Scion acknowledged his warning and prepared themselves for the strong fight ahead.

“Roger!” Belinski replied as he took a running leap across the rooftops with inhuman reflex, propelled by the gauntlet he had stolen from the auction house.

As he landed heavily on another building, the tiles shattered beneath him, and pieces of tiles slid down and fell below.

“Who the hell is that?” one of the Mercenary Gang members shouted, pointing at Belinski.

Before anyone could react, Woods raised a smoke grenade launcher and fired into the midst of the crowd. But instead of smoke, a cloud of Monster Repellent gas erupted, causing the Mercenary Gang members to recoil and scream in disgust.

“What the fuck!? It smells like shit!!”

Seizing the moment, Belinski used the power of his gauntlet and rushed forward with incredible speed, ignoring the yells and curses thrown his way as he shouldered roughly aside anyone in his path. He drew his Fire Magic shotgun and quickly checked its readiness as he charged out into the crowd where he saw the cyclop.

“Hey, alien scum!” Belinski shouted as he aimed his weapon at the approaching cyclop. “Over here!”

Polyphemus looked at the person dressed in full black armor, equipped with strange gadgets and holding a weapon that resembled a pole.

“And you are…?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Belinski quickly interrupted him as he pulled the trigger and fired a rapid series of magic fire ammunition at the cyclops standing there, while advancing step by step toward the fallen bunny girl.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Polyphemus’s face twisted in disbelief as his magical barrier was suddenly hammered by a torrent of attacks. Sparks and smoke exploded all over as fire magic in shotgun bullets collided against his shield that forced him to step backward.

"What sorcery is this?" His usual smile disappeared and was replaced by a cold glare directed at the man wielding the strange pole that was smoking and popping away with sparks at him. "A musket?"

He narrowed his eyes as he felt his magic shield starting to weaken dangerously fast under the attack. But even if his passive magic shield was breached and left him vulnerable, he knew his [Damage Nullification] would nullify any attack without a problem.

“Pathetic.” He muttered before he decided to cast his next skill.

“[Intimidating Aura].”

————————————————————————

As the battle raged on, a hundred men that stood around watched the scene in silence, until one of them finally broke it.

“Hey guys, are we going to help the boss?”

The man beside him shook his head. “Nah, let him cook.”

“But… he’s not even cooki—”

“It’s just a saying I picked up. Anyway, let him cook.”

“Aren't you worried these strangers might actually beat him?”

“Nah, he'll win.”

————————————————————————

Riley ran up next to Mason and gave him a quick slap on his shoulder to signal his presence. Mason dropped down on one knee and swiftly swapped out his empty magazine while Riley advanced up firing single, precise shots from his AF-2 at the flickering red-black magic shield covering the cyclops.

Reaching Yuri, Riley knelt and quickly checked the girl's pulse with his left hand, all the while keeping up steady fire. "She’s still got a pulse!" he shouted over his shoulder to Mason, who joined him at Yuri's side.

“Holy crap,” Mason muttered as his eyes widened at the condition of the injured girl. The injuries appeared so worse that it was a miracle she was still alive. “She looks terrible! Polities, we need you here now with your elf magic!”

[Roger that,] Polities’ voice crackled over the squad channel. [ETA... five mikes!]

“Reloading!” Riley called out, and Mason immediately took over, spamming shots and laying down cover fire to pin down the cyclops and prevent him from doing any action.

“Oh no,” Mason muttered as Polyphemus began to glow an ominous red. “He’s activating a skill! We need to pull back, now!”

“Go! I’ve got Yuri!” Riley yelled as he placed his AF-2 on his Spatial Ring and grabbed the unconscious girl over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. “Go, go, go!”

But then…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr8EPMRN0rg

VRRRRUUU—!

A sudden blinding flare of bright light illuminated the entire area, turning night into day. Everyone felt the sheer terror of Polyphemus’s unleashed power, especially the mercenaries, though the Caravan members within the protective barrier remained shielded from the worst of it.

“RAWRRRR!!”

With a monstrous roar, Polyphemus dashed forward, leaving a crater in his wake and swinging his colossal club in an intent to crush his foes into dust.

Thankfully, the enchanted helmets worn by the Tempest Scions glowed in response, shielding the team from the mental and psychological attack of Polyphemus’s [Intimidating Aura].

