"The Stone Garud, a One-Star Monster, against a beginner." Ophelia frowned. "I warned you, Mr. Grad, you’re overestimating him. He’s already trembling with fear!"
"Huh?" Grad chuckled. "Are we looking at two different people? Can’t you see that, Ophelia?"
"What are you talking about?" Ophelia narrowed her eyes as soon as she realized that Kreyn wasn’t afraid at all. On the contrary, for some reason, a desire to fight had appeared in his gaze.
Step.
Kreyn stepped forward, seeing in the huge monster before him not just an opponent, but an upgrade for the Gene Forge.
’That was unexpected, it seems Grad has good intuition. Will I be able to upgrade my forge if I defeat this walking chunk of rock? Well, after the Renegade, it doesn’t look scary at all!’
Sure, Kreyn fought against the Renegade. That gave him some confidence, but he completely forgot that he wasn’t alone back then and that he didn’t actually defeat the Renegade, he simply pushed it off a cliff.
Thump!
The Stone Garud stepped forward, its heavy hind legs causing the ground to tremble, while its sharp blades sent sparks flying as they scraped the arena’s surface.
Tap. Tap.
The Stone Garud tapped the tip of its blade before crossing them and lunging forward in a sharp leap.
Despite its size, the Stone Garud possessed speed greater than even the most spirited bull.
’Alright, what could be better than an obvious attack?’ Kreyn thought, folding his hands in front of him.
Twice he tested the strength of his barrier, and he did not doubt that it would withstand the attack.
Ophelia’s eyes widened.
"Mr. Grad, you have to help him or—"
Sip.
Grad took a sip of coffee just as a red light flashed in his eyes.
In a flash, the barrier appeared in front of Kreyn, colliding with the Stone Garud.
Tremble! Tremble!
A tremor rippled across the ground, sparks flew in all directions, and the corners of Kreyn’s mouth curled upward.
The barrier held.
"Agh?"
Suddenly, all confidence vanished from Kreyn’s face as he realized that the Stone Garud was getting farther and farther away.
The monster wasn’t moving. He was the one who ended up flying through the air.
THUMP!
His back slammed into the wall as his pupils dilated from the dull pain that shot through his body.
Grad nodded.
"His barrier withstood it, but his body didn’t. He simply couldn’t stay on his feet, and the impact threw him aside."
"But..." Ophelia stammered. "His barrier didn’t even crack. That’s incredible durability."
"Indeed. However, it doesn’t matter how sturdy your armor is. Even if the sharpest sword leaves not a single scratch on your armor, the sheer force of the blow will shatter your bones right inside your armor."
Clang. Clang.
The Stone Garud struck its blades against each other, sharpening the edges.
After that, its head swiveled sharply to the right as it assumed a stance for another lunge.
Kreyn, who got up from the ground, spat out a clot of blood. He saw what the Stone Garud was doing, but he wasn’t going to run away.
"Hmm?" Artis touched his chin thoughtfully. "Does he want to block its attack again? Considering how close he is to the wall, this time he won’t get off with just a bruise. The strike will break his ribs."
This dry but accurate analysis frightened Ophelia, while Grad remained indifferent. He was at a show, not a training session.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Stone Garud ran at full speed, and soon its crossed blades would strike Kreyn head-on.
"Tsk. This will be tough, but I should be able to handle one turn, right?"
Step!
Kreyn stepped aside as his boots trembled. He used the Vibration Step, cutting across the straight line ahead.
RUMBLE!
As a result, the Stone Garud swept past him and crashed straight into the wall at full speed. However, given its protective stone layer, it would quickly recover.
Or... not?
Whooooosh!
Immediately after finishing the Vibration Step, Kreyn raised one knee as he spun sharply on one foot.
"Gha..." He breathed out and took another step, staring straight at his opponent.
Using the Vibration Step again immediately after the first one, Kreyn slammed into the Stone Garud, clenching his fist tightly.
The crimson blast erupted toward the monster, shattering its left blade and slamming it into the wall, just as it had happened earlier to Kreyn himself.
"GRRRHOOOO!!!"
The Stone Garud roared, rising from the debris, but Kreyn was already in front of it. A red light reflected in his eyes as he attacked once more.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Kreyn wasn’t going to underestimate his opponents. Just as with the Sand Lizard, Kreyn would keep striking until his opponent turned into a bloody mess or he could no longer raise his fist.
For a while, Ophelia and Artis watched as Kreyn clenched his fist, then another blow crashed into the Stone Garud’s face. He was already out of energy for the crimson blasts, but his fists were still powerful due to his mutation.
Ophelia and Artis were shocked, while only Grad smiled contentedly.
"What a scene, huh?"
He said as the bloodied Kreyn finally took a step back.
The Stone Garud’s body was still twitching, but it was nothing more than muscle spasms. The monster was dead.
Kreyn’s legs trembled as he collapsed to his knees, each Vibration Step was a heavy strain on his muscles.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Claps rang out behind him as Grad confidently clapped his large hands.
But at that moment, Kreyn was focused on something else entirely.
A green light emerged from the dead Stone Garud as soon as the orb hovered in front of him.
[You have obtained the gene of the Stone Garud!]
[The Gene Forge has obtained the necessary material to upgrade!]
[Ding!]
[The Gene Forge has been upgraded to Level 1.]
[New features unlocked:
1) Available crafting options are now visible, and new, previously hidden information has become accessible.
2) You can now create Cells at the Gene Forge if you have the appropriate materials.]
In fact, Kreyn suspected that there would be additional information during the craft. It made sense to him that he should get this option as soon as possible.
But, creating the Cells?
’Wait, the Cells... They’re mentioned in my arms and my boots, too. But I don’t have a single one yet. What do they even do?’
Well, that was exactly what Kreyn was about to find out when another message popped up before him.
[Do you want to use the gene of the Stone Garud to create a Cell from it?]
’What are the chances of success?’ Kreyn asked himself.
[This time - 100%.]
Kreyn grinned widely as a fire lit up in his eyes.
’Then do it! I want to hear the hammer strike! That bastard made me work up a sweat, he’s definitely going to turn into something awesome!’