Chapter 180: The end of the 29th floor

The surge of power in Ethan’s body had become something otherworldly. Every beat of his heart thrummed with force. His strength had soared to the pinnacle of Peak-Saint rank—his muscles dense and refined, his bones like forged crystal steel. His vitality surged through his limbs like molten fire, each breath infused with power that vibrated the air.

His gaze shifted sharply toward the lone figure now standing amidst the rubble—the Peak-Saint human. The remaining battlefield lay still, strewn with fallen bodies. Rambo and the Elven Princess staggered back, battered and bloodied. Their breathing was heavy, their figures trembling from the unrelenting pressure they had endured. Their roles had been fulfilled.

The Peak-Saint returned his stare, his expression unreadable—cold, emotionless, calculating.

Ethan cracked his neck, flexed his fists, and took a slow step forward. The ground fractured beneath his foot.

“What are you looking at?” Ethan said flatly, his voice deep and steady. “You’ve had your turn. Now it’s mine.”

Without waiting for a reply, he launched himself forward, the ground cratering behind him.

The Peak-Saint reacted quickly, conjuring a blade of pure mana. He slashed forward with lethal precision, a wave of pressurised energy slicing toward Ethan. Ethan spun through it with a surge of Super Sonic footwork, the air rippling around his form.

He closed the distance in a blink and unleashed a punch straight into the man’s gut. The force sent shockwaves across the field. The man skidded back dozens of meters, carving a trench through the stone floor.

Ethan didn’t wait. He chased.

The Peak-Saint tried to rise, but Ethan was already there. His fist slammed into the man’s ribs, then a knee crushed his sternum. A downward hammerfist sent him spiraling into the floor.

Boom.

A crater formed.

The Peak-Saint burst out in retaliation, roaring with fury. He activated a physical augmentation skill—Supernatural Strength (S+). His body swelled with unnatural might as his aura flared.

Their fists collided mid-air, sending a shockwave that cracked the very walls of the tower.

They moved like blurs, fists and feet clashing, breaking the sound barrier. Ethan, however, was a predator now. Every punch he delivered felt like a mountain descending on his opponent.

The man tried to retaliate with a sonic blast—an attempt to stun him. But Ethan’s Yin-yang countered the sound, twisting it with entropy and dispersing it like mist.

Then came the darkness.

Ethan invoked the Yin side—shadows erupting around him, distorting light. The Peak-Saint swung blindly, but Ethan had already vanished. He reappeared above him, elemental energy pulsing at his fingertips.

A spear of plasma.

A strike of glacial wind.

The fusion of elemental extremes burst through the man’s defenses, hurling him through several collapsed columns.

Ethan walked after him, step by step.

The man tried to rise, spitting blood. But Ethan grabbed him by the throat, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against the wall.

“You thought you were so powerful?” Ethan muttered, twisting his wrist. Bones crunched beneath his grip.

He tossed him aside like trash, letting the man roll across the floor.

The Peak-Saint screamed and lunged, trying one last desperate attack—an overhead cleave meant to bisect Ethan.

Ethan caught the blade with his bare hand.

He crushed it with a flex of his fingers.

Then delivered a palm strike straight to the man’s chest.

A pulse of elemental wind, fire, earth, and light exploded from his palm, carving a blast through the man’s torso and flinging him across the arena like a cannonball.

The silence was deafening.

The man landed in a heap. Blood pooled beneath him.

Ethan walked over.

He stared down at the beaten figure who had caused so much pain, who had nearly ended Rambo and the Princess. Now, that figure twitched weakly, unable to lift his head.

“No more games,” Ethan said. He placed a hand on the man’s chest. “You’re fuel now.”

…

A new talent emerged.

<You have acquired the talent: Supernatural Strength (S-)>

Ethan turned away from the broken body of the Peak-Saint. He had acquired his talent, an S-rank talent that was nothing to scoff at. S-rank talents were always welcome.

Behind him, Rambo and the Elven Princess leaned against the battlefield’s shattered terrain. Bloodied, but alive. The healing herbs Ethan had tossed their way earlier had begun to take effect. Color returned to their faces, and the tension in their posture eased.

Ethan nodded once, satisfied. They had survived—barely—but now they were stronger for it.

A pulse of golden light rippled through the air.

[You have cleared Floor 29!][First Clear Bonus Activated – Reward Multiplied][Reward Unlocked: Advanced Blood Steal]

The skill scroll appeared before him, and he grabbed it and checked it. The name and rank alone gave him something to look forward to.

