Chapter 127: Viper Or Monster?

A suffocating silence fell over the paved estate driveway as Asher slowed his pace ten meters from the battered vehicle. The surrounding atmosphere felt unnaturally heavy, the air thick with an invisible pressure radiating from the rusted Audi.

​"Huh? Is he already giving up?" Galahad asked with a loud laugh, crossing his massive arms over his chest.

​"Truthfully, I think this is suicidal. Maybe he should fight Silas instead," said a sharp, blonde-haired woman named Liana, adjusting the daggers strapped to her thigh.

​"Hey! Why me? Aren’t you enough to test him?" Silas yelled back at her with a slight frown on his face.

​"He is still walking." Abel said quietly, his hands gripping his ornate walking stick as he observed Asher’s steady stride.

​"Well, this will be interesting..." The mage, Salina, exhaled softly.

​Natalie turned to Grayson, then back at Asher. No matter what conditions they had agreed upon, she wouldn’t let the new Patriarch get killed before her eyes.

_

​On the other side of the courtyard, Asher finally reached the scrappy car. He stepped up to the driver’s side and looked through the cracked window. A slender figure was curled up asleep inside, but the interior was eerily dark—as if the sunlight couldn’t penetrate the vehicle’s cabin, remaining jet-black even in the bright morning air.

​’System, I have a stupid question... What is my success rate with this woman without any of my gears?’ Asher asked in his mind. The raw, oppressive aura creeping out from the car was terrifyingly reminiscent of Luna, yet deeper and more concentrated. The only distinct difference was that her presence lacked the psychotic, bloodthirsty edge that defined Luna’s aura.

​{Success rate: 30%.}

​’You got to be kidding me! I have two Physiques!’ Asher retorted internally.

​{Note: Master, it’s precisely because of your two Physiques that you got the 30%.}

"...?!!"

​Asher sighed, adjusting his stance, and stretched his hand forward toward the door handle. The moment his fingers came within ten inches of the rusted metal, a violent wave of pure, condensed energy burst out from the vehicle’s frame.

​"This—?!"

​BOOOOM!!

​The shockwave exploded outward, sending Asher flying backward through the air. He flipped midair and landed heavily on his feet, the momentum dragging him several feet across the field, leaving deep skid marks on the ground.

​{Damage: -200,000.}

​’What the hell?? Her passive energy alone can deal this much damage?!’ He thought in shock, straightening his posture.

​’She must have a high-level Killing Intent skill, granting her the terrifying ability to physically attack using raw aura... This girl might actually be the strongest Awakened I have ever seen.’

​As he stood upright, the creaking car door finally creaked open.

​"...?"

​Everyone present froze, their eyes locked on the vehicle as the rusted door opened slowly.

​"I hate getting disturbed when I’m sleeping..."

​A hauntingly beautiful, velvety voice resonated across the entire driveway. Before the sound could even finish echoing, Asher felt a sudden displacement in space. His instincts screamed, and he sharply turned around, throwing his forearm up in front of him to block.

​BAM!!!!

​A brutal, unadorned punch smashed right into his defensive guard. The sheer physical impact sent him airborne, blasting him straight backward like a cannonball.

​BAM!!

​Asher stabilized his body midair, twisting his frame to land heavily on the cracked pavement 50 meters away, digging his boots deep into the earth again.

​"Husband!" Juliana exclaimed in shock, taking an instinctive step forward.

​’If you step forward, he fails the challenge. We should watch,’ Sara’s telepathic voice resonated softly inside Juliana’s mind.

​Juliana froze, blinking in surprise as she turned her head to look at Sara.

​’We need to see his true strength,’ Sara turned to her with a calm, trustful smile.

​Juliana blinked again, taking a slow breath, and turned her anxious gaze back to Asher, who was currently shaking his numbed, aching hand.

"...Alright." Juliana nodded her head, forcing herself to stand down.

​Marianne observed the interaction out of the corner of her eye, then shifted her gaze back to Asher, a small frown forming on her forehead. ’I thought he broke through SSS-RANK during last night’s event? He should be able to fight her on equal footing, right?’ She analyzed silently.

_

​’Stealth... Is there really someone whose stealth mastery is higher than mine? You actually managed to take me off-guard.’ Asher thought, his dark eyes shifting as a deep crimson glow flared within his pupils.

​{Shadow Gaze - Activated.}

​WHOOSH!!

​Without warning, Asher sharply spun around to his right and drove a heavy, energy-infused fist directly into empty air.

​BOOOOM!!!!

