Raden coughed, leaning against a rusty bus carcass. The fight earlier, though brief, was draining. But there was a clear difference.
Previously, fatigue just meant being out of breath. Now, he could feel a new, warm energy current inside his body—the result of [Cultivation 10/100]—circulating slowly, repairing his tired muscles.
"So... killing Echo monsters raises my level," Raden muttered, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "And absorbing scrap raises my skills."
He looked at the Carubuk Keris in his hand. The blade was now cleaner on one side, and its cold aura felt... friendlier. As if the keris was thanking him for the meal.
[Bound Weapon (Carubuk Keris) has recovered 1% of its power.]
[User Soul Bond: 5% (Wary).]
Raden sheathed the keris back into his bag. His first instinct was to run from this cursed place. But then he stopped.
Ambition.
The hunger for power he had just tasted was far stronger than his fear. He was still in the buffet. He had only just finished the appetizer.
"System," he said, standing straight. "Show me Medium Grade Echoes and above again."
DING.
His mental map updated. The RX-King's Echo point was gone. But in a deeper part of the iron graveyard, another orange light shone, dimmer than the RX-King's, but it felt stable and heavy.
Raden activated his Silent Step, now enhanced by Lightning Reflex. He moved between the piles of scrap without a sound, like a ghost. His agile feet landed on dented car hoods and crushed truck roofs with feline precision.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at the source of the light.
In front of him stood a massive wreck. It was an armored bank truck. Its door lay on the ground, dented inward from an explosion. Its steel walls were riddled with bullet holes from assault rifles, but not a single one had penetrated.
[Object Detected: Wreckage of an Armored Bank Truck (Year 2002).]
[History: Involved in the "Red Axe Gang" robbery in Cilandak. The robbers failed to breach the vault. Two guards died inside, suffocating from lack of oxygen after hiding for 12 hours.]
[Echo: "The Unyielding Steel Resolve".]
[Grade: MEDIUM.]
[Side Effect: Temporary Claustrophobia, paranoia.]
Raden's heart pounded. This was a pure defensive Echo. An Echo born from suffering and the resolve not to give in.
"I need this," Raden whispered.
He placed his palm on the steel wall riddled with bullet holes.
TANG! TANG! TANG! PING!
The deafening sound of bullets exploded in his head. He didn't see a vision of the robbery, but he heard and felt the assault. He felt the steel beneath his hand vibrate violently, resisting every projectile.
Then, his vision changed.
He was in a cramped, dark space. Hot. Smelling of sweat and fear. He heard the ragged breathing of his partner next to him.
"...Please... open the door... it's hot... I can't breathe..."
"...Hold on, man! Don't give up! They must... they must be gone by now..."
Raden felt his own lungs burn, as if he too were running out of oxygen.
[Absorbing Echo...]
[Warning: Defensive Echo is fusing with the user's skin structure.]
[Pain will occur. Endure!]
"ARRRGH!"
Raden gritted his teeth. The skin all over his body felt itchy, then turned into the feeling of being stabbed by millions of hot needles. It felt as if his skin was being melted and reforged from the inside.
The pain lasted for three minutes, which felt like three hours.
[Absorption Complete.]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Steel Skin (Level 1).]
[Description: Your skin is now reinforced by Echo energy. Capable of withstanding minor blunt trauma and shallow sharp-weapon attacks.]
[Attributes Increased: Endurance +15, Strength +5.]
[Status: Mild Claustrophobia (Side Effect) will fade in 1 hour.]
Raden fell back against the truck's wreckage, panting heavily, but a victorious smile played on his lips. He punched his own arm. It felt... dense. Like hitting a hard truck tire.
"Oi, Devil! What are you doing there!"
A rough voice shouted from behind.
Raden was startled. His Silent Step had deactivated while he was absorbing. He turned.
Bang Togar, the owner of the yard, a Batak man built like a bear, was standing on a pile of radiators. In his hand was a giant wrench.
"That's a forbidden area! Lots of snakes! Get down from there!" shouted Bang Togar, thinking Raden was a common thief.
Raden raised his hands. "Just looking, Bang..."
"Looking at my ass! You're a thief, aren't you!"
Bang Togar, annoyed, threw the massive wrench at Raden. "Get out of there!"
The five-kilo metal object flew spinning through the air, aimed right at Raden's head.
For the old Raden, it was a fatal throw.
For the current Raden...
[Lightning Reflex: Active.]
[Acceleration Eye: Active.]
The world slowed down. The wrench seemed to crawl through the air. Raden could clearly see the rust on every thread.
He could dodge. He could jump. But he chose not to.
Raden, without taking his eyes off Bang Togar, lazily raised his left hand.
CLAP!
He caught the wrench in mid-air, just an inch from his face. His hand didn't even budge an inch from the impact.
Silence.
The sound of crickets in broad daylight suddenly seemed deafening.
Bang Togar's eyes widened. His jaw dropped open. The clove cigarette dangling from his lips fell to the ground. He had just seen a skinny young man catch a giant flying wrench as if it were a cotton ball.
Raden looked at the wrench in his hand.
[Object: Old Wrench. Status: Rusty. Echo Potential: None.]
"Trash," Raden muttered.
He looked back at Bang Togar. Then, with a casual motion, he threw the wrench back.
WHOOSH... CLANG!
Raden didn't throw it at Bang Togar. He threw it at the iron lamppost next to the man. The wrench hit the iron pole with such force that the pole dented and rang out like a loud bell.
Bang Togar jumped back, his face pale as a sheet.
Raden lowered his hand, putting it in his pants pocket. He leaped down from the pile of wreckage lightly.
He walked past the frozen Bang Togar, patting the big man's shoulder slowly.
"Next time," Raden said coldly. "Don't throw things. It's dangerous."
Raden walked out of the iron graveyard without looking back, leaving Bang Togar trembling in his spot.
He now had speed, offense, and defense.
He was no longer prey.