Chapter 37
Han stood tall at the frontlines, eyes fixed on the approaching monster horde. Ten identical clones flanked him, each mirroring his stance with unwavering resolve. Despite the overwhelming number of enemies, Han felt no fear—he was powerful, far more than most could imagine. And today, he intended to test something new.
"All right… Let's begin," Han said calmly.
In an instant, one of the clones surged forward. The first wave of monsters approached, claws and fangs bared. The clone's arm blurred, slicing through the air like a whip.
"Jungle Art: Wolf Clutch—Flame style!" the clone roared.
His blazing fist grabbed the nearest monster by the face and smashed it into the ground, creating a massive crater. Without missing a beat, another clone leapt into the air, spinning rapidly as flames gathered around him.
"Jungle Art: Falcon Dive—Flame Style!"
The fiery dive crushed the second wave, erupting in an explosion that scorched dozens of beasts. This was one of Han's newest techniques—a deadly fusion of his flame affinity and jungle-based martial arts. The Flame Style Jungle Arts were exponentially more destructive, but also far more draining.
More monsters came, too many to count, but the clones didn't hesitate. They charged.
"Second Jungle Art: Panther Strike!" shouted one of the clones, his flaming claws tearing through several enemies in a single sweep.
A massive, grotesque beast—three times larger than the others—charged forward. Han stepped up himself.
"Fourth Jungle Art: Cheetah Stride—Flame Style!"
He blurred across the battlefield, appearing in front of the monster in an instant. Drawing his arm back, flames spiraling, he declared:
"Fourteenth Jungle Art: Tiger Punch—Flame Style!"
The beast responded with its own massive fist, but when the two collided, Han's flames fist incinerated its entire arm—and then the rest of it. The air trembled from the shockwave. Han stared at his palm, heat still radiating from it.
"The flame-style versions… they're on a whole different level," he muttered. "But the stamina drain… I'll have to pace myself."
Elsewhere, his clones and the fire spirit Ifrit were tearing through the battlefield, but some monsters still slipped through.
Han turned, ready to intercept—only to stop.
Ronan, the so-called Exterminator, was a blur of motion. He danced through the monsters with uncanny grace, his blades slicing through limbs with surgical precision. It was like he was born to slay them.
He's good… really good, Han admitted. If he had a better weapon, he could've even taken down those B-Rankers from before.
But even Ronan couldn't stop them all. A few managed to push past—only to be met by Laura. She extended her hand, and a wave of icy cold spread out, freezing several monsters in place.
One leapt for her, claws aimed at her neck.
Laura hesitated, her body froze—this was her first real battle. Her ice was powerful, but she lacked the combat instincts to react in time. Her heart pounded as the monster closed in.
She shut her eyes.
Just as the monster lunged, a blur intercepted it. A blue-haired young man with a spinning, blue energy drill-like hand pierced the monster in mid-air.
"You freeze them," he said calmly, "I'll take care of anything that gets close."
Laura blinked in surprise, then nodded, resuming her attack. The young man hadn't planned to fight—he thought it would be suicide. But after seeing how the others were handling the horde—no, dominating it—he realized he could at least support.
The battle raged on. Monster after monster fell, but then—Han's system pinged.
> [Alert: Serenya is in distress!]
Han's eyes widened.
"Something's happened to Serenya," he muttered. "No time to waste."
He shot into the sky like a flaming comet.
"Ifrit!" he called.
The flame spirit rose to meet him. Without hesitation, Han commanded:
"Merge."
Ifrit fused into him, and Han's entire being ignited with power. His skin radiated heat. His eyes burned like twin suns. Behind him, a massive ring of fire spun—symbol of his transformation. In this state, his flame skills leapt from low to high S-rank.
"All right then…" he said, his voice like thunder, "Let's end this."
Everyone stopped—Laura, Ronan, the clones, even the blue-haired warrior. They could only watch, eyes wide in awe, as the figure in the sky burned like a god of war.
"Wh-what kind of E-rank skill is that…?" Rin whispered, stunned.
Han raised his arm to the sky, his voice booming:
"Inferno Vortex—Multiform!"
Several small flaming vortexes formed around him. They began to grow… and grow… until each became a blazing tornado of destruction. Then, with a single gesture, they descended upon the remaining horde—obliterating everything in their path.
A deafening BOOM shattered the skies as Han's attack collided with the monster horde below. The earth trembled. A blinding wave of searing heat surged outward, lighting up the heavens like a second sun. When the smoke finally cleared, nothing remained of the horde—only scorched earth and ashes, their bodies utterly incinerated.
But Han wasn't finished.
He descended rapidly, sweeping through the park and gathering Rin and Xin into his arms. Nearby, Laura dropped to one knee, panting hard—maintaining her skill for so long had drained her to the brink. Han gently lifted her as well, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, Ronan exhaled deeply, believing it was finally over. But just as he relaxed, a massive shadow fell over him. He looked up—and froze. Han hovered there, still merged with Ifrit, flames spiraling around him like a divine wrath incarnate.
"You didn't think I forgot about you, did you?" Han said calmly.
Ronan's eye twitched. He had hoped, foolishly, that Han might leave him behind. He wanted to fight—truly—but not against this. Not after witnessing Han wipe out an entire army like swatting flies. He lowered his head in defeat.
