Chapter 128: The Transformation

"RWAAAAARR!"

The deafening roar shook the ruined city. Immediately, every mutated beast roaming through the streets stopped what they were doing. Then, as if they had all received the same command, they fled. Reiji’s expression changed. That wasn’t normal. These creatures had attacked him without hesitation only moments ago, yet a single roar had been enough to make all of them abandon their prey and run for their lives. Whatever had produced that sound was something they feared far more than him.

Suddenly, a horde of mutated beasts came charging from the east. Reiji tightened his grip around the Long Bone Sword as the ground trembled beneath their combined weight. "What the hell is this place?" he muttered, staring at the approaching horde. He raised his sword, preparing to cut his way through them, but a sudden sense of danger slammed into him. Reiji’s instincts screamed at him to move, and he didn’t hesitate.

Mana Manipulation activated instantly, spreading through his body as he combined every defensive skill he could think of. Hardening covered his skin, turning his body as tough as steel, while thick vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around him, forming a protective sphere. Five skeletons appeared around him, standing like shields between him and the approaching horde. Reiji immediately infused everything with Demonic Essence, causing mana to surge through the defenses and strengthen them even further. He barely had enough time to brace himself before the entire area erupted.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The horde of mutated beasts was annihilated in an instant. The explosion tore through the ruined streets, reducing nearby buildings to rubble and sending a massive shockwave across the city. Dust and debris filled the air as the ground shook violently beneath the enormous force. For several seconds, nothing could be seen through the thick cloud of dust.

Then, a figure emerged from the opposite side. A man wearing white and brown robes slowly approached on horseback, staring toward the center of the destruction. "Huh? Something actually survived my attack?" he muttered in surprise. He narrowed his eyes as he examined the devastation, and then his expression changed. "Oh. He’s unfortunately unconscious."

The man brought his horse closer until he stood above Reiji’s motionless body. A strange notification appeared in front of Reiji’s unconscious form.

[Gate Visitor]

The man stared at him for several seconds. "You’re strange." His eyes narrowed as he continued examining Reiji. "The power inside you... I can sense a dragon, a demon, and the scent of Ander." He tilted his head slightly before asking, "Is he one of us?" The man immediately shook his head. "No. If he were an Ander, I would have known immediately."

His gaze moved toward the Long Bone Sword lying in Reiji’s hand, and his expression became thoughtful. "That sword... where have I seen it before?" He stared at it for several seconds before eventually giving up. "Well, I don’t know why, but you’re definitely different from an ordinary human." He looked down at Reiji again. "You’re an anomaly. Just like..."

The man’s voice trailed off. He suddenly crouched beside Reiji and carefully examined him. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed something. "You have the Twin Nine-Tail Fox Bloodline too?" A faint smile appeared beneath his hood. "And it’s surprisingly pure. Even purer than the dragon bloodline." The man’s interest in Reiji grew. "You’ve really piqued my interest, human."

He slowly placed a hand above Reiji’s forehead. "If the boss monster is the one you’ll be facing, then perhaps you’ll be able to handle it. But if I leave you like this, you’ll probably die before you even reach it." A pale golden light began gathering around his palm. "I’ll give you a temporary boost to those two pure bloodlines of yours." The light slowly entered Reiji’s forehead and disappeared into his body.

"I hope to see you again, young human." The man stood up and climbed back onto his horse. He took one final glance at Reiji before pulling the reins. A faint smile played beneath his hood, and then both the man and his horse vanished without leaving a trace.

Several minutes later, Reiji finally opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but he slowly pushed himself up and looked around. Silence surrounded him. The entire area had been devastated. Buildings that had once stood around him were now nothing more than piles of rubble. The road beneath his feet had been torn apart, and even the area behind him had been flattened by the explosion.

Reiji stared at the destruction in disbelief. "What in the hell was that?" He immediately checked his body. His clothes were partially burned, and several wounds covered his skin despite the protection he had used. Reiji frowned. He had felt it. That overwhelming pressure. The sensation of standing before something that could kill him without even trying.

’That feeling of sudden death... I’ve felt it before.’ His expression became serious. ’Yes. Beyond the mountain range in Blacklake Realm.’ Back then, he had immediately left the area because of the system’s warning, but the pressure he had sensed had been terrifying. And this time, despite using almost every defensive skill he had, half his clothes were burned and his body was still covered in wounds.

Reiji slowly stood up. The strange presence was gone now, but the feeling it had left behind remained. He didn’t like it. "Was that monster S-Rank?" He looked around the destroyed city. "Was it perhaps the Boss Monster? Or an Anomaly?" He couldn’t answer any of those questions. Whatever had attacked him had been far beyond anything he had encountered in this Gate so far.

Reiji clenched his fist. "Whatever it was, this just proves how little we actually know about Gates." He looked toward the endless ruined city. "I need to get stronger." His expression hardened. "Not only to protect myself, but also to find out where these Gates came from... and where all the men disappeared to."

Reiji took a deep breath before gripping the Long Bone Sword. Then he started moving. For what felt like hours, Reiji wandered aimlessly through the ruined city. There was no map, no familiar landmark, and no indication of where the entrance was. The only thing he could do was keep moving.

Along the way, several mutated beasts attacked him. The first was a creature resembling a massive lizard with six legs and a mouth filled with rows of needle-like teeth. Reiji killed it with a single slash after it attempted to bite his arm. Another mutated beast emerged from beneath a collapsed building, its body resembling a mixture of an insect and a wolf. It moved quickly, but Shadow Step allowed Reiji to appear behind it before cutting through its spine.

