"Where the hell did he go?!"
The lead guard swung his baton through empty air. His momentum carried him forward, making him stumble.
The other two guards spun around frantically, eyes wide. The hangar was dim, filled with long, creeping shadows cast by the mountains of scrap metal.
"Over here," a cold voice whispered.
It came from directly behind the leader.
The guard whipped around, raising his baton. "You little—!"
POW.
A fist buried itself into the guard's stomach.
It wasn't a technique. It wasn't a martial art. It was just raw, unadulterated force backed by [Strength: 52].
To put that in perspective, an average adult male had a Strength of 10. A trained D-Rank hunter had around 25.
Kael's punch hit like a sledgehammer.
The guard didn't even scream. The air was forcibly ejected from his lungs with a wet wheeze. His feet left the ground, and he folded in half like a cheap lawn chair, flying backward five meters before crashing into a pile of rusted shields.
CLANG-CRASH.
The guard twitched once, then went still.
Silence.
The other two guards stared at their unconscious leader, then at Kael.
Kael stood there, shaking his hand slightly. "Harder than I thought. I need to work on my aim."
"You... you're an Awakened?" one of the remaining guards stammered, backing away. "The report said you were F-Rank trash!"
"I am F-Rank," Kael said, taking a step forward. The shadows seemed to cling to his legs. "But who said F-Ranks can't hit hard?"
"Get him!" the third guard screamed, panic taking over. "He's just one guy! Use your magic!"
The guard chanted a spell, and a jagged stone spear materialized in the air, shooting toward Kael's chest.
It was fast. But to Kael, whose [Agility] was now over 40, it looked like a baseball thrown by a child.
Kael didn't dodge. He wanted to test something.
He raised his forearm. A translucent purple film shimmered over his skin.
[Passive Skill: Mana Skin]
CRACK.
The stone spear hit his arm and shattered into dust. Kael didn't even have a scratch.
"No way..." the mage gasped. "That's... that's a Tank skill. How does a Cleaner have a defensive aura?"
"My turn," Kael said.
He focused on the shadow of a hanging chain above the mage.
[Shadow Step]
Whoosh.
Kael dissolved into darkness.
The mage looked left and right, terrified. "Show yourself!"
He didn't see Kael reappear on top of the pile of scrap metal above him. Kael jumped down, gravity adding to his momentum.
He landed a chop directly onto the mage's shoulder.
CRACK.
The sound of a collarbone snapping echoed through the warehouse. The mage collapsed, screaming in agony.
Only one guard was left. He dropped his baton, his hands trembling.
"P-Please," the guard whimpered, backing up until he hit the door. "Vice-Commander Gareth... he forced us! He said he'd fire us if we didn't teach you a lesson!"
Kael stopped inches from the terrified man. He grabbed the guard by the collar and lifted him effortlessly off the ground, pinning him against the metal door.
Kael's eyes glowed with a faint, predatory light. The "Recycling" of the monster cores had affected him more than he realized. He felt a cold indifference to their suffering.
"Tell Gareth something for me," Kael said softly.
"A-Anything!"
"Tell him that if he sends trash to take out the trash... I'm just going to recycle them too."
Kael dropped him.
"Now, take your friends and get out of my sight before I change my mind."
The guard didn't need to be told twice. He dragged his two unconscious comrades out of the warehouse, leaving a trail of dust and shame.
Kael watched them leave, then let out a long breath. His hands were shaking—not from fear, but from the adrenaline dump.
He had won. For the first time in his life, he wasn't the victim.
He looked at the mess he had made.
"System," Kael muttered. "Can I recycle humans?"
[System Notice: Living humans cannot be recycled unless they are in a "Broken" state (Near Death or Corrupted).]
"Good to know," Kael murmured. That was a line he didn't want to cross... yet.
He checked the time. Dinner with Seraphina was in two hours.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small vial of bubbling red liquid.
[Basic Body Tempering Solution]
He was strong now, but his foundation was weak. His muscles weren't built to handle this sudden influx of stats. If he kept fighting like this, he'd tear a ligament.
"Time to fix the vessel," he said.
An hour later, in the opulent bathroom of the Guest Wing.
Steam filled the room. The bathtub was filled with scalding hot water.
Kael uncorked the vial. The smell was acrid, like chili peppers and gasoline. He poured the red liquid into the bath.
The water hissed and turned a deep, blood-red color.
Kael stripped off his dirty clothes. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was too skinny. His ribs showed. He had scars on his back from years of abuse in the slums.
He stepped into the water.
"ARGH!"
It felt like stepping into acid.
Kael gritted his teeth, submerging himself completely until only his nose was above the surface.
The pain was excruciating. He could feel the medicinal energy burrowing into his pores, hunting down toxins, repairing old fractures, and knitting his muscle fibers tighter.
[Body Tempering in progress...]
[Expelling impurities...]
Black, tar-like sludge began to seep out of his skin, clouding the red water. It smelled terrible—the physical manifestation of years of malnutrition and bad food.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut. Endure it. Compared to the dragon's curse, this is nothing.
He stayed there for thirty minutes, until the water turned cold and clear again.
When Kael finally stood up and stepped out of the tub, he gasped.
He wiped the steam off the full-length mirror.
The scrawny boy was gone.
He wasn't suddenly a bodybuilder—that would be unrealistic—but his frame had filled out. His muscles were lean and defined, like whipcord. The scars on his back had faded to faint white lines. His skin, previously sallow and gray, now had a healthy, vibrant glow.
He flexed his arm. It felt dense. Solid.
[DING]
[Body Tempering Complete.]
[Constitution +10]
[Charisma +5]
Kael ran a hand through his wet hair.
There was a knock on the door.
"Sir?" It was Alfred, the butler. His voice sounded strained, probably having seen the battered guards leaving the premises. "Dinner is served. The Empress is waiting for you in the Grand Dining Hall."
Kael smiled at his reflection.
"I'm coming, Alfred."
He wasn't going to walk into that dining hall as a servant.
Tonight, he was dining as an equal.