“DOWN!” Mason yelled and threw himself out of the way from the cyclops’ path while Riley dropped flat on the floor while cradling and protecting Yuri as best he could before a flash of light smashed into the mercenaries nearby.

Wails and screams erupted as Polyphemus’s swing reduced several dozen of his own men to crushed remains.

Mason, after rolling away, scrambled up to a firing position and fired at Polyphemus, but cursed as he watched his bullets bounce harmlessly off Polyphemus’s skin.

"Damn it!"

Polyphemus, now looking like some supervillain in the 2D picture movies Mason had watched back in base, was bathed in a menacing red aura covering his whole body. The barbarian cyclop turned his gaze on Mason, who continued to fire at him despite the futility. Closing in, Polyphemus swung his club with brutal force in an attempt to crush Mason.

"Shit!" Mason shouted and kicked off from where he was crouching and rolled away just as the impact shattered the wall he’d been crouched beside, sending debris and dust into the air.

"These are the times I hate magic!"

Riley pushed himself up and lifted the girl onto his shoulder, "Keep him busy, I’m getting Yuri to safety!"

“W-what?” Mason shouted as he heard his captain’s command over the comms. “Are you serious? No backup?”

“Polities! Snipe that one-eyed bastard!” Riley snapped as he took the moment to run away from Polyphemus, who was too focused on trying to crush Mason into a pulp.

“Wait, Captain!” Polities’ voice crackled back. “That crazy son of a bitch blew up the building I was in!” Coughing through the dust, he climbed out from the rubbles covered in brick and stone dust from the second floor. “I swear, I hate fighting magic users!”

“Aren’t you one yourself?” Woods teased as he and Tavish rounded the corner, ignoring the crushed bodies and the smell of rotten flesh. “Engaging!”

“Don’t forget me!” Belinski shouted, leveling his shotgun and firing a burst of magic ammunition rounds that exploded into fiery blasts on impact.

A barrage of sparks, flames, and mithril rounds peppered Polyphemus, as Woods, Tavish, Belinski, Mason, and finally Polities launched coordinated fire from all angles.

Polyphemus jerked in surprise, and despite his skill [Damage Nullification] protecting him from harm, the kinetic energy was still transferred into his body and knocked him around.

Seizing the moment, Belinski dropped his empty shotgun and quickly summoned the Arcane Storm Launcher from his Spatial Ring.

“Fire in the hole!!” he shouted, bracing himself as he fired the launcher, and the powerful recoil of the magic bazooka barely a bother thanks to his mithril exo-suit and gauntlets.

The 100mm mithril-core warhead streaked toward Polyphemus at blinding speed, aimed right for his center mass.

But…



Polyphemus effortlessly snatched the rocket mid-air and examined it with mild curiosity.

“Were these from the dwarv—”



BOOOOM!!!

Before he could react, the warhead detonated in his grasp, and the power from the mana-infused blast roared as it sent the barbarian cyclops flying into the ruins of a wall with a cry of shock and pain tearing from his throat.

“Now, RUN!” Riley shouted.

Without a second thought, the team turned and sprinted, not bothering to confirm if the cyclops was dead or not, just hell-bent on escaping with their lives intact.

————————————————————————

Polyphemus coughed and spat out blood as he laid in the ruins of the brick wall. His magical aura gently ebbed away, and the crimson glow around his body died down.

Whatever weapon they had used, it was powerful enough to bypass his [Damage Nullification] and shatter his passive magic barrier, resulting in recieving wounds he hadn’t felt in decades now throbbed painfully.

Gritting his teeth, Polyphemus pushed himself wobbly up and spat another mouthful of blood. He pressed his swollen arms and sore chest where the bullets had hit him, each impact a reminder of the assault’s force.

Leaning down with a wince, he picked up a mangled shard of mithril and grind it into dust in his hand.

"Now this is something new," His cold and hard glaze disappeared and was replaced by a twisted smile. "I haven't bled in over fifty years!"

Ignoring the anxious calls of his men, Polyphemus stepped forward with fury simmering beneath his calm expression. He had marked those who dared to wound him, and soon they would taste his wrath.

Vrrrrr—!

At that moment, a low hum echoed as his massive club began to vibrate, charged with mana that doesn't appear to be owned by him.

