Boris. An undisputed top-level Superhuman who had reached rank 16 in the world. Though his rank was officially listed as 16th, he was confident that no one could match him except the Sword Emperor and the Martial Emperor.

'My [SS Rank] Beast Instinct is, without a doubt, the best trait when it comes to combat.'

Indeed. Thanks to this trait, Boris had a combat sense twice as sharp as others. It allowed him, with power level 1, to bring down those with power level 2.

On top of that, his second trait. [SSS Rank] Survival of the Fittest. Thanks to this power, he could seize the strength of his opponent and grow ever stronger. Struggle, victory, conquest. This routine was the golden road that led to the success story of the current Boris.

Even his particular weakness toward elemental power had been resolved by obtaining the “The Guardian Necklace of Nivas.”

'All that coin extortion finally paid off.'

Boris was a Superhuman hunter. Until now, just before killing other Superhumans, he always extorted large sums of coin through threats. That was how he had been able to purchase the “The Guardian Necklace of Nivas.”

Thanks to this item that compensated for his vulnerability to elemental power, he believed that he would eventually surpass even the Sword Emperor and Martial Emperor and rise to the seat of the world's strongest. That’s why he never once considered the possibility of losing this duel.

“And yet to the likes of you!”

He couldn’t accept it. Wasn’t the guy someone who had only just entered the 7-Star realm? The amount of actual combat experience he himself had built up against Superhumans was overwhelming. He was certain—without doubt—that the guy should be kneeling helplessly before him. That’s how it should’ve gone.

“Why the hell!!”

He shouted until his throat burst. He truly couldn’t understand it.

The guy’s approach to battle looked just as seasoned, if not more, than his own. He didn’t get flustered by unexpected situations, nor did he show the slightest sign of tension despite the stares of a large crowd.

Even just the timing of throwing in elemental power during close-quarters combat was impeccable. An ambush-like timing. It was to the point that Boris himself was briefly caught off guard.

He didn’t know who this guy was, but he was definitely not a greenhorn. He had thought the guy was some docile herbivore-like creature, but that wasn’t it.

The guy was a beast. A beast of the highest tier, like a white tiger. A supreme breed—one Boris had struggled endlessly to become.

'He’s the same kind as the Sword Emperor or Martial Emperor.'

Boris acknowledged Sungshik. Though now a mere cub who had only just reached 7-Star, he sensed that soon the guy would grow and command the world like the Sword Emperor and Martial Emperor.

“Kuhk.”

Regardless of Boris shouting or falling into excitement, Sungshik’s sword pierced through. Without a hint of expression, Sungshik continued swinging his sword, pressing Boris back relentlessly.

“Like this… You think… I’ll just fall like this……?”

A raspy sound gurgled from his throat.

He had thought to devour Sungshik, the one who seemed like the protagonist of the world. If that guy was the protagonist, then he would devour his flesh and blood and become the protagonist himself.

In an instant, Boris's energy went berserk. His skin turned black, like an animal’s hide, and his face morphed to resemble a leopard’s. At the same time, his physique surpassed 2 meters. And it wasn’t just his body that grew. His power, which had been close to 7-Star+, instantly and clearly surpassed 7-Star+.

“Grrrrr……”

Beastification—Black Leopard. The ultimate technique that invoked the power of a beast by rampaging one’s strength. It was a technique he had only acquired after recently reaching 7-Star+.

He had never dreamed he’d end up using it against Sungshik. It was a trump card he had saved for duels against the Sword Emperor or Martial Emperor.

“You, grrr… I acknowledge you. Grrrk.”

His mouth now structured like a beast’s, he spoke through rough animalistic breathing.

“W-what the hell is that?”

“Hooh.”

The spectators reacted with various voices upon witnessing Boris's Beastification. Some uttered in astonishment, while others exclaimed as if amazed that he had been hiding such power. Sungshik was among the latter.

“Hmm.”

He figured Boris wouldn’t go down this easily. The guy was a Superhuman who had survived alone for a long time even after the Gate Break occurred. If what Boris had just shown was all he had, there was no way he could have lasted that long alone.

Bang—

Boom!

Boris, now a full-blown beast, threw punches that Sungshik barely managed to deflect with the flat of his blade. The guy’s movements were now in a completely different league. It was as if he was chasing the speed of sound.

'Faster than I thought.'

His speed skyrocketed. Even before, Boris seemed to have agility as his highest stat. Now, post-beastification, it was as though he had poured everything into agility, displaying terrifying speed.