A group of smaller mutated beasts later surrounded him. Reiji didn’t bother wasting much time. He activated Verdant Grow and sent several sharpened vines through them before continuing onward. The monsters weren’t weak. Most of them possessed strength around the A-Rank level, and some were considerably faster than the Anders Mutated Dog he had killed earlier.

Yet Reiji noticed something strange. He wasn’t struggling as much as he should have been. His movements felt smoother, his body responded faster, and even his instincts seemed sharper. ’Something changed.’ Reiji frowned as he continued forward. He still didn’t understand what the mysterious man had done to him, but he could feel something different flowing through his body.

It wasn’t simply increased strength. It felt deeper, like something dormant inside him had been stirred awake. Reiji suddenly stopped when he felt an aura. A powerful one. His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the horizon. "There." Far in the distance stood an enormous structure.

Reiji stared at it in disbelief. The building was several times taller than the tallest building he had ever seen, rising so far into the reddish sky that its upper floors disappeared into the clouds. It was also incredibly wide, stretching across the ruined city like a gigantic fortress. "What the hell is that?" Reiji stared at the enormous structure for several seconds before his curiosity finally won.

Whatever was inside was producing the aura he had sensed. And after wandering around this strange world aimlessly for so long, finding something that could potentially give him answers was too good an opportunity to ignore. Reiji tightened his grip around the Long Bone Sword. "I guess that’s where I’m going."

He made his way toward the enormous structure. The closer he got, the stronger the aura became. By the time he reached the entrance, Reiji could already feel an oppressive presence coming from deep inside. Several mutated beasts were gathered around the entrance. The moment they noticed him, they charged.

Reiji didn’t stop. Shadow Step activated, and his body disappeared before reappearing among the creatures. Slash! One beast’s head flew through the air. Reiji turned and swung again. Slash! Another collapsed. A third creature lunged at his back, but Reiji twisted his body and drove the Long Bone Sword straight through its chest. The remaining beasts hesitated before immediately turning and fleeing.

Reiji didn’t bother chasing them. Instead, he stepped into the enormous building. The interior was just as massive as the outside. A gigantic staircase stretched upward, while countless corridors disappeared into the darkness. Reiji slowly looked around. ’This place is huge.’

He began climbing. The first floor contained several mutated beasts. The second floor had even more. The third floor was worse. By the fourth floor, Reiji had already killed dozens of mutated beasts. Yet with every floor he climbed, the strange aura became stronger.

Then he reached the fifth floor. The moment Reiji stepped through the entrance, he stopped. Someone was standing there. A humanoid creature dressed in dark armor stood in the center of the enormous floor. Its demonic aura filled the entire area.

Reiji’s eyes narrowed. It was a demon. But the aura was strange. It was demonic, yet somehow different from the Demonic Essence flowing through his own body. The creature slowly turned toward him.

[Anders Demon Guardian of the Bottom Floors – A+ Rank]

The demon stared at Reiji. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Its voice was deep and cold. "If you know what’s best for you, you’ll turn around and leave."

Reiji tightened his grip on the Long Bone Sword. He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say a word, the demon vanished. Reiji’s pupils narrowed. The next instant, the demon appeared beside him, its hand already reaching toward his neck.

"Shadow Step!"

Reiji disappeared. The demon’s hand closed around empty air. Reiji reappeared several meters away, his sword raised defensively. The demon slowly turned toward him. "For someone whose strength is only at B-Rank, you’re fast." It stepped forward. "But there’s something strange about you. I can feel a peculiar power inside you."

Reiji didn’t answer. His gaze sharpened as he watched the demon approach. He could feel it too. Despite standing before an A+ Rank monster, something that should have been considerably stronger than an ordinary A-Rank, Reiji remained strangely calm.

’Ever since I woke up after blocking that powerful attack...’ He tightened his grip around the Long Bone Sword. ’Something changed.’ The demon’s hand moved, and a sword suddenly appeared in its grasp, the blade scraping against the floor as it approached.

’I’m moving properly even though I should still be injured.’ Reiji’s expression remained calm. ’I tried to brush it off as my healing abilities being stronger than I thought, but I knew that wasn’t the case.’

The demon suddenly swung. Reiji moved aside, and the sword passed inches from his face. He immediately parried the next attack.

Clang!

Their blades collided. ’And there’s this strange sensation inside my head.’ The demon disappeared, and Reiji’s eyes followed its movement. ’It’s getting hotter.’ The demon reappeared behind him, but this time, Reiji didn’t hesitate. He swung the Long Bone Sword behind him.

Clang!

Their swords collided, and the demon’s eyes widened. It immediately jumped backward. Reiji stared at it as the demon’s expression became serious. ’I can feel it.’ His grip tightened. ’He’s getting stronger by the second.’

The demon’s eyes blazed with fury as it charged again. "If I don’t kill you here, those other demons will laugh at my incompetence!" Its sword came crashing down. "I hate being mocked!"

Reiji raised his sword.

Clang!

The impact shook his arms. Yet instead of fear, something else surged through him. ’I feel like my head is about to explode.’ Another attack came, and Reiji blocked it. ’But I don’t feel scared.’ He parried. ’And I don’t feel pain.’

The demon swung again. Reiji twisted aside and countered. ’Instead...’ Their swords collided once more, and a strange excitement surged through Reiji’s body. ’...I feel alive.’ It was as if a dam inside his mind had finally been broken. Something had been holding him back, and now the restraints were beginning to disappear.

The demon roared and swung with everything it had. Reiji met the attack head-on.

Clang!

The impact sent the demon sliding backward several steps. Reiji remained standing, his expression calm, almost unnaturally calm. "Then let me kill you to save your face."

The demon’s sneer slowly disappeared. Its eyes met Reiji’s, and then its expression changed completely. His pupils. His aura. This form.

"How’s this possible?"