[Advanced Blood Steal]

[Skill Rating: Advanced][Description: Harness the essence of life from your enemies. With every attack you land, 20% of the total damage dealt is instantly converted into your own health, allowing you to sustain yourself even in extended, brutal combat. The skill activates passively, but can also be invoked actively to double the absorption rate for 10 seconds, with a 60-second cooldown.]

When used actively, the blood of nearby enemies is drawn toward the user in thin threads of red mist, visually manifesting the transfer of life force.

Ethan inhaled sharply as the skill sealed into his body, branding itself into his system like molten fire cooling into steel. He clenched his fists, already feeling the difference—each heartbeat felt heavier, more substantial. More unkillable.

“Twenty percent life steal,” he muttered, eyes glowing faintly. “Stack that with my regeneration and vitality… I will be able to easily face multiple Peak-Saints at once.”

As he stood among the battlefield’s remains, his gaze shifted inward. The devouring, the transformations, the endless stream of conquered enemies—each fragment of power had pushed him further toward the edge of what was considered possible. But now he was beyond that. He was reshaping possibility itself.

Then something blinked in the corner of his vision.

[Merge Option Detected]

His eyes narrowed.

He focused on the notification, mind racing.

[Supernatural Strength (S-) + Super Sonic (A) + Titanium Skin (S-) + Mental Enhancement (A) → Super Body (SS)]

[Warning: Resulting talent will permanently replace the original four talents.][Do you wish to proceed?]

A slow grin touched his lips. There was no hesitation.

“Yes.”

The world trembled.

He felt it the moment the merge began—his body convulsed with sudden heat, as if lightning had cracked through every cell. His bones groaned with force, his skin shimmered with molten light, and his muscles pulsed like coiled dragons. Then, a second later, everything settled.

He exhaled slowly. His entire body now moved in harmony, no longer burdened by separate traits that enhanced only fragments of his being. Every boost—speed, strength, durability, mental clarity—was now integrated, woven into a singular whole.

His talent’s description was immediately inherent within him.

It was the pinnacle of physical transcendence.

All bodily functions—strength, speed, endurance, perception, and reflexes—have reached a state of perfect synergy. Reaction times are instantaneous. Physical force exceeds all known limits. Mental feedback loops increase tactical precision. Bones are reinforced with a condensed mana lattice. Muscles operate with zero fatigue and enhanced flexibility. Nerve impulses travel faster than lightning.

Ethan rolled his shoulders.

His body felt… perfect. Balanced. Not a single movement was wasted. His footfalls made no sound, and yet every step carried weight—the weight of inevitability.

Even the raw mana coursing through him felt tighter, faster, more obedient.

He clenched his fists, exhaling once through his nose. “This… This is no longer just a foundation being built, this is a body being perfected,” he muttered.

Rambo, beside him, growled in approval. The Blood Monarch Dragon’s nostrils flared, sensing the change in its master. The Princess, standing tall once again, narrowed her eyes with interest, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She said nothing, but the bow that had appeared in her hand spoke volumes. She was ready.

Ethan turned his head toward them. “Let’s not waste time.”

He raised his hand, and the air responded with a ripple of pressure.

“Floor Thirty awaits.”

Without another word, he stepped forward. The portal shimmered with violet and silver light, humming with latent power. As his body crossed the threshold, the aura around him flared with brilliance, bathing the whole battlefield in crimson-gold light.

He was no longer a man chasing strength.He had become the very embodiment of it.

And whatever challenge awaited him next, it was bound to be broken under his fist.

Ethan unsummoned the princess, returning her back into the summoning card. As for Rambo, he didn’t need to unsummon him; he was directly bound to his soul. They were like a single entity in this tower.

Rambo jumped on his shoulder and chirped softly.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You need to devour their blood so you can get stronger, too.” Ethan muttered, understanding Rambo’s words.

He had to delay the entrance to the 30th floor.

He watched as Rambo sucked the blood from the peak saints and low saints on the battlefield. Thankfully, there were so many of them to fuel Rambo, and around a few hours later, which could have very well translated into months outside, Rambo stopped.

He had reached High-Saint rank.

Rambo’s advancement was different from Noah’s, whilst Noah could devour and reach Peak-saint with one attribute, Rambo’s advancement was balanced, all of his attributes increased at once, making him reach the pinnacle of that rank.

Thus, all of Rambo’s attributes were now considered High-Saint, which made him a very powerful opponent.

Had he fought with that peak-saint human again, he could very well put up a fight without any issue.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep