Zain walked toward the edge of the BC-3 ruins with his coat fluttering behind him, eyes focused.
Velra stood waiting beside a broken pillar, one heel pressed against the cracked wall, arms crossed casually.
But the mont she saw Zain’s expression, her posture shifted.
"...You’re angry today."
Zain didn’t slow down.
"Where is it?"
Velra pushed off the wall, falling into step beside him.
"Not far. But it’s underground."
Zain’s glare didn’t fade. "Lead the way."
They walked together, the silence between them no longer comfortable but crackling.
When they reached the underground entrance, they could already hear voices.
A group of low-grade villains had taken the area as a base checkpoint.
The largest of them stepped forward, cracking his neck.
His gang hovered nearby, weapons half-drawn.
"Well, well. Look who’s crawling through our territory."
Another sneered.
"Ain’t that the Velvet Demon? You’re getting real famous, sweetheart."
Velra didn’t break stride. "You better scram."
Her heel clicked once as she stepped forward, body relaxed but cold.
"We’re in a hurry."
The n laughed.
"You? Maybe famous now."
"But we’ve been crawling these tunnels since before you had your first kill," one of them said, tapping the wall.
"And what’s this?" The largest one jabbed a thumb at Zain.
"Your pet? What, got a new boyfriend now?"
Zain didn’t even flinch.
Velra’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. "You have five seconds to move."
The n exchanged looks, still amused.
"Or what? You think just because you kicked around a few heroes, you own the underground?"
Another leaned on his bat, smirking. "This is BC-3. No rules here. You don’t bark orders."
Velra looked at Zain briefly.
"Should I warm up?"
Zain raised a hand. "No need."
He took a step forward.
"I’m in a bad mood."
The largest villain rolled his shoulders. "Then go cry in a corner. This place—"
Zain vanished.
A wet crack exploded through the air. The giant was no longer standing.
He was flipped upside down mid-sentence, spine crushed, skull dented into concrete.
The others jumped back, too late.
Zain appeared between them, horns curved back, glowing with red-black energy.
He didn’t speak. His eyes did.
"That’s him!" one of them shouted, voice cracking.
"The demon freak!"
"Get ready—GROWTH SHIFT!"
One man’s body surged, muscles ballooning unnaturally fast.
His veins bulged like ropes, skin splitting in places.
"Co on!" he bellowed, swinging a car door at Zain like a club.
Zain didn’t dodge.
He walked into it.
The tal warped around his shoulder.
He grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted.
A crunch. A scream.
Zain slamd his forehead forward—horn piercing clean through the man’s throat.
He yanked free, blood spraying in pulses.
"You’ll need more than bulk."
Another tried to flank. "BOOSTER—Speed Type!"
With a blur of green light, he darted around Zain, fists glowing. "Got you—!"
Zain pivoted.
Quick Step.
The booster’s jaw exploded inward.
Zain didn’t stop.
A three-punch combo to the ribs shattered every bone in the man’s side.
Zain caught his collar mid-fall and hurled him at the next attacker.
A girl. Her skin shimred tallic. "TAL BODY!"
Her skin shifted instantly—hardening into seamless chro.
But it didn’t stop there. The sound of internal transformation followed.
clink-clink-clunk.
Her bones, too, beca alloy. She dropped into a stance, fists sparking.
"My entire body is tal now. You won’t break ."
Zain stared at her for half a second.
Then launched forward.
Their fists collided.
The impact was deafening—steel against sothing worse.
Her arm shuddered. tal dented.
Zain twisted in mid-air, elbow swinging down.
CRACK.
Her tallic chestplate caved in under the strike. Not shattered—compressed.
She staggered back, gasping.
It sounded wrong—like air hissing through damaged vents.
Zain grabbed her jaw. "Even if your bones are tal..."
He yanked her down.
"...they still bend."
BOOM.
Her head hit the floor—once. Again. A third ti.
The floor cracked. Her eyes rolled back.
She didn’t get up.
He rose, eyes glowing beneath his horns. "Next."
A roar echoed from behind.
"BEAR SHIFT—FULL HYBRID!"
The last villain transford in an instant—arms stretching, fur bursting through skin, a massive semi-beast form taking shape.
"You’re done now!" he snarled, voice warping into a growl.
"You bleed the sa as everyone!"
Zain crouched.
Then vanished.
The bear-form turned—too slow.
Zain drove a knee up under his ribs, lifting the beast-man off the ground.
Then he leapt.
Both hands gripped the furred shoulders.
He dragged him down mid-air and slamd him into the ground so hard the concrete cratered.
The impact echoed for blocks.
The bear man tried to rise—Zain grabbed his throat, one hand only.
"I bleed," Zain whispered, "but I don’t stop."
The claws slashed toward his chest. Zain didn’t flinch.
"I hate loud ones."
Zain ripped the bear’s jaw sideways. Dislocated. Broken. Useless.
He rose, slowly. Blood stained his chest. One horn was chipped.
He looked around. Four bodies.
The booster twitched—barely conscious.
Zain walked over.
"Still breathing?"
The man’s eyes fluttered.
"Wrong answer."
Zain stomped down. Silence.
His body relaxed. Horns retracted. Angelic Demon Shift faded.
He exhaled once.
Then turned.
More were watching from a distance—low-tier scum lurking in the shadows.
Zain straightened, looking at the pile of corpses.
So twitching. Most broken. All useless now.
He raised his voice, sharp and flat. "Anyone else?"
Silence.
The hallway, once filled with mockery and arrogant breathing, was still.
Then, without speaking aloud, Zain activated it.
---
[Hack Initiation: Corpse Absorption – B and A Rank Villains]
[Absorbing... Estimated Hack Points: 32,000]
[Previous Hack Points: 36,180]
[New Total: 68,180 Hack Points]
---
Zain smirked faintly as he saw his current hack points.
"Not a bad warm-up."
Velra stepped over a cracked ribcage, arms folded, gaze resting on what remained of the woman with the tal bones.
She clicked her tongue. "Idiots."
She crouched beside one of the corpses, poking it with her heel.
"Picking a fight with Master... when he’s already angry."
She looked up at Zain. "Their brains weren’t tal."
Zain chuckled, brushing ash from his shoulder.
"They were hoping I’d hesitate. That I’d spare soone."
Velra tilted her head. "Did you?"
Zain gave her a sharp glance. "No."
She stood, smiling. "Good."
Then she turned to the wrecked hallway.
"So... ready to head in?"
Zain nodded. "Yeah. Let’s drag out the last Vantess."
He started forward but paused, muttering under his breath.
"68k, huh... That’s enough for sothing useful later."
He smirked as she walked side by side with Velra, leaving the bloodied zone.
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