Shadow Blood and Fire

He chose to stop throwing the spikes, knowing it was common academy knowledge that when facing an adaptive beast, one should avoid using the same skill continuously. Adaptive beasts were the most formidable, some even becoming immune to the cause of their death.

The reaper stared at him, as if in a staring contest, while he wore a huge smile. Even someone dense could tell the beast was on its last legs, making this the perfect time to deal the killing blow.

The reaper lunged forward, but its speed was visibly diminished. He smiled, predicting the beast's last-ditch attempt. The reaper threw a punch at his face, and he focused intently, having fallen for a feint before. Seeing the power in the punch and the distance, he knew it couldn't be a feint, so he raised his right hand to block with his elbow.

His eyes bulged as a powerful punch landed on his right rib, much more powerful than the beast's previous attacks. He took a step back and decided to engage the beast in hand-to-hand combat, his specialty. He pivoted and twisted, sending a powerful roundhouse kick to the reaper's head. The beast dodged slightly sideways and sent its own kick. Now the beast was open. He dodged the kick and aimed for the beast's other leg, a common tactic to trip it. But the beast's leg arched backward tracing a question mark sign with impossible flexibility, landing straight in the middle of his head. The kick was so powerful that dust and debris flew up.

"What the…" Riott gasped.

This was different from the beast's last attack when it clawed at his neck. Then, he could still sense it, but this was different—a work of art. The attack had no killing intent. Even those who learned the A-rank advanced arts (Plain Book) possessed "will," common in all living beings, but he could sense will. This attack was completely plain. It dawned on him: the beast possessed S-rank advanced battle arts. Even though he had A-rank advanced battle arts, a perk from an alien battleship he found under the sea, the difference between each rank could only be mitigated by stages. But just like him, the beast was also at the initial stage.

He felt his vision blur and his footing waver as he collapsed. Warm blood trickled down his cheek as his neck split open, revealing three vicious wounds from a claw. Yet, he smiled. "It did it again—a truly plain attack."

"THUD!"

The beast looked down at the collapsed human and the pond of blood forming around him, a glint in its eyes. It noticed Venok had managed to recover. Venok held out his hand and threw a spike toward the beast, which the beast easily caught, staring at Venok's face which was etched with intense fear.

Venok crumpled up another nearby chair, shaking all over. The beast had killed a level 7 ability user as if taking a stroll in the park. When the beast and Adrian got close and started hand-to-hand combat, he couldn't keep up. They became blurry figures due to their insane speed. Most level 7 and above ability books were hoarded by the 10 noble houses, the big three, and the government. Most level 7 ability users were real-time celebrities. Seeing a rogue, unknown ability user meant this person was trying to stay hidden. No matter who won, he would still be killed. So he prayed the beast would win, which seemed impossible. But when the hand-to-hand combat ended quickly with the beast as the winner, he became too flustered and overreacted. Instead of fleeing, he threw out another spike, this time aiming for the beast's head. It came flying through the sky, on target, but before it hit, the beast caught it mid-air.

The beast was now free to move around. It instantly looked at the last person who had hit it and immediately started to run toward Venok, making him sweat buckets.

Venok was still slightly under the effects of paralysis, so his movements were sluggish. Seeing the beast quickly approaching, he panicked and started flinging chair after chair, but the reaper was too powerful. It simply knocked them away with its hands, sending them flying through the air.

Venok pulled out his trusty dagger, ready to attack, but when he looked in front of him, the beast had vanished from view. The next second, he was staring up at the ceiling with his back on the floor. When he looked down at his body, his legs were completely detached, blood pouring from them.

The reaper then dragged the top half of Venok's body away into the hallway, out of the arena.

The Reaper continued to drag Venok's body across the floor, turning through several corridors until it finally arrived at what looked like resting quarters. As it approached one of the rooms, a metal door blocked its path, with an access code machine beside it. The Reaper kicked the door with all its strength, sending it flying into the back of the room.

The room was mostly empty, designed only for temporary stays. It contained a single bed, a sink in the corner, and a desk. The Reaper moved to the back wall and sat down, handling Venok's body like a ragdoll, positioning him carefully. Finally, it opened its mouth wide, revealing two large fangs, and bit into Venok's neck.

[35HP/750HP]

[150HP/750HP]

....…....….....

As the Reaper continued to suck Venok's blood, a notification screen appeared, slowly rising until the number hit 750.

[750HP/750HP]

[150/150 Energy]

[Sufficient blood has been consumed] [Transformation will now end]

[Your mind is starting to stabilize]

Shooting pain once again coursed through Eli's body, but this time, it was reverting back to normal. His claw-like hands shrank and returned to their original shape. His incredibly tight skin softened around his body and face. His ears were no longer pointed, his teeth returned to normal, and his four eyes reverted to two.

As his body returned to normal, Eli huffed and panted heavily. His whole body was sore, and his mind was ringing like crazy. Images started to flash in his head, showing everything he had done while he was the Reaper. Even though he had no control, he felt like he was there every step of the way. More images flashed, and he remembered slicing a man in half.

When the ringing pain stopped, Eli opened his eyes and saw a half-eaten man with two large puncture wounds on his neck.

"That was me!"

[First Human killed]

[Level 4 ability user (Metallo) Killed] 

[Reward: Instant level up]

[Level 5]

[20000/50000 EXP]

[Congratulations, hidden quest completed: Win a losing battle]

[Reward: 10000 DBS Coin]

[Reward: Gift box (Rare)]

[Congratulations, you are now level 5]

[Evolution process has begun!]

"Evolution process?"

Eli's heart started pounding harder than before, his veins bulging as blood rushed through them. He could feel every part of his body, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation. It felt like his blood was made of spikes, tearing through his body as it circulated.