Chapter 6
MC POV
The ground split open as the Hellboar Titan thundered forward, tusks gleaming like molten lances. Each step shook the sand like an earthquake, waves crashing harder as if the ocean itself wanted to flee.
Its roar shredded the air.
Aqua screamed beside me, clutching her staff like it was a comfort blanket. "I—I changed my mind! I vote we RUN!"
{Ego}: Running probability of survival: 0%.
Fighting probability of survival: 14%.
"…Thanks. That's so reassuring," I muttered, tightening my fists.
I exhaled slowly. My Observation Haki spread out, catching the Titan's intent, its movements, even the faint pulse of killing will. My knuckles hardened, black sheen crawling across them as Armament gathered.
This wasn't the same me from a year ago.
This was the me forged by hell.
"Bring it, you oversized bacon!"
The Titan charged.
I stepped forward.
The First Clash
"FLOWING SEAL FIST—WATER STRIDE!"
I moved with the Titan's charge, my body flowing around its tusk, redirecting the impact. My fist drove into its leg, Armament reinforcing the Knocking strike.
The giant limb buckled—briefly. The Titan roared, shaking me off like a gnat.
Its tusk came down like a guillotine.
"Sunnyyyyyy!!" Aqua shrieked, swinging her staff.
A golden aura burst around me, Aqua's blessing wrapping my body in divine warmth.
I gritted my teeth and raised both arms. The tusk slammed down. The ground cratered. My bones screamed.
But I didn't break.
"Thanks, Aqua," I hissed.
Aqua blinked in shock. "Wha—you actually said thanks?!"
"No time! Buff me again!"
Master Art Awakens
I kicked off the Titan's tusk, Armament surging to my legs, propelling me upward.
"MASTER ART—HEAVENLY FLOW: MIRROR STEP!"
My body flickered, blurring like a mirage. The Titan's eyes darted, confused, as my afterimages danced around its head.
I reappeared at its blind spot.
"MASTER ART—STORM PETAL DANCE!"
My fists and feet slashed out like blades, Haki arcs carving glowing lines across the Titan's armored hide. Each strike precise, cutting not just flesh but the nerves beneath.
The Titan bellowed, stumbling. Its blood hit the sand, sizzling like acid.
{Ego}: Analysis: minor damage inflicted. Probability of victory: 21%.
"Only twenty-one?!" I snarled.
{Ego}: Correction: you are still stupid.
The Titan's Wrath
The Hellboar Titan's mane blazed with heat. Its body swelled, steam pouring from its pores. Then—
BOOM!
It exhaled molten breath, a wave of fire ripping toward me.
I crossed my arms, Armament flaring. The heat scorched my skin, forcing me back, my body skidding through the sand.
"Aqua!! A barrier, NOW!"
"ON IT!" Aqua yelled, slamming her staff down. A dome of shimmering blue water encased me just as the inferno crashed.
The barrier hissed, water evaporating instantly. Aqua gritted her teeth, sweat pouring down her forehead. "I can't hold it forever!"
"You just need to hold it long enough!"
The Counterattack
The moment the flames died, I broke free from the barrier, legs coated in Haki.
I sprinted up the Titan's tusk.
"FLOWING SEAL FIST—NERVOUS STRIKE!"
My fist slammed into a cluster of nerves near its eye. The Titan shrieked, staggering, its head lowering.
Perfect.
I gathered everything—Haki, Knocking, Flowing motion. My Master Art condensed into one point, the culmination of a year of hell.
"MASTER ART—FINAL BLOOM: THOUSAND SUNLIGHTS!"
Light erupted. My strikes multiplied, faster than thought, faster than sight—each one landing on a vital point. Nerves sealed. Blood vessels ruptured. Armor shattered.
The Titan screamed as my flurry consumed it, its body collapsing under the weight of my will.
One last strike, my fist driving into its core with Internal Destruction Haki.
BOOOOM!
The Titan's chest exploded outward in a geyser of molten blood. The monster staggered, trembled, and finally collapsed, shaking the island with its death.
The Aftermath
Smoke. Silence. The smell of burned flesh.
I fell to one knee, panting, fists trembling from the backlash.
Aqua ran over, eyes wide. "Y-you… you actually did it…!"
I gave a bloody grin. "Told you… training camp wasn't for nothing."
{Ego}: Observation: probability of survival = 100%. Statement: satisfactory.
"Ha… for once, you're not being a jerk."
{Ego}: Correction: I am still being a jerk.
Before I could reply, thunder cracked above us.
RBG's voice boomed, dripping with amusement.
"Bravo! Absolutely bravo! Sunny, that was cinema-worthy! Aqua, you didn't completely suck for once! As a reward, I'll… hm, oh yes, I'll just drop an even nastier monster next time. Entertainment must escalate, after all~."
I raised a trembling fist toward the sky. "RBG… I swear… I'll kill you…"
Aqua clutched my arm, still shaking. "…After we eat that boar, right?"
I blinked. "…Okay. That's fair."
The two of us collapsed beside the Titan's corpse, the firelight of our camp still flickering in the distance.
The final exam was over.
But I knew damn well… this was only the beginning.