Inhaled deeply, he let out a guttural earth-shaking roar that seemed to resonate with the very ground beneath him.

“RAWWRRRR!!!”

A whirlwind of dense mana erupted around Polyphemus and began to expand in a pulsing wave. It became even dense to the point it consumed the entire field and swallowed everything in its path, including the Tempest Scions, all except for Riley, who had managed to slip inside the barrier just in time.

“Guys!” Riley’s face went pale as he watched his team vanish into the cyclops’s oppressive aura. Panic clawed at him, but he forced himself to focus, even as the weight of Polyphemus’s mana pressed down on him, making his mithril armor to unable to continue enduring the extreme pressure from this power.

In that instant, Riley knew that he needed to do something. He had to act, now, or they would all die here.

Steeling himself, Riley reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. He eyed the shimmering liquid inside with a mixture of hope and trepidation.

"I knew keeping some of this might come in handy. Let’s hope it works." He whispered to himself

With a deep breath, he popped the cork and downed the potion in one swift gulp. The taste was unexpectedly bland, almos5 like water, but with a strange metallic aftertaste that lingered at the back of his throat.

For a moment, nothing changed. He stood there, waiting for any sign of the potion’s effects as heart pounded in anticipation.

Ever since the Austronesia Empire had entered this world, Riley understood their greatest limitation.

Their humanity.

Riley possessed powerful weapons, advanced tactics, and elite training that taught him in his years of his military carrer.

However, even despite all that, that wasn’t enough. In this world, humans were biologically inferior, and it is a fact that even the Austronesian Government accepted it.

Fortunately, the Austronesia Empire’s technology allowed them to fight with powerful beings capable of threatening entire cities.

But in this world, where mana could strengthen the body almost limitlessly, there will always be beings out there that not even nuclear weapons held little guarantee. They had learned that all too well during the New Year Tragedy when facing the Demon Lord.

Thus, Riley concluded that the easiest way to survive against this harsh world is to embrace the world’s rules, to bolster their physical strength with mana.

And so, he had secretly acquired and stored the Mana Symbiote for himself and his team, a radical move that he hid from the Empire he was loyal to, aware that the Secret Imperial Police would not approve of such actions and no doubt they would do something worse for them once they found out.

Back in the present, after he had drunk the vial that contained the Mana Symbiote, nothing happened at the start, but a few seconds later, his face turned completely pale as a wave of nausea hit him.

Then, the sensation hit him.

"Ugh!"

A groan of pain escaped from his lips as his body convulsed.

That was the beginning of one of the most painful and agonizing moments in Riley’s life.

It started as a mild heat radiating from his stomach, like he’d swallowed a burning coal that didn’t scorch but simmered. The warmth spread quickly through his body, creeping up his chest, into his arms, and down to his legs. His hands twitched involuntarily, and a thin sheen of sweat broke out across his forehead.

All of sudden, blood started to flow out of his nose, ears, and eyes. His sight became blurry, and his body started to tremble violently in pain.

Two seconds after the pain started, he collapsed on the ground as his head was attacked by a soul-splitting headache.

His pores leaked out blood crazily, and his skin seemed to squirm as though it was alive.

It was as though his entire body was rebelling against him. Every part of his body, from his fingers to his liver, heart, and lungs, was twitching and twisting in pain.

As though they wanted to break out of his body.

"Sir Ghost, what is happening!?"

“Are you okay, Sir Ghost?!”

The caravan members around him called his name in a panic, but he could barely hear them through the pain as it consumed him, and with the last shred of his consciousness, he cursed his own recklessness.

Why in the hell did he think he could use this dangerous thing as a trump card!?

It would be a miracle if he doesn't kill himself.

Beneath his skin, the Mana Symbiote was already at work. It flowed into his bloodstream, searching for the perfect cells to latch onto. Riley could feel a strange tingling sensation, as if tiny creatures were crawling through his veins. The symbiote reached his nervous system, targeting the neurons and attaching itself like a delicate spider weaving its web. With each connection, it began to modify the cellular structure, crafting tiny mana receptors on a microscopic level.

Riley’s breath quickened as his body responded. His nerves felt like they were on fire, but not from pain, more like electricity surging through him, lighting up pathways that had been dormant his entire life.

