Chapter 380: Constant Adaptation Part 1

The Boss Monster roared, shaking the entire Gate.

The sound rolled across the distorted landscape like a physical force. Floating plots of land trembled in the air, trees shook violently in the distance, and loose rocks were sent skittering across the fractured ground. Even the air seemed to vibrate around the enormous creature.

Then it charged again.

For something so massive, its speed was absurd.

The ground cracked beneath every step as the A Rank Monster crossed the distance in an instant. Its enormous claws descended with enough force to crush reinforced structures, but Mark moved before the attack had even finished.

He wasn’t predicting it.

His body had already learned the motion.

Mark slipped beneath the first claw and drove his fist into the creature’s ribs.

BOOM!

The impact was powerful enough to shatter stone, yet the Boss Monster barely moved. Its enormous body absorbed the blow before its tail immediately swept toward Mark.

Mark jumped.

The massive appendage tore through the space beneath him and obliterated several trees before Mark landed on top of it. The creature twisted violently, trying to throw him from its body, but Mark leapt away just before its enormous weight crashed into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A shockwave blasted dirt and stone in every direction.

Mark landed several metres away, barely having time to steady himself before the Boss Monster attacked again.

This time, its enormous horns began to glow.

Mana gathered around the tips, condensing into brilliant points of destructive energy. Mark’s eyes widened slightly as he realised what was coming.

A concentrated beam erupted from the horns.

BZZZ!

The blast tore across the landscape, vaporising everything in its path.

Mark twisted aside.

The beam grazed his shoulder.

His flesh burned instantly, and the force of the attack sent him flying through the air. He crashed through a rocky outcropping and disappeared beneath the resulting debris.

The Boss Monster didn’t wait.

Another beam erupted.

Then another.

Each one carved enormous scars across the battlefield, leaving behind molten rock and clouds of dust.

The creature wasn’t merely strong.

It possessed an overwhelming amount of destructive mana, and more importantly, it knew how to use it.

Its horns could fire concentrated energy capable of blasting through massive rock formations. Its claws could generate explosive impacts strong enough to tear apart the ground. Its tail could produce devastating shockwaves, while its jaws could unleash torrents of scorching mana.

And that wasn’t even counting the enormous explosion it could create by releasing the energy throughout its entire body.

This was the power of an A Rank Monster.

A creature capable of turning an entire city into a battlefield of rubble if it were allowed to rampage unchecked.

Mark pushed himself out of the rubble.

Blood ran down his face.

The dark green energy surrounding his body flickered weakly for a moment before suddenly intensifying.

His breathing steadied as his body learned.

The heat, the pressure, the force, the destructive energy - none of it was as unfamiliar as it had been moments ago.

The Boss Monster charged again.

Its first claw came from the left.

Mark ducked beneath it before the attack could connect. The second came immediately from the right, forcing him to shift his body beneath the sweeping limb.

Then came the tail.

Mark jumped as the massive appendage swept through the space where he had been standing, sending another wave of destruction across the battlefield.

The creature opened its jaws.

Mark immediately moved backwards.

A blast of scorching mana erupted from its mouth and tore through the ground in front of him.

Mark landed several metres away.

His head tilted slightly.

Something inside him clicked.

The monster had repeated a sequence: charge, left claw, right claw, tail, then mouth.

It wasn’t conscious analysis.

Mark wasn’t standing there and logically breaking down the Boss Monster’s attack pattern. His mind wasn’t calculating angles or predicting trajectories. His body simply remembered and was constantly adapting.

The Boss Monster charged again.

Mark waited.

The first claw descended.

He slipped beneath it effortlessly.

The second followed.

He moved around it swiftly.

The tail came next.

Instead of retreating, Mark jumped onto it.

The creature’s jaws opened.

Mark launched himself toward its head just as the blazing blast erupted from its maw.

He twisted through it.

The attack scorched his arms, which he shielded his body with, but he continued forward without slowing.

His fist slammed into the creature’s skull.

BOOM!

The Boss Monster staggered.

For the first time, its enormous body was forced backwards.

But Mark had barely scratched it.

