Chapter 104: Generational Talent

As I had stopped absorbing the mana essence from the monsters that I killed, there was no point in fighting a stronger beast.

I had thought it would be a good experience, but Arthur insisted on battling higher ranks only after becoming a gold core.

He might have been right, but right now, looking at the beast before me, I couldn’t help but ignore his advice.

Logically, even if the monster evolved, I doubted it would be much stronger compared to the other gold cores, as there was no time for the monster to get used to its new strength.

And seeing its missing claw, I doubted whether it could grow back.

So going by the facts, this monster would be weaker than the average gold cores.

Haa…

I had found the justification for my actions. And even if by some chance the monster overpowered me, I knew the instructors would appear at the right moment to save me.

After all, this was a gold-ranked beast in a test meant for bronze and early silver ranks.

I could blame it on the academy, even if I was eliminated by the activation of the in-built shield in the bracelet.

I didn’t have to wait long, as the monster roared with all its might.

I could see visible changes appearing across its body.

The outer shell of the monster had begun to crack open. Bit by bit, the monster had loosened every part of the shell.

As the inner body of the monster was now in view, I could see the skin of the creature bulging in several parts.

Within seconds, huge protrusions had formed across its body, and then—

All of them burst open like balloons.

The sand around the creature turned red, as blood was sprayed from the blast.

Heat waves began to rise from the scorpion’s body, with its body parts tearing apart.

Yes!

I found the situation quite gross. Every part of the monster’s body was being torn apart, and more blood seeped out from the cracks.

Even the intestines of the beast were visible from the area around its belly.

The process continued for some time, before the monster started to bulge once again.

This time, the entire body of the creature began to inflate like it was being filled with air from within.

As seconds passed, the scorpion had now become twice its original size… Not that I could differentiate it, as the body of the beast was no longer visible.

In its place, all I could see was a huge balloon-like structure with barely visible body parts.

I could tell where this was going…

Within a few moments, the balloon tore open violently, resulting in another shower of blood across the area.

I retreated a few steps, so as to avoid ruining my clothes.

As the dust settled in, I could see the figure of the scorpion.

Its previously dark skin had become darker, with every part of its body having increased in size from its original version.

I could see one of its claws had now become broader and stronger than before.

There was no need for me to analyse its condition, as one look was enough for anyone to tell the difference.

And as expected, the monster still lacked its other claw that I had cut during our fight.

Not only had the monster’s size increased, but so had its presence.

Even the passive presence emitted by the scorpion was far denser than the active pressure that it was always trying to project during the battle.

Silence.

The mana particles around me began to vibrate again as the scorpion was getting ready to kill me.

I could feel the rage in the creature’s eyes, along with the murderous intent that it was releasing by clicking its claw.

This…

Was this guy getting delusional?

Why in the hell was it giving typical protagonist vibes?!

It couldn’t be… some hero among their tribe!

Haa…

Suddenly, I had a bad feeling about the development of events.

The mana particles had stopped vibrating, as the evolution had been completed.

But—

Silence.

The monster didn’t move, neither did I.

I gripped the sword in my hand, loosening my shoulders for the inevitable clash.

My heart had begun to beat faster than ever before.

I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Seeing that the monster made no move, I took it upon myself to initiate the combat.

As I walked calmly over the sand, heading towards the monster, it didn’t show any visible reaction.

If previously it was wild, now all I could see was a calculative calm in its eyes.

I stood about six feet away from the scorpion, its tall body looming like a mountain before me.

Swoosh!

In a heartbeat, I was before the monster, my blade falling upon its head.

Clank!

With its single claw, the monster easily stopped my attack. Expecting such a thing, I—

Bam!

“Urgh!”

Before I could follow up, the monster’s other claw, which was missing its pincer, had crashed into my stomach.

The claw didn’t have its pincers, but the bone had done its deal.

My eyes had followed the movement, but my body couldn’t keep up with my train of thought.

Without being able to defend, I was flung across the sand, my body bouncing like a ball.

The force behind the attack was far greater than my expectations.

“Cough… Cough…”

I coughed as blood spilled from my mouth.

My intestines felt like they had been turned upside down.

Were all gold cores this strong?!

I couldn’t believe it.

I knew that as one ranked up, there was a quantitative and qualitative change in their mana core as well as their application of mana.

But wasn’t this too much of a difference?!

Was it because the monster had evolved mid-fight?

This guy… Is the bastard some once-in-a-generational talent?!

Attributing the monster’s insane strength to its uniqueness, I massaged my neck once to gain some sort of mental control over the situation.

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