Just as he felt he might lose consciousness entirely due to the nightmarish pain, a soft and gentle energy entered his body, soothing his pain slightly.

That energy quickly grew, going from a slight tickle to a torrent that seemed to run through his body, relieving the pain. Then, suddenly, Riley felt an incredible pleasure that sent shivers down his spine.

His vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared, he noticed something he hadn’t been able to see before, the faintest shimmer of energy in the air around him.

Mana.

He could see it, feel it coursing through everything around him.

“Amazing…” It was all he could think to say.

The entire process of the symbiote transforming his body did not last more than three seconds, but in these three seconds, Riley went from hell to heaven.

And when he fully opened his eyes again, his body felt better than ever.

Even though the gravity was several times stronger than normal, Riley did not find it hard to stand up. The endless energy in his muscles, blood, and cells supplied him with the strength to overcome the gravity.

At the same time, his senses felt much sharper than before.

The symbiote continued its work, now adjusting his entire metabolic system. The receptors it created began pulling mana from the environment, threading it into his body like a tailor threading a needle through fabric. Riley gasped as his muscles tightened and the mana filled him with a strength he had never known.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head. He stumbled, catching himself on the stone table beside him. The symbiote had reached his brain. For a few agonizing seconds, it felt as though something was clawing through his mind, rearranging his thoughts, forcing open new channels. He could feel his consciousness expanding, as if an unseen door had been unlocked.

And then, just as quickly as it began, the sensation faded.

Riley blinked, and instantly sensed that something had changed which shocked him to his core.

Everything around and about him changed forever.

At first, it felt like something was surging through his body, like currents of electricity, fused into his very being. He soon found those to be the cells within his body.

He was connected to every last one.

His mind expanded beyond what he previously perceived as normal, and he was perfectly in sync with every facet of his body, feeling each heartbeat, each twitch of muscle, the very pulse of his own energy.

Not only did he feel much stronger than before, but his perspective on everything within and without was completely altered.

He could now see the world around him with a perfect, 360-degree angle, having complete awareness of his surroundings.

He felt everything-from the tension of the air, to the particles that floated around him. Every detail in the area was burned into his memory and perfectly registered, and he processed everything within a tiny fraction of a moment.

The further away things were, the less details he had of them, but everything within the area was completely assimilated into his mind.

It felt like a whole stream of knowledge was imparted into him, and that was only the beginning.

"These particles in the air... they're Mana?” He whispered, feeling astonished. Not only could he detect every strand of Mana, as if they were visible elements of reality, but he could feel their flow, their trajectory, and even the sources from which they originated.

Even when he closed his eyes, he perceived a completely different world, one where there was darkness, but the outline of everything around him still remained. He could perfectly sense things, but it felt different, like a subtle contrast between normal sight and an unseen layer of reality.

It wasn't worse, just different.

Another difference between his two senses were like night and day, sort of like infrared and normal vision. The contrast that they both offered gave him a new and different perspective of the room around him.

'I should get used to them somehow...'

He realized his hand was pressed to his forehead while constantly narrowing his gaze, as if trying to find a balance between both aspects of his senses.

Anytime he blinked, the colors around would contrast and clash, driving his senses into a constant state of confusion. The reason was due to the contrasting nature of both kinds of senses, and also due to his inexperience in managing them.

Having everything hit at once was anything but ideal for him. His awareness had expanded, yes, but striking a balance between these senses was already proving to be a monumental task.

As Riley glanced at his surroundings, he noticed something he’d never seen before, he could perceive the dense aura of magical energy swirling around the bodies of everyone around him, except his human team members.

Each aura flowed from outside to within. It was as though his eyes had been tuned to see the hidden currents of power within them, revealing the strength and mana levels that each person carried by the density and intensity of their mana.

Yuri and Polyphemus, in particular, radiated vast reserves of mana, making it clear who held the greatest strength and far surpassed the others around them. Others had far smaller concentrations, allowing Riley to instantly assess the power dynamics between allies and foes.

With a focused gaze on the mana in each person, Riley was utterly astonished as he found he could even isolate and examine individual Magicules on a microscopic level.

It took him a fraction of a second to calculate each one instinctively, like a supercomputer parsing data.

In essence, he could measure an individual's Magicule Level without the help of the Mana-Monitoring device.

