Chapter 49

Before he transformed, the man had attacked Zich and Snoc with a fighting style that was clear and precise but full ofbloodthirst. However, after his transformation, his fighting style completely changed. He threw away his sword to the side as if it was a small stick and began fighting with only his body. There were no skills or techniques involved. He only used speed, power, and his tough skinbut with just these physical characteristics, he was able to drive Zich to a corner.

Crashhh!

The man tried to punch Zich but hit the ground instead. Rock pieces flew everywhere, and there was a huge dentin the rock. Zich, who managed to evade the mans attack, distanced himself from the man.

Crunch!

The man stepped hard on the ground. His footsteps formed deep indentations on the rocks, and his body flew as if a ballista hadthrownhis body into the air.

Whish!

The man spread his palms and made some wide movements. His attacks were rudimentary andfullof gaps. But the strength and speed of his massive arms far exceededcommon sense.

Zich raised his sword to block the mans attack.

Slammm!

The sound of a swordsharply clashingagainst humanskinrang across the cave; it was hard to believe that it was the sound of a sword on human skin. Moreover, Zichsswordbegan to bend fromhis opponentssheerstrength, andhe hadto quickly focus on fusing mana into his wrists.

Punch!

The man was able to successfully push back Zichs sword and hitZichsforearms. As ifhewas a broken puppet doll, Zichs body flewto the side.

Slip!

Zich lost his center of gravity, but he managed to land on his two feet with relative ease. He fixed his posture.

Throb!

Hisarmthatgot punched ached. Zich tried moving his arms a few times.

Its just a bruise.

None of his bones were broken, and the pain from his arm was not so great that it would affectthe flow ofbattle. However, the only reason why his arm didnt break was because he protected himself with mana at the lastsecond. If hehadnt defended himself with mana,not only would his arm be broken, but several of his ribs would be broken too. Moreover, if he got hit in the same place multiple times, no amount of mana would prevent him fromgetting severly injured.

For now,this dude is stronger than me.

Zich had no problem admitting this.

What is that? Its a skill that Ive never seen before. Ive seen skills that increase strength before, but never as great as this. No, is this even a skill?

Even if it was not a skill, Zich was sure that he had never seen something like this.

What is that?Zich just decided to ask outright.

Fufufu! Are you beginning to feel afraid?

Im just curious because Ive never seen such a skill. Is that even a skill?

Of course, its a skill. If you are so curious, why dont you try joining our organization? You will not only be able to satisfy your curiosity, but you will be able to make this skill yours.

The man still hadnt given up on recruiting Zich, but Zich snorted,Why would I learn a skill that so obviously uses your own life force? I can get much stronger without depending on such skills.

Im sure thats true for someone like you.

Even though Zich was young, the man was forced to use this technique toassure his victory. He could not imagine just how strong Zichwould get when he got older.

However

But thats only true if you manage to get out of here alive.

The man had no intentions to let Zich go. Zich felt annoyed at the mans absolute confidence over his victory.

Okay, I admit it. Your strength is definitely above mine right now.

Zich was not afraid to accept the reality of his situation, but that was all there was to it.

Dont you think its too early to be assured of your victoryjust yet?

Before he regressed, Zich had fought countless battles. He had fought one-on-one battles,large-scalebattles, and battles where he had to fight multiple enemiesat once. There were times when he fought with people weaker than him, similar to him, and even stronger than him. But all of his battles had ended with the same result

With his complete victory.

This is not even a dangerous situation.

Considering all the suffering he had to endure until he gained the title, The Demon Lord of Strength, this didnt even count as a dangerous situation.

I guess your confidence is still the same.

Im too much of a genius to lose just because you were able to improve your skills a little bit.

I like people who are confident, but people who are arrogant are not my style.

Its not arrogance. Im only speaking the truth.

Okay. Then lets see whether or not you are confident or arrogant.

The mans attack was like a missile. He merely pushed out his arms or legs and sometimes made attacks with his elbows or knees. Because it was hard to withstand his strength, Zich evaded most of the mans attacks. However, the mans speed pressured Zich more and more as time passed on. The few attacks Zich managed to inflict bounced off the mans tough skin.

From a glance, Zich was being driven to a corner. Bruises and cuts kept pilinguponhis body.

What are you doing?Is it really arrogance? It looks like you will be in trouble if you dont start showing something new.

The man mocked Zich. So far, Zich had not shown proper retaliation ever since his confident words about howa genius like him wouldnt lose.After returningthe mans sarcasm with jokes, Zich was nowsilentand didnt reply. The man judged that Zich didnt even have the leisure to reply.

I expected more from you, but I guess this is it. Well, you worked hard. Considering your age, you did really well. I am honestly surprised. The only thing you lack is time, but what can you do? The world is unfair.

The man was going to make sure Zich never reached his full potential. After he tortured and medicated Zich to get information about howheknew about Nowem and their transfusion, time would no longer pass for Zich.

I hope youreflect on yourselfin that short amount of time before you die. Youth is all about progress

You talk too much.Zich finally opened his mouth to speak.

