Axel needed a distraction and he found one alright. He decided to rush forward again, dodging left and right as punches came flying. Every dodge brought him closer and closer until he was right in front of his opponent.
Then, he slammed both hands into the ground and scooped up a handful of loose gravel and dust.
'Let's get you blind, shall we..?'
The student frowned. "What the hell are you—"
Axel didn't let him finish, he just threw it straight into his face.
The graphite student instinctively covered his eyes and for a moment, his guard dropped, and Axel saw a thin patch just under the chin where the graphite didn't form completely.
Without thinking twice, Axel leapt up and drove his elbow right into that spot.
The hit landed clean.
The guy stumbled back, clutching his neck. A part of the graphite layer broke off and fell to the floor. His skin beneath it was bleeding.
"You little—"
Axel didn't give him time to finish speaking again. He lunged forward again, throwing a quick jab to the ribs, another to the jaw, then a kick to the same weak spot. The student staggered back continuously.
Behind them, Kyle was watching the entire fight with his eyes wide open because a freaking Lumina 3 was totally dominating a Lumina 5. What in the world??
"Had enough yet?" Axel asked with ragged breaths.
The guy roared and came charging again, this time swinging wildly.
He wasn't thinking anymore. Every strike he made now was of raw anger. The graphite coating began cracking faster with every move, and soon it looked like pieces of armor falling apart.
Axel saw the opening. He dodged one last punch, then drove his foot straight into the guy's stomach, not at full strength because his HP was already very low, but enough to knock him back.
The student crashed to the ground, his graphite coating finally breaking apart completely, leaving him lying there, gasping.
Axel stood there panting. His knee hurt like hell, his fists were sore, but he had done it alright
He had adapted. He won.
"Next time," Axel heaved, wiping sweat off his face, "maybe keep your tag on."
As he said it, a sharp chime rang in his ears.
[DING!]
[Mission Complete: Knock Down the Oppressor.]
[Reward Granted: Instant Level Up.]
[Would you like to initiate Level Up? (Y/N)]
Axel blinked, still panting.
"Yes or no?" he repeated aloud, half laughing. "Dude, I've been waiting for this moment for days! Hell yeah."
[Confirming Selection...]
[Level Up Initiated.]
[System Upgrade in Progress...]
[Congratulations, User: You are now a Level 2 System user.]
Axel grinned widely. He was about to raise his hand in triumph, until another sound echoed in his head. He smiled because he knew he was about to be granted an ability but what he saw was different.
[DING! DING!]
[New Path Detected.]
[Evolution Option Unlocked.]
[Beginning Forced Evolution Sequence...]
"Wait... forced?"
The next second, a sharp shot through his body, all the way from his spine.
"Whoa..."
Another pain shot down to his legs, forcing his knees buckled and he started gasping for air as his bones began to creak and shift beneath his skin.
"The hell—Uh…!"
His eyes widened as he felt every muscle in his body tightened like steel cords were snapping under pressure.
He felt his spine arched violently backward, causing an excruciating pain across his back, his fingers digged into the ground as the pain went through every inch of him.
"G—gah! What's—happening!?" he shouted, his voice breaking.
Kyle, who was just behind him witnessing his evolution, was shaking. "Are you okay?" he asked, obviously very terrified.
The sound of bones cracking and snapping echoed from within his body, loud enough for Kyle to hear. It was like glass splintering under strain.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Should I call for help?" Kyle continued panicking.
Axel's blood felt like it was boiling, burning from the inside out. His vision blurred out and the edges of the hallway melted into red and black.
He could feel his body changing. Bones kept breaking and reforming, muscle fibers were twisting tighter and sharper and stronger.
If he wasn't in so much pain he would have thought he was transforming into a werewolf like in one of the old TV shows, except, today wasn't a full moon so this was definitely something else.
"Cancel forced Evolution! Cancel!!!" Axel managed to scream through the pain, but the system had other protocols.
[Warning: Cellular Reconstruction in Progress.]
[System Integration: 43%...]
[Vital Signs Critical.]
[Do Not Interrupt Process.]
"You're not the one in pain!" Axel screamed again, clutching his chest this time. His heartbeat thundered so loud it drowned everything else. The floor beneath him cracked from the sheer pressure radiating off his body.
And then it stopped.
His breath came out fast and ragged. Steam rose from his skin and the pain faded just as quickly as it had come, leaving him trembling and drenched in sweat.
[Evolution Complete.]
[New Form Acquired.]
[Species Advancement: Human → Halfling.]
[You are now a Halfling.]
[Trait Unlocked: Infernal Core – Active.]
Axel lay there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling, his chest was rising and falling fast.
His skin was still tingling from whatever the hell that was, his muscles felt heavier and denser. His heart was still racing, but slower and steadier now.
"What the hell… is a Halfling?" he whispered.