The steel ape, as its name implied, was a two-meter-tall brute with gleaming metallic skin nearly impenetrable to mid-level Rank 1 magical weapons. Its monstrous defense made it a nightmare for its Greenhorn rank,, but Zack knew its glaring weakness: slow movement due to its heavy bulk and weight.
He was quite knowledgeable about Greenhorn-ranked beasts, having studied their strengths from and Cautions from Grandpa Kai. A head-on clash never crossed his mind—not for a second.
Freed from its shackles, the ape charged with monstrous rage, its thundering steps echoing off the arena's concrete floor like distant explosions in the besieged city.
Zack dodged swiftly to the side, his boots scraping the scuffed surface scarred by previous trials.
The ape barreled past his former spot, struggling to halt its momentum, taking precious seconds to turn and exposing its back.
Zack circled with impressive agility, stabbing his double-bladed spear behind its left kneecap. The blade pierced the metallic skin, injuring the joint and slowing the beast further while eliciting a roar of pain.
The steel ape swung its thick, muscle-bound metallic arm backward with surprising speed for its size, catching Zack mid-retreat. Startled, he blocked with the spear's shaft across his chest just as the blow landed.
Zack didn't resist the force. He leaped backward, using the ape's strength to propel himself away, creating distance from the monster's range. Still, the impact rattled him.
"Ugh,"
he grunted, slamming into the energy barrier. The dome's hum vibrated through his back, a thin trickle of blood trailing from his lips as pain shot through his arms and spine. Even buffered, the blow made his bones ache—he was certain a direct hit would shatter them.
Making a mental note of the creature's reaction speed, Zack dashed aside with a satisfied smirk. The ape limped in pursuit, its fury evident, its already sluggish agility lessened by the knee injury. Blood trailed behind it, staining the arena floor like oil slicks on urban streets.
Boom!
The ape crashed into the barrier behind him, the impact reverberating like a car wreck in the city outskirts. Zack spun, slashing the spear across its other knee as it turned. The beast roared again, nearly collapsing as its legs buckled.
It swung wildly behind, aiming to crush him. Prepared this time, Zack ducked low, rolling across the gritty floor before springing up and dashing forward, momentum carrying him clear.
"Not again,"
He muttered, exhilarated by the thrill of outmaneuvering a superior foe—a feeling he'd trained for his whole life.
The battle continued in hit-and-run strikes, targeting the knees until the ape slowed to a crawl. Blood pooled across the floor, leading Zack around the arena like a grim breadcrumb trail. One final slash buckled both legs; the beast supported itself on its arms, face inches from the ground.
This was Zack's moment. He leaped onto its broad, metallic back, raising the spear high. With a violent thrust, the blade pierced skin and skull, plunging into the brain in a splash of blood.
The ape roared, shuddering in agony, trying to shake him off. Its struggles faded to twitches, then stillness, eyes dimming in death.
Zack sighed in relief, his body aching from the blows it had managed to land. But the pain vanished as powerful energy surged through him, lifting him off the beast and floating him mid-air. His injuries healed, bones toughening beyond human limits, skin compacting smoother and stronger, physique refining into something more honed and striking. His mind sharpened, thoughts racing clearer.
He basked in the heavenly rush for half a minute before gently descending, the energy receding into his body. Surprisingly, the changes felt subtle—not the dramatic shift he'd imagined—but he pushed it aside.
Opening his eyes, Zack faced a series of blue glowing holographic notifications hovering before him, projected by the Ascension System.
[DING]
[Congratulations! You have successfully connected to the Ascension System.]
[Scanning statistics...]
[Scanning awakened talent...]
[Status:
NAME: Zack Starshot
RACE: Human
RANK: Low-level Drifter
TALENT: Infinity
Stats
HP: 10 / 10
MANA: 100 / 100
STRENGTH: 8
AGILITY: 9
STAMINA: 9
MENTAL: 10
Stat points: 100
EXP: 0 / 100
Skills
1] Infinite Duplication
Description: Allows you to infinitely duplicate and control anything below the Drifter rank (Consumes mana to activate.)]
Staring at the status screen, Zack felt calm and cool-headed, contrary to the excitement he'd anticipated. This was just the beginning of his path to power—no need for overjoy. More breakthroughs awaited; he was sure.
Still, he couldn't wait to allocate his stat points and test his talent. Suppressing impatience, he stepped off the stage. The protector gawked in surprise, clearly expecting failure.
"Kid, that was... efficient,"
the man muttered, shaking his head.
Zack ignored him, walking out amid a cacophony of cheers and screams from the audience.
The dome's sound isolation had muffled them during the fight; now, their wild energy washed over him like a stadium roar in the city's sports districts of old.
He flashed a bright smile at the rowdy crowd but tuned them out, finding a spot in the audience stand to watch his friends' matches. Suppressing the urge to open his status screen again, he leaned forward, eyes sharp.
To Zack's surprise, Alexa had already finished her fight and was mid-awakening, the familiar golden glow enveloping her as she floated serenely above the arena floor.
The Awakening Center's harsh overhead lights cast long shadows across the concrete stands, where spectators murmured in the humid air thick with the scent of sweat and blood from earlier battles.
Zack stared at her calm expression, impressed by her speed in defeating the steel ape. His own fight had taken less than four minutes, but he knew the beast's challenge—only someone well-trained could dispatch it so swiftly.
"She's no amateur,"
He muttered to himself, scanning her dome.
The ape lay dead, its metallic body marred by fist dents and deep stab wounds, especially on its legs and face. Zack raised an eyebrow at the punctures;
'her gauntlets must hide retractable blades, sharp enough to pierce Greenhorn hide in this urban slaughterhouse of an arena.'
The thought silently
As the glow faded, Alexa opened her eyes, glancing at the other domes to check progress. Her gaze landed on Zack's empty arena, surprise flickering across her fierce features.
Ignoring the holographic system interface shimmering before her, she scanned the participants' stands, spotting him unscathed amid the buzzing crowd.
Zack nodded, flashing a brief, reassuring smile when their eyes met. It seemed to confirm her suspicions—he'd finished before her. She hid an incredulous look, then smiled back, striding out of the dome to join him, her boots echoing on the scuffed floor.
Meanwhile, in the other two domes, the battles dragged on, but neither fighter was doomed yet. The arena's isolation fields hummed faintly, muffling the apes' roars like distant traffic in the city outside.
Diana looked battered, blood trickling from her lips, her once-pristine combat suit torn and dirtied from blows. She gripped her thin sword tightly, having riddled the ape with deep slashes and severed one arm, causing severe blood loss for the beast. If she held on, victory was hers—slow but sure.
"Come on, you oversized tin can,"
she growled through gritted teeth, circling warily.
Anthony fared worse, roughed up with blood trailing from a head wound, staining his brown hair red and painting his face vivid crimson. He limped slightly, a throw from the ape jarring his leg, but he darted around, delivering bloody slashes with his daggers.
"Take that, you rust bucket!"
He taunted, grinning through the pain.
His ape was blinded, eyes gouged by precise dagger strikes, wounds bleeding across its body. With the fight's momentum, Anthony would end it in under two minutes— a gritty win in the urban gladiator pit.
All in all, things looked promising. Zack leaned back in the stands as Alexa sat beside home intently observing the fight inside the dome, the crowd's murmurs building like pre-storm rumble in Sky Pillar City's concrete jungle.