Oh? You can talk now? I thought you became mute because youdidnt sayanything. No matter how dire your situation is, isnt it basic manners to reply when someone is talking?

I apologize. Its because it took me a while to prepare. My control over my mana is still lacking, so I need to concentrate a lot.

Prepare?

Yeah. Preparation to destroy you.

The man laughed as if Zichs words were so ridiculoushe found them funny.

Ahahahah! Have you still not woken up from your dream? Thats great! Lets look at what you so carefully prepared!

Crashhh!

The man moved straight towards Zich. It was a blunt and simple move, but the force of his movement was enormous. If Zich made even the slightest contact, several of his bones would break instantly. Compared to the man, Zichs retaliation was frail and also very simple. A sword with barely any strength or force weakly pointed towards the man.

It was not even worth the mans time to defend. The man ignored the sword on him and raised his fists up to land a punch.

Bang!

Huh?

The man let out a surprised cry as a blood bath erupted forth in front of him. He hadnt even hit Zich yet, but why was so much blood coming out?

He blinked his eyes several times. Everything felt unreal, but when he lifted his arm up, the pain forced him to face reality.

Ughh!

The man cried and grabbed onto his arms. Blood began to pour out like a river from his rock-hard body. As if his arm burst from the inside, the arm that had tried to hit Zich was caved in. The man quickly withdrew due to his unexpected injury. Seeing that his arm laylimp on his side, he could tell that this was no laughing matter.

With great enjoyment, Zich watched the man fall into a state of shock and put his sword on his shoulders with ease.

How is it? Do you like it?

H-How!

Zichs attackwasa weak stab, but itpiercedthe mans arm completely. No, not pierced but exploded his arm.

Its called manaresonance.Zich spoke as if mana resonance was not a big deal, but it was no small feat to be able to use it.

The concept of mana resonance began with the theory of sensory expansion. By infusing the sword with ones own mana, one could control it like it was a part of oneself. But Zichs sensory expansion went beyond his control of the sword. His control range went far past his weapon

Toeven reachhis opponents body.

What kind of nonsense are you saying!

The man could not believe Zichs words. He could not help it. What Zich was saying was too unbelievablebecause this meant that Zich could control his opponents by merely touching them with his sword!

Thats impossible!

Its possible.

Zich stabbed the mans other arm. The man quickly tried to evade the attack, but he was too slow. He was still recovering from his injury and the shock of Zichs words.

Bang!

Ugh!

The mans other arm exploded.

Right now, I dont have that much control of my mana, so I have to stab the same area many times to get it going, but once I establish my mana resonance there, its all too easy to burst you like this.

To think about it, this bastardonly keptattacking me in the same spot!

The man thought this was Zichs desperate ploy to pierce his tough skin. Hedid not imagine that itwas Zichs attempt to gain control of his mana flow.

I cant use this attack on people who are skilled at mana control, but you are nowhere near that level. Moreover, this attack is great on people who only know how to burst out mana like you.

For that reason, Zich was able to easily get in contact with the mana coming off the mans skin. After instilling mana resonance, Zich could make the mans mana explode inside of him. Since all of the mans extraordinary strength and speed came from his mana, once the mana flow flipped over to Zichs control, the man was completely helpless against Zichs attacks.

Zich continued to stab the same area. The mans body continued to explode, and after a few moments, the mans entire body turned into rags.

Cough!

The man coughed out blood. His bluish and pale complexion indicated how severe his condition was. But even in this condition, the man looked as if he was unable to accept his situation.

I can understand why.

Mana resonance was one of Zichs most notorious skills. There was no skill greater than this to crush the spirits of guys who believed in their strong defense and send them to hell. However, Zich was not pleased that he was forced to use this skill.

If I had full control over my mana, I could have just crushed him with sheer strength.

Zich stopped reminiscing and focused his attention backtothe man.

Im curious about a few things. Can you answer some of my questions?

Zich was curious about the mans identity and his organization. He wanted to learn more about the mysterious organization that used skills he had never seen before,but the man snorted and replied coldly. He dropped his use of honorifics.

You think I will tell you?

No.

Zich knew that people like him would not reply even with torture. If he had known this about the man, Zich would have saved some of his underlings to get some information.

I cant tell you about my identity or tell you anything about Snoc.

Ah, you dont have to tell me anything about Snoc.

If you try to force a transfusion with a magical beast and a person, a normal persons body will completely collapse. However, Snocs body even healed from the transfusion. This can only mean that Snocs fundamental mana properties are extremely compatible with themagical beasts properties. Im sure Snocs mana is very close to theearth.

Zichcontinued his analysis,In that case, even if you force a transfusion, Snocs body wont explode. But Im sure you played a part in the transfusion. You probably shook up his mentality, didnt you?

Zich shrugged his shoulders.

Since you mentioned Drew before, he must have also been part of your plan. No wonder I witnessed such a funny sight like an adventurer accepting a disciple.

The man could not help but let out a low murmur,You fucking bastard.