​Everyone blinked, utterly stunned as a massive shockwave of displaced atmosphere burst out from the point of contact, shattering the ground beneath them.

​"Lucky they’re a hundred meters away from the house." Salina muttered under her breath, pulling her cloak tight against the howling wind.

​They all watched intently as the dust slowly cleared, revealing Asher standing a few feet back from his original spot. Standing right before him was a breathtaking beauty with long, flowing brown hair and completely white, ethereal eyes.

​"Oh? You are also an Assassin? But you strike with the weight of a Warrior, and defend like a Knight... I am guessing you also cast high-tier skills. Which class are you actually?" She spoke, staring at him with a completely blank, bored expression.

​"Huh? Can someone even have that many class traits at once?" Leander asked in shock, staring at Asher with his single good eye, completely dumbfounded.

​"The Boss is impressive." Grayson muttered with a proud smile, his confidence returning.

​They all stared at Asher in absolute awe, but internally, Asher was staring at Viper in utter disbelief. While his face remained an impenetrable mask, his mind was panicking as the System displayed her true parameters:

​[Name: Hope Jian (Nickname: Viper)]

[Talent: EX-RANK]

[Physique: Devouring Physique | King Kong Physique]

[Rank: SSS-RANK (80% purity)]

[Species: Advanced Human]

[Agility: 700,000]

[Energy: 1,000,000]

[Defense: 800,000]

[Health Points: 1,000,000]

[Physical Attack: 500,000]

[Magical Attack: 500,000]

​’The hell??!! Her base stats are insane... But if I activate my active Buffs, my stats will jump into the millions. I can deal with her then... That won’t break the agreement against using gears, as long as I only rely on skill buffs.’

​Asher nodded to himself, clenching his fists tightly as an overwhelming surge of golden and dark energy erupted from his core.

​{Sword Proficiency - Activated.}

{Rank has temporarily been pushed to EX-Rank for 15 minutes.}

​[Name: Asher Aetheldawn]

[Rank: EX-Rank (Temporary)]

[Class: [Unknown]]

[Titles [2]: Killer | Dark Elf Fugitive]

[Species: Advanced Human]

[Bloodline: Aetheldawn Bloodline: (Effect: When Health drops below 20%, instantly restores Health to 100%, and stats increase by 500% for 10 minutes. No Cooldown.).]

[Physique [2]: Elite Sword Body (Heaven-Tier) | Great Shadow-Body (Divine-Tier)]

[Agility: 1,500,000 (+100,000)]

[Energy: 1,620,000 (+120,000)]

[Defense: 1,500,000 (+100,000)]

[Health Points: 2,720,000 (+120,000)]

[Physical Attack: 700,000 (+100,000)]

[Magical Attack: 700,000 (+100,000)]

​’Yes! With these stats, I can definitely overpower her with my bare fists!’ Asher thought, a confident grin touching his lips as he watched Viper casually stretch her hand toward him.

​"Come on, let’s finish—"

​{Warning Master!!}

​BAM!!

​An invisible, terrifying force slammed directly into Asher’s chest like a phantom sledgehammer, causing his color to drain instantly as a sickening feeling of emptiness washed over his core.

​{Warning: 50% of Master’s total stats have been forcefully stolen by the Devouring Physique!}

​Asher blinked in shock, watching in absolute horror as his interface recalculated, cutting his newly buffed stats directly in half:

​[Agility: 750,000 (+100,000)]

[Energy: 810,000 (+120,000)]

[Defense: 750,000 (+100,000)]

[Health Points: 1,360,000 (+120,000)]

[Physical Attack: 350,000 (+100,000)]

[Magical Attack: 350,000 (+100,000)]

​He felt half of the surge of power he had just summoned instantly vanish into thin air. Asher looked up at Viper, his red eyes widening as the System updated her current parameters:

​[Viper’s Updated Stats]:

[Agility: 700,000 + 750,000 = 1,450,000]

[Energy: 1,000,000 + 810,000 = 1,810,000]

[Defense: 800,000 + 750,000 = 1,550,000]

[Health Points: 1,000,000 + 1,360,000 = 2,360,000]

[Physical Attack: 500,000 + 350,000 = 850,000]

[Magical Attack: 500,000 + 350,000 = 850,000]

​Asher stood completely frozen, staring at her as her white eyes began to glow with stolen, radiant energy.

​"I’m actually pretty impressed..." Viper said, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across her face as her aura expanded exponentially, tearing up the ground around her feet. "Thanks to you, I feel ridiculously powerful right now. Now, let’s have some real fun."

​Before the final word left her lips, her figure vanished into complete thin air.

​"....?!"