Smart move.
Han grabbed Ronan as well and launched into the sky at blinding speed. A giant flame ring materialized beside him, acting as a transport barrier for Rin, Xin, and Laura. As Rin curiously touched it, he blinked in surprise—it wasn't hot, just gently warm.
Han had adjusted the heat for their comfort.
"Why can't I ride with them?" Ronan muttered his expression blank as he dangled awkwardly from Han's grip.
"Because I don't trust you," Han replied flatly. "Deal with it."
And with that, they rocketed toward Serenya—a city on the brink of disaster.
---
Serenya
Chaos had taken root.
Most of the civilians had already evacuated, fleeing the sudden appearance of monster hordes. The city guards had noticed too late. The beasts poured into the streets, tearing through everything in their path.
Thankfully, the city's Auto-Bots had activated in time—defensive units designed to respond to imminent danger. They fought valiantly, holding the monsters at bay for several crucial minutes.
But they were outnumbered—twenty to one. Soon, the bots were overwhelmed, torn apart, reduced to heaps of broken metal and circuitry.
One last bot stood its ground when a snake-headed beast prepared to strike. But before it could land the blow—BANG! A sleek bolt of energy blasted through its skull. The creature collapsed, lifeless.
In the distance, figures emerged—men in stylish white outfits adorned with black accents. Their arrival was like a beacon of hope.
The Tryst Guild had come.
Leading them was a blond-haired guy with fury in his eyes—Aiden, commander of the guild's elite.
"These things destroyed our streets," he growled. "Let's make them pay."
"Stern!" Aiden called.
A tall man stepped forward, awaiting orders.
"Take twenty with you. Scout the area. Find survivors—anyone left behind. Secure them."
"Yes, sir."
Stern and his squad rushed out.
Aiden turned to the rest. "Let's clean this infestation out of our city. "
"Morph!"
At once, Aiden's body began to shift and expand—his muscles bulged, his skin hardened, monstrous features erupted from his form. Claws, tusks, and armored plates covered him as he charged into the fray.
A whip-like tendril lashed out at him, but Aiden caught it mid-swing. With a furious roar, he hurled the beast to the ground, crushing its skull beneath his heel. He placed a hand on the carcass as a digital prompt appeared before him:
[Would you like to extract DNA?]
"Yes," Aiden replied.
[Extracting… Extraction complete. You have gained: Monster Biology. DEF +6.]
[DNA Slots: 1000 / 3000]
"Still plenty of room left," Aiden muttered, two sharp tusks erupted from his back just in time to impale a monster charging behind him.
He turned, a deadly smile forming as a blade-tipped whip uncoiled from his head.
"Alright," he said darkly. "Time to take it up a notch."
"Activate Dark Essence Mode."
[Dark Essence Mode Activated. All stats +20. All attacks gain Corrosive Effect. Duration: 20 minutes.]
"Good," Aiden thought, a fierce glint in his eyes as the Dark Essence Mode surged through him. This was his most powerful form yet—one that allowed him to channel the energy of the Dark Goblin, enhancing his Morph state and turning him into a walking storm of destruction. His aura pulsed like a dark flame, every step radiating lethal intent.
He charged back into the monstrous horde, his movements a blur of violent precision. Monsters that once took multiple guild members to take down now fell before him like leaves in a storm. Limbs were torn, bodies shattered—Aiden moved like a beast unleashed. To the others, he didn't look like a hero anymore—he looked like the very nightmare the monsters feared.
But Ron held his own, earning his share of awe. While he couldn't match Aiden's ferocity, his performance was nothing short of commendable. Taking on several monsters at once, he fought with calculated brutality. His stone body absorbed most damage, and the artifact given to him by Han proved invaluable—it stored energy from enemy attacks and converted it into either a devastating counter or a boost in raw power.
The true highlight of Ron's arsenal, though, was the massive warhammer in his grip—an A-rank power weapon, one of Nathan's finest. Every swing crushed bones and sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. With each strike, he carved a path through the chaos.
Still, the battle dragged on with no sign of ending. The horde seemed endless, a sea of death and claws. That's when it happened.
"Everyone, fall back. Now!" a commanding voice echoed across the battlefield.
Recognizing the voice, Aiden didn't hesitate. "Do it!" he shouted.
The guild members pulled back instantly. The monsters tried to pursue—until they, too, froze. Eyes wide, they looked up.
A massive beam of condensed energy formed between the palms of a descending figure, high above them.
"Omega Beam."
The words were calm—almost serene. Then the beam descended, tearing through the horde with divine precision. It obliterated nearly every monster remaining… yet, miraculously, not a single building was damaged. The beam had been perfectly contained. Utterly devastating.
Silence followed. Every guild member—Aiden included—stood in stunned disbelief.
From the sky, the figure descended slowly, mechanical wings folding in. A sleek white robot with golden linings touched down with a soft thud. Its faceplate lifted with a quiet metallic hiss, revealing the pilot within.
"Clara?" Aiden's eyes widened. "What the hell… is this?"
Clara smiled confidently. "My latest creation. Tech Bot Version 2.0."
To be continued…