The Boss Monster planted all four limbs into the earth.

Mana erupted from its body.

The air distorted around it as an enormous pressure began building. Its horns blazed with energy, while destructive power spread across its claws and armoured body.

Then the A Rank Monster unleashed everything in a fit of rage.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion tore through the landscape.

Floating islands were ripped apart. Massive rocks were launched into the sky, the ground cracked for hundreds of metres, and trees were uprooted and thrown through the air. Entire sections of terrain simply disappeared beneath the overwhelming force.

Mark was caught directly in the centre.

His body was hurled through the air before smashing into the ground hard enough to leave a crater.

Before he could recover, another blast struck him.

Then another.

The Boss Monster attacked without mercy.

Its horns fired beams that tore through the battlefield. Its claws exploded against the ground, its tail released shockwaves, and its jaws unleashed torrents of burning mana.

There was no safe distance, nor was there anywhere to hide in this gate.

Mark’s body was broken faster than it could initially adapt.

His bones shattered, his limbs dislocated, and skin split open, all while blood poured from his mouth as one attack after another tore into him. The monster grew angrier and unleashed more and more of its power on Mark.

But he endured the pain and was growing stronger with each exchange.

The Boss Monster raised one enormous limb.

Mark looked up.

The limb came down before he could react.

BOOM!

The ground disappeared beneath him.

For several seconds, there was nothing, and the giant creature thought it was finally over.

Then the crater moved.

A hand emerged from the rubble.

Mark pulled himself upward again. His body was battered and broken, yet his black eyes remained fixed on the monster.

Something about him had changed.

The dark green aura surrounding his body was denser, heavier, and more controlled.

Mark’s body had learned and developed.

The explosions no longer surprised him, the heat no longer overwhelmed him, and the pressure no longer crushed him. Even the destructive mana tearing through his flesh was becoming something his body understood.

It attacked again.

This time, Mark moved before the attack reached him.

"My turn."

His voice was rough and deeper than usual.

The claw missed.

Mark appeared beneath the creature and struck upward.

BOOM!

Its enormous body lifted from the ground.

Mark followed.

His fist struck again.

BOOM!

And again.

BOOM!

The Boss Monster crashed back down.

Mark landed on top of it just as the creature released another massive burst of mana.

Instead of being completely overwhelmed, Mark’s body changed around the attack. His flesh shifted and hardened as energy that would have previously torn him apart was partially endured, redirected, and absorbed by his constantly adapting body.

He wasn’t merely surviving anymore.

He was learning.

Every attack was becoming information, every injury was becoming experience, and every moment spent on the verge of death was forcing his body to become something different.

The Boss Monster swung its tail.

Mark caught it.

The sheer force dragged him across the ground, carving a massive trench behind him, but Mark refused to let go.

His muscles tightened.

The dark green aura intensified.

He pulled.

The enormous monster lost its balance.

Mark twisted his entire body and used the creature’s own momentum against it.

The Boss Monster crashed onto its side.

BOOM!

Mark was already moving.

He sprinted across its armoured body and drove his fist into one of its plates.

Crack!

The armour fractured.

He struck again.

CRACK!

A third blow shattered it completely.

The Boss Monster screamed.

Mark stopped.

His black eyes focused on the exposed flesh beneath the broken armour.

There was a weakness, one he discovered from the difference in resistance beneath his fist.

The armour wasn’t uniform.

The plates overlapped across the creature’s body, but they shifted whenever it moved, leaving tiny gaps between them. And now he knew exactly where to attack.

The Boss Monster rolled upright and charged.

Mark stepped aside.

Its enormous body passed him, and he struck the damaged section with all his might.

BOOM!

The Boss Monster staggered.

It turned.

Mark was already moving.

The A Rank Monster swung again, but Mark slipped underneath and struck the exposed gap.

BOOM!

The creature roared.

For the first time, its attacks carried something other than overwhelming confidence.

Desperation.

The battle had changed.

The creature that had once swatted Mark aside like an insect was beginning to struggle just to touch him.

But Mark knew better than to become careless.

The Boss Monster was still an A Rank that could turn the tables at any moment...