Few minutes earlier...

A storm of currents raged in the air, digging through the dense bronze scales of the Viagra Bulls, killing them.

A figure blitzed through the hoard, his lightning spear dancing through the air, leaving bloody streaks as it reaped lives.

Uriel was under the constant influx of rising stats. Victory notifications rang, but he cared less.

Except for a few occasions when he got drops and picked them, he whizzed through the hoard with chilling efficiency.

His eyes remained cold as he killed and killed until there was nothing left to kill.

The timer of the next wave popped up, and Uriel just stared, his blood-stained spear resting on his shoulder.

’I wonder how the others are doing...’ His eyes flashed as he gazed at the night sky.

He couldn’t bask in this short-lived peace for much longer, as the timer ticked to all zeroes. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The earth trembled, trees shook, and in the distance a sea of crimson eyes loomed close once more.

Uriel remained calm and unhurried. He relaxed his spear as he took slow steps forward, its blade dragging through the soil.

He slowly increased his pace — from walking to jogging, and from that to a full-on sprint.

Rumble! Cackle!

There were no gloomy clouds, but thunder struck as currents ignited to life around his figure.

Bright blue currents coiled his skin, his brown hair whipping through the wind as he moved at staggering speed.

He reached the hoard before they could reach him. His spear whipped in a curve, slicing a bull right into two as if its defensive scales were there for show.

The edge of Uriel’s spear blade was coated with compressed, supercharged plasma.

This was something that would easily split an armored tank like a hot knife through butter. It was a given these Origin Beasts stood no chance!

His blade sliced right through the skull of another bull. He pivoted his hips, spinning around, his blade whipping into an arc.

Bzzzzt!

A condensed energy slash tore through the atmosphere, slicing everything in its path.

The bulls dropped like flies, and a refreshing wave of power seeped into Uriel’s cells.

His calves bulged as he raised his spear in the air, lightning charging.

Its cackling bolts trailed across the skies, Uriel’s spear illuminating his surroundings like a lone star.

His frame plummeted as the currents smoldered and churned.

Bolts flickered, converging to his figure, as he struck his spear downwards, following right behind.

He landed with a heavy bang, the ground cracking beneath his weight. But his blade didn’t pierce a creature — instead, it landed in the earth.

Almost as though it had missed. But if one looked closer, plasma roiled and illuminated, then—

BUZZZZZZZZZT!

A condensed wave of carbonizing currents rippled out, spreading through and beyond the hoard of the second wave.

There was no loud explosion, no shockwave kicked up.

But everything within miles of radius was reduced to nothing but black static char.

And when the wind blew? Everything — even trees and foes — turned to ashes.

The ground was charred deep black, some layers of soil smoldered into cracked black glass.

Uriel straightened his frame, resting his spear upon his shoulder once more.

But suddenly, a heavy wave of wind whipped past, sending him screeching backward.

His head whipped toward the source.

And there he saw it — peeking from the crown of trees, a brilliant bright mushroom cloud.

"An explosion?" His eyes flashed with familiarity as he sensed the aura.

Seth!

He hesitated.

’Should I go or not?’

Logic told him that was the best way to clear this quest.

But his pride steered otherwise. He had recognized Seth as his rival. He really didn’t want to end up relying on him again.

He had his pride as a genius. He didn’t see himself as any bit lesser than Seth.

And he planned to make that a reality. Seth had told them humans could improve limitlessly through life-or-death battles.

And this was the route he planned on taking. Moving with Seth?

No — that would make things far too easy!

Not only him, but even Seth wouldn’t feel the pressure needed to fuel their growth. They wouldn’t be able to grow and adapt faster than their opponents could keep up.