'With this speed, it’s going to be hard to keep up.'

Sungshik felt completely physically overwhelmed by him. Even now, he was barely holding on thanks to the Heaven-Splitter Eyes. Without it, he might have been knocked out by the very first strike. That’s how insanely fast Boris had become.

“Why is he so fast?”

“I can only see afterimages.”

“Isn’t Heo Sungshik going to lose this?”

Even the onlookers couldn’t help but be shocked at Boris’s speed.

Whoosh— Whoosh—

He pushed Sungshik with overwhelming speed. Like a raging storm. His black skin left afterimages in the air, making it seem as though black streaks of light were pouring down on Sungshik indiscriminately.

But incredibly, Sungshik endured that storm-like natural disaster with a single sword.

“Kuaaagh.”

Boris let out a frustrated roar at the sight of Sungshik continuously withstanding the onslaught, barely on the verge of collapse. At that moment, he spotted a small opening.

'Now.'

“Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, Third Form: Defence Breaking Strike.”

As swift as a lightning strike! The Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts Third Form, Defence Breaking Strike, surged toward Boris.

Slice—

'Shallow.'

It was as fast as lightning, but it only managed to leave a small scratch on the surface.

'This is going to be tough.'

It was a moment when he keenly felt the absence of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

Of course, it was still too early to abandon the fight. The Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts was a martial art of unparalleled excellence. Even in such adversity, it would certainly provide the foundation for a comeback. That belief was unwavering, and it was not misplaced. It was no coincidence that it was an EX-grade martial art.

‘But…….’

There was an easier path. This duel was one that would be witnessed by all. There were no longer threats like Xiaoguang to be wary of, and no need to conceal his power. This was a moment to utterly overpower the opponent and elevate his worth.

“Skill, Natural Body― Thunderbolt.”

He returned his sword to its sheath and activated a newly acquired skill. This was a skill never before revealed to the world.

Crackle—

Sparks surged from Sungshik’s entire body. At the same time, his entire form began transforming into thunderbolt itself.

His skin, hair, body hair, bones, blood, cells—everything that constituted the being known as Sungshik—along with his clothes, shoes, and gear attached to his body, all began turning into thunderbolt.

Before long, in just a fleeting moment, Sungshik had become a stream of pure thunderbolt.

“Grrk… wh-what?”

As Sungshik became the embodiment of thunderbolt, Boris muttered in confusion.

At that moment, Sungshik took a step.

Rumble—

With a small thunderclap, he instantly charged at Boris. That speed—was instantaneous. Even Boris, who had beast-like senses, could barely react. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his speed had reached the peak of 7-star+.

‘I dodg—!’

Boris thought he had dodged it, but he immediately realized that was a misconception. Sungshik’s hand, radiating threads of thunderbolt, gripped Boris’s face.

And then—

CRACKLEEEEE!

The thunderbolt discharged from Sungshik’s hand shone with blinding white light, filling the entire arena.

Before the regression, the skill that had been considered utterly broken—[SSS Rank] Skill ‘Natural Body’. Sungshik obtained this skill thanks to his ‘intuition’.

Having acquired a massive 8.3 billion coins, Sungshik pondered what to spend them on. If he chose to buy random skill draw balls, he could purchase dozens of S-rank draws. If he wanted to buy items, while [Legendary] tier may be out of reach, he could at least secure one or two [Relic] grade items.

‘Ah……’

In that moment of hesitation, a feeling struck him.

‘[Relic] Destiny Random Draw.’

He decided to go with that.

Since it was a [Relic] grade draw box, one cost 1 billion coins. The [Relic] Destiny Random Draw was a loot box that randomly gave one item the user needed most at the time.

There were occasional, rare rumors that it yielded skills or traits, but nothing had ever been confirmed.

‘Then wouldn’t this be super sweet if you absolutely need a [Legendary] item?’

Such doubts existed. But what the system deemed as most needed was incredibly subjective.

In extreme cases, even when one needed a [Legendary] grade weapon, the system could determine that a completely random [Common] grade weapon or artifact was more necessary. Of course, being extreme, such [Common] grade results were rare, but still possible.

Moreover, there was a main reason people were reluctant to purchase the [Relic] Destiny Random Draw.

A 30% vs 70% probability. The chance of getting an item was 30%, and the chance of getting nothing was 70%. On average, 7 out of 10 times it would be a dud.

It was absurd odds. If you spent 10 billion coins and got three [Relic] grade items, you could say you at least broke even. But since you didn’t know what item would come out, and if even one came out below [Relic] grade, you’d suffer heavy losses.

