Three days had passed. Gene had been spending all his time bringing back the corpses of monsters. His strength had increased terrifyingly. Clark's anger was blazing. Was it envy? Perhaps. But Clark's perspective was different.
Clark saw his life now hanging by a thread. He didn't know when he might die. This Gene was like a volcano waiting
for its chance to erupt. Now, his life depended on luck.
Gene was asleep. Clark looked at him with hatred, his killing intent palpable. Even a fool would wake from such a
stare. But Gene paid no attention. Why? Naturally, because Clark was no match
for him. So why even give him value or attention? This only fueled Clark's rage further.
Furious, Clark went to the cliff above the massive waterfall. The view of the stars
was incredibly beautiful and magnificent. It pleased Clark's eyes so much that it made him forget his sorrow and anger for a few moments.
But there was a huge, towering star in the sky, and next to this great star, there was a small one. Clark bit his lip in
anger. Blood flowed from the wound. Angry, as if the heavens were mocking him. He wanted to tear the sky from its very foundations.
Greed stirred in his heart. But he said: "I must take the risk. This place most likely increases training efficiency and
effectiveness. So, why not take advantage of it and improve myself? In the end, I either improve myself or remain a child cursing my luck."
Clark fell silent and left the forest. He returned to the grounds where Gene
fought. The place was vast. Soon, he unleashed his killing intent to attract a monster.
Almost immediately, Clark felt the ground beneath him shift. He quickly
flipped backward, looking on in fear. A giant insect appeared: The Bronze-Armored Earth-Boring Centipede!!!
It shattered the earth around it. Its eyes were small, barely visible despite its enormous size.
Clark drew his sword, though he had no confidence in it. He asked himself: "Can
this sword cut through its tough bronze skin? No, this is no time for self-doubt. I will give it my all!"
Clark charged. The centipede's sharp scales deflected Clark's sword strike, sending sparks flying upon impact. The
centipede spun like a whirlwind, hurling Clark a great distance. Clark crashed into a huge rock, his body cut by its sharp edges.
BOOM!!!
Blood poured from his mouth and from various parts of his body, though the wounds from the impact were mostly superficial. He laughed, saying: "Hahaha! It seems I was no match for it. But I will surpass my limits!!"
He charged again, faster this time. But this time, the centipede didn't wait for Clark's attack; it too charged, thrusting
its head toward Clark. Clark quickly summoned his embodiment, which was almost transparent. But the centipede's weight drove Clark into the ground.
Clark resisted with his body and his embodiment, pushing back against the immense weight trying to crush him. He
unleashed his black fire. It hit the centipede, but it wasn't powerful enough to deter the beast.
Clark intensified the aura around his blade. A torrential demonic aura surged forth. Clark said: "I feel it! I feel my heart merging with my sword!" He spun around again. The massive centipede... but this time it wanted to attack him
with its tail, full of sharp blades. This time, if Clark failed, the centipede's tail would cut him in half!!!
Clark laughed calmly, raising his sword high. The aura condensed, and the sword became enhanced with the demonic aura. A notification appeared
for Clark: "Enhanced Qi Blade: The sword becomes stronger if you imbue it with your own energy, making it harder and sharper, becoming one with your heart!!"
Clark said: "This is the end, you damned insect!"
A massive, decisive strike! It clashed with the centipede's tail. Clark let out a passionate roar, pushing with his body. He sliced the insect in half! It began to
writhe. Insects like the centipede only die if their heads are destroyed. It tried to flee, but Clark quickly plunged his sword into the centipede's body, enhanced his fists and embodiment with Qi, and screamed: "Now!!!"
Countless blows rained down on the centipede's head. Strike after strike,
incredibly fast!! Clark's fist became harder than steel after being enhanced with Qi and his aura—they were two sides of the same coin.
He destroyed the centipede's head. It began to writhe, its soul leaving its body. Clark laughed.
Soon, a notification appeared: "You have gained five levels! You are now Level 20!!!"
Alert! Alert! Messages popped up before Clark again. The first was from King Agares. He had been silently watching Clark, along with the Constellation of Worlds and Athena.
The gist of Agares's message: "Young man, you are truly a great warrior. Join me, become my messenger, and I guarantee you great successes."
Clark spoke: "I know you can hear me since you're watching me, but my opinion won't change. I will never join you."
Another alert: Agares did not react to your answer, but said: "Interesting! This is the first time a human has refused me like this! Twice now! Ha hahahaha!"
He read the Constellation of Worlds' message: "I am truly glad you used the embodiment I granted you. You put up a great fight. But beware of this demon; he doesn't want you because you're strong, but for something else."
Clark replied: "Yes, I know. But is it related to the past or what?!" The World remained silent. Clark knew it was hiding something but responded with silence in kind.
Another alert appeared, this time from Zeus, Lord of Olympus!!: "You use demonic flames! Remember, from this moment on, you are an enemy of Olympus!!"
Clark laughed, raising his middle finger: "Hahaha! You son of a bitch! Your daughter supports and loves me! Get lost! No one asked for your opinion about me!"
Soon, an alert from Athena appeared: "Do not underestimate him! As of now, you are no match for him. Be careful of him, Lord Clark."
Clark smiled and left. "My levels increased." He carried the huge centipede corpse as a trophy.
Upon his return, he threw down the huge centipede corpse, which woke Gene. Gene turned and said, "What's this disturbance?" He saw the huge centipede corpse. He said, "I see! So, you killed an insect at your level." He said it to provoke Clark.
A dense Qi aura condensed around Clark's hand. He tore off the centipede's stinger and held it in his hand. He looked at Gene. Suddenly, Clark's embodiment threw it with all its force beside Gene's head. A superficial wound appeared on Gene's cheek.
But...
BOOM!!!!
A terrifying number of trees and rocks... were cut! The centipede's stinger was extremely sharp! It had advanced, cutting through the trees and rocks in front of it for 300 meters, as if they were cotton candy!!
Gene was shocked.
Clark laughed: "See how sharp it is? I could have thrown it at your body. But that's not a fun way to kill you."
They looked at each other coldly.
But something interrupted them that was completely unexpected!!!!
To be continued...