part1 · 080-ep80
Episode 80: Transcendent
—Just a breath.
The awareness that had cut away came back.
"..."
Ren opened his eyes slowly. His vision swam.
He moved. His fingers moved. His arms moved. Slowly, he pushed himself up.
"...?"
Ren looked at his body. No wounds. No blood. No pain.
"...The ring, huh."
He looked at his right hand. The ring that had been there was gone without a trace.
The fatal wounds from the dragon's attack. The ring had taken them in his place, completely.
"...It saved me."
Ren stood.
And—
Thump.
His heart pounded, hard.
"...!"
A dreadful power welled up from deep inside his body.
Thump.
Again. This time, his whole body shook.
His magic began to run wild. Unlike anything before.
"...What is this."
Ren's breath caught.
The next instant—
—Wham!!
Dreadful magic burst out of Ren's body. The shockwave rolled outward. The ground heaved, cracks racing across it beneath his feet. The dust kicked up around him was blown away in an instant.
"...gh!"
Even Ren was startled. He tried to hold it in.
But—
it wouldn't stop.
The magic overflowing from deep inside him raced through his body, again and again.
Arms. Legs. Chest. Head.
Magic flooded every part of him at once.
"Gh...!"
Ren clenched his teeth.
He had driven his magic to its limits countless times. Even so, he'd never felt anything like this.
Then.
《《Survival Adaptation》 activating.》
The voice rang through his head.
《Extreme condition confirmed.》
《Integrating all accumulated survival experience.》
《Integrating all accumulated combat experience.》
The last ten years rose up in Ren's mind, all at once.
Hunger. Thirst. Poison. Wounds. Battles with monsters.
He had nearly died again and again. Pushed past his limits again and again. And still — he had survived.
All of it—
was becoming one.
《Accumulated experience confirmed.》
《Growth limit of target confirmed.》
The display froze for a heartbeat.
And—
《《Infinite Growth》 confirmed.》
《No growth limit exists.》
Ren's eyes flew wide.
The next instant.
《Interaction between 《Infinite Growth》 and 《Survival Adaptation》 confirmed.》
《Beginning fusion of the two skills.》
"...!"
His magic swelled up all at once.
—BOOM!!
A dreadful explosion rocked floor 100. The ground shattered. Countless cracks ran through the rock walls. Around Ren, a vast mass of magic coiled into a vortex.
The Ancient Dragon drew back.
"Gwo...!"
But the eruption of magic didn't stop.
The power of 《Infinite Growth》. The power of 《Survival Adaptation》.
Two different powers collided fiercely inside Ren's body.
And—
slowly, they began melting into one.
Everything Ren had piled up until now. The experience gained to stay alive. The power built through endless fighting. The growth of one who kept surpassing his limits.
All of it was merging into one.
《Fusion rate—100%.》
For a heartbeat, all sound left the world.
And—
《Fusion complete.》
《A new skill is born.》
—Thump.
Ren's heart pounded, hard.
《《Infinite Growth》》
《《Survival Adaptation》》
The two names faded away.
And in their place—
《《Transcendent》》
a new name appeared.
—BOOM!!
One last eruption.
The magic that had wrapped Ren released outward, all at once. The ground caved in. The air trembled. The rock walls came crumbling down.
Even so—
Ren, at its center, didn't so much as flinch.
Before long, the overflowing magic settled quietly.
Ren opened his eyes slowly.
"..."
The world looked different.
Sound was vivid. He could read the flow of the air. He could feel even the faintest tremor in the ground.
And—
he could see, clearly, the magic flowing through the Ancient Dragon's body.
Where the magic was gathering. Where the attack would come from. How its body would move next.
He understood them, as sensation.
"...So this is"
Ren looked over his own body.
"《Transcendent》..."
It wasn't just more power. Everything that had lived inside him had become one.
Ren picked up the magic sword. He flowed magic into the blade. The magic gathered there as naturally as breathing.
The Ancient Dragon glared at Ren.
The human that had lain sprawled on the ground moments ago. That human was now something else entirely.
The Ancient Dragon growled low.
"Grrrr..."
Ren readied the magic sword.
Moments ago, he had been wary of the dragon and its higher status. Even now, the Ancient Dragon was every bit the powerful foe it had been.
But—
the fear was gone.
"...One more time."
A sharp light kindled in Ren's eyes.
"This time, I won't lose."
The Ancient Dragon roared.
"Gwoooargh!!"
A roar that shook all of floor 100.
Even so—
Ren didn't so much as waver.
The next instant.
Ren's figure vanished.