On top of that, probability's unpredictability guaranteed no certainty that you’d get three in ten tries. With poor luck, you might only get one—or none at all.

‘But my intuition shouts at me. That this could be the best choice right now.’

After the regression, Sungshik had gained an outstanding sense of intuition—or perhaps it was insight. Thought to be a result of the ‘Hyper-Sense’ trait temporarily reaching master level, this intuition had never let Sungshik down. It had often led him to victories in gacha systems governed by probability.

‘I feel like something will happen.’

Based on that intuition alone, he purchased the [Relic] Destiny Random Draw.

The first was a dud. He wasn’t discouraged.

The second purchase—also a dud.

Though he felt a tinge of anxiety, he boldly went ahead with the third purchase.

Flash!

A dazzling light burst forth, and an item appeared.

―Congratulations! You have obtained the ‘[Legendary] Compass of Connection.’

“This is……”

The moment he saw the item, he realized it was related to the ‘Seal of Tenril’ without even needing to check the description.

It was fine. This was something he needed anyway. But Sungshik’s intuition cried out that the thirst hadn’t yet been quenched. He purchased once more.

The result… a dud.

Still, trusting in his intuition, Sungshik boldly made another purchase. That marked four draws, spending 4 billion coins, with only 4.3 billion coins left. If unlucky, all could end up as duds.

Then, from the fifth [Relic] Destiny Random Draw, it came out.

―Congratulations! You have obtained the item ‘[Legendary] Materialization.’

This was the item that could instantly convert a ‘Natural Body Clue’ into a full skill. Clue items had to be synthesized with other clues, or require this specific Materialization item. Materialization items were extremely difficult to obtain. Yet now, it had appeared.

“Oh……!”

That was how he obtained the [SSS Rank] Natural Body skill. Checking its effect, it was clearly deserving of its broken reputation.

[SSS Rank] Natural Body
―Type: Active
―Transform into a natural body using one of the usable elemental attributes.
―Attribute Force +50. Immune to physical attacks.
―Duration: 10 minutes
―Cooldown: 24 hours
―Proficiency: Currently Stage 0 (MAX 7 stages)
―For each stage of proficiency gained, duration increases by 10 minutes, and cooldown decreases by 2 hours.
―If used beyond 10 minutes, after deactivation, all stats are reduced by over 90% for a period equal to ten times the excess usage.

As soon as Sungshik checked the skill, he let out an exclamation. All attribute attack power +50. If this was combined with the attribute power increase from high-grade traits, it could potentially reach nearly +100 in attribute power.

‘On top of that… it’s just a feeling, but it seems like using Attribute Materialization will become much easier.’

It was a thought that came to him suddenly, but it was close to the truth. If he used ‘Natural Body’ and then utilized Attribute Materialization he would be able to handle attributes much more powerfully and easily.

Even this alone was tremendous, but it also granted immunity to physical attacks. To physical attack types, he could reign completely as a reaper.

He already knew that he would become immune to physical attacks, but seeing it confirmed with his own eyes again made his heart flutter with excitement.

Moreover, despite being a skill that granted overpowered strength, there was no particular penalty after use.

This too was a huge advantage. Future Prediction, Latent Power Explosion, Descent of Transcendent Strikes, or even Boris’s Beastification right before him—these kinds of skills always came with a penalty like ability restriction after use.

But the Natural Body skill had no special penalty. A penalty was only applied if it was used beyond the given duration.

The only flaw, if one could call it that, was that the duration was somewhat short. It only lasted ten minutes, but if he raised his proficiency, the duration could increase to some extent.

The result he obtained after spending five billion coins was extremely satisfying. To be honest, even if it had cost all the eight billion coins he had, if he could obtain the [Natural Body] skill, he would have paid it.

‘At this level…….’

Boris would be no problem at all. From the start, this was practically a fight where victory was predetermined.

Crackle, crackle.

The smell of Boris’s burning skin filled the air.

“Grrrk. Grk.”

The man couldn’t even scream—just trembled. The attribute power gained through the thunder attribute trait, combined with Natural Body, resulted in a thunder attribute power of a whopping +95. No matter how much he had the [Legendary] The Guardian Necklace of Nivas, it was nearly impossible to endure this level of attribute power. The fact that he was still alive and not instantly killed was nearly miraculous.

Looking down at him while still in Natural Body state, Sungshik asked coldly:

“Do you admit your defeat?”