Sigh!
"Damn wolf!!"
Well, the shadow wolf ditched him; however, he had already figured out another alternative.
"Activate..."
Draconic Overdrive!
Temporarily enhances strength, endurance, and size, allowing for overwhelming attacks.
[-4H]
[Health: 96/100] (Restoration time: 2 min)
Out of nowhere, a surge of energy dangerously rushed into him. The extreme amount of energy that unexpectedly flowed into his veins made him ache in absolute pain.
His muscle fibers seemed to rapidly increase in size, making him triple his initial size.
Not only did they bloat, but his muscles became densely compact as they swelled, making him larger and more muscular than any bodybuilder in existence.
"Ahh!!"
It seemed to not stop only at abnormally large muscle mass. Upon closer inspection of his bare skin, one would notice that it had hardened into scales.
Little crimson scales sprouted, starting from his back, running through his arms, and covering his fists.
They acted like protective armor of some sort. When the pain was finally over, he stared at his deformed hands. They were that of a dragon's, with three-inch, pin-like claws. He flexed them experimentally, and the joints answered without a shred of the weakness that had been dragging his real body down for a day straight.
"Yeahhh, that's what I'm talking about!"
[Draconic Overdrive! : Cooldown time – Five minutes.]
TIME [0:20]
"Only five minutes to be active? Well, then let's cause some chaos, hahahah...!!!"
He leaped, packing so much force that the earth beneath him shattered, sending large chunks of debris flying along with a sharp shockwave.
His body slammed into the thick wall. He was about to be pushed back down by the rebound force of the collision, but he quickly buried both fists deep into the wall to stop his movement.
The moment he came to a halt, he pulled himself up with a powerful swing and ran along the wall with all fours, digging and pushing as the crumbling surface gave way beneath him.
TIME [2:20]
With pure strength, he leaped from the wall into the air before descending with enough force to crack the earth.
He surveyed the surrounding forest in front of him, finally free of the canyon.
Advancing forward once more, he dashed through the forest. To test his strength, he punched a fifty-meter tree in the trunk, destroying it instantly.
It burst, sending pieces of wood flying everywhere.
"Yikes, that's some powerful skill."
Just for good measure, he barreled through a few more trees. The destroyed trunks came crashing down as the thrill he felt increased. It had been decades since he'd let himself feel anything close to this — not since the last time he'd held a blade that actually did what he told it to. Back then he'd called it discipline. Now he wasn't sure there was a difference between discipline and just having enough power that discipline stopped mattering.
---
The Dark Forest had a vast landscape stretching for miles. Although it was a domain for beasts, humans were still occasionally seen in the area. They would silently and cautiously move around the perimeter to avoid danger.
They were people who specialized in Dark hunting. It was a stealth process, and the first rule was to never cause a commotion that could possibly attract the attention of a horde of Darks.
Even though some might be weaker, a large number of them could become quite a hurdle.
The hunters were tasked with extracting energy cores from defeated Darks, which could be used to modify weapons or sold for a huge amount of money.
At the center of this forest, a group of five individuals cautiously surveyed their surroundings with each step they took.
Their footsteps were so gentle that the crumbling of dried leaves was almost silent. Their senses were sharpened, as if their lives could be taken at any moment.
The slightest movement of trees swayed by the wind kept them on their toes, ready to unleash their weapons in defense. One of the younger hunters kept glancing at the tree line every few steps, jaw tight, like he still hadn't learned to trust his own instincts over his fear.
"Damn! The cores we're in possession of are quite few," thought the one who led the team of five.
He wore a red bandana tied around his forehead, and a scar crossed one of his eyes. However, it hadn't affected his vision.
Their outfits were uniforms issued by the Hunters Association Academy (HAA), an establishment that trained future protectors of Earth, warriors willing to die so that humanity might avoid extinction.
Drak-hide, black and flexible, the kind of armor that hardened like a shell the instant something hit it — standard issue, but the kind of standard issue that had gotten three of Amik's classmates killed anyway, back when it hadn't hardened fast enough.
On the back was an image of an eagle with its wings spread wide, stabbed in the chest by a spear, the logo of the Death Eagle Academy.
"Should I just kill them and take the cores for myself?" Amik thought to himself but quickly shook his head in denial.
"No... they'll be suspicious if I'm the only one who makes it back. Grrr!! What shall I do?"
While deep in contemplation about how he could possibly take the cores for himself, he reminded himself that he was their leader, the only one who wielded a sword, and was perfect at using it.
Wasn't it only right for him to claim more of the rewards? Unfortunately, the individuals Amik was paired with weren't complete fools. He'd have to be patient. Patient men lived long enough to collect.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from a distance. At first, they thought it was nothing, perhaps some beasts fighting for territory further ahead.
But then, trees began to topple one after another, accompanied by sharp, ear-piercing bangs like gunfire.
"What the fuck is that?" one of them voiced, tightening his grip on his dual swords.
"It could be another Dark! Come on, let's get another core!" Amik replied with excitement, eager for a potential addition to the cores he planned to steal from his teammates soon.
And with the appearance of this Dark, he might be able to shorten his team.
"Heheh..."