The weakest among them had only around 5,523 Magicules, while Polyphemus, the strongest among them, possessed a staggering 20,000, and that number was still climbing, not by the mana in the surroundings, but rather coming from the giant club he carried, as if that weapon store a vast amount of mana and power Polyphemus could borrowed.

Riley straightened up and panted heavily. His entire body felt entirely differently. It became lighter, sharper, and deeply connected to the energy around him. Glancing at his hands, he watched tiny sparks of energy danced between his fingers, and a slow grin spread across his face.

He extended a hand, focusing instinctively on the surrounding mana, and felt it answered his call, swirling into his palm as a soft blue light. The symbiote had done its work perfectly.

For the first time, Riley could wield mana.

He clenched his fist, watching as the energy dissipated. Then he noticed a few caravan members standing by, staring in silent shock.

“Sir Ghost, are you alright? What’s with all the blood?” one of them asked, clearly worried.

Riley glanced down and only then did he realize his clothes were soaked in blood, and a dark pool had formed where he’d collapsed.

"I'm alright," he reassured them with a nod.

Taking in the scene around him, he saw that in the short time he was unconscious, the situation had only worsened.

Most of his team had been injured by the cyclops and were desperately resisting his attacks.

Fortunately, while he’d been unconscious, Riley had been protected by the golden barrier that Polities had set up while he was unconscious. Thanks to that, Riley had not been killed by one of the enemies outside.

'I should not be this reckless again.' Riley chastised himself in his mind. His 'genius' idea this time had not only put him at risk but could have endangered the entire team. If things had gone wrong, his entire team could have died.

But now, his bet has paid off.

He could feel power humming inside him, and the sensation was exhilarating.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his AF-2 rifle and started moving forward toward his team.

"S-Sir Ghost, where are you going? You’re still injured!" one of the caravan members protested, trying to hold him back, but Riley simply gave them a calm, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

Riley continued walking forward while his gaze locked onto Polyphemus as the cyclops hefted his massive, spiked club high above his head, ready to strike down on Riley's teammates in a single blow.

"Alright… that’s enough.”

With a single breath, Riley closed the distance between them in a blur. The club came crashing down, but he caught it mid-swing, halting its tremendous force effortlessly.

“Wha-...?” Polyphemus gawked, but Riley ignored him as he turned to Yuri and his team, seeing their surprised look with Yuri already losing consciousness with tears slipping down her cheeks.

Riley felt a little bad at this point.

"You've done enough, guys," Riley said quietly, meeting their stunned eyes. "I’ll take it from here."

As he steadied himself, he felt the weight behind Polyphemus's club increase and the earth beneath him trembled from the overwhelming pressure. But, it made no difference to him, though.

“Take it from where? Hahaha! Just because you—”

"Hang on a moment." Riley cut the cyclops off with a calm command and extended his free hand toward Yuri.

With a single thought, he manipulated the mana from the air and condensed a huge amount onto her body, causing it to restore her energy and erase her injuries.

Then, with a smooth wave of his hand, he shaped the gathered mana particles into a tidal wave that pushed Yuri and his team back toward the trembling caravan members.

‘I still have to protect the merchandise, don’t I?’

Using his greater enhanced mind, he manipulates the magical energy in the air and generates a shield to encompass the entire crew and the cargo that were before them.

That way, they would be safe regardless of whatever harm the enemy could conjure up, especially any danger Polyphemus might unleash.

Once he was done with all of this, Riley turned his attention fully back to the cyclops, whose initial arrogance had faded into a surprise, almost wary, expression written on his face.

“Now, where was I…?”

Before he could say another word, Polyphemus jumped back, causing the club to slip out from Riley’s grip.

The cyclops pointed his spiked weapon at him, his playful demeanor replaced by a dark, simmering hostility as an aura of pure menace emanated from him.

"You…" Polyphemus's voice dropped to a rumble.

"Who are you?”

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A/n: Thanks for reading!

Riley vs Polyphemus... we'll begin in the next chapter!

Our boy Riley, the first magical human singlehandedly fights a Transcendent? Looo forward to it!

Before heading to the next chapter, tell me what are your thoughts about this recent chapter? How the Tempest Scion fought a Trascendent and Riley's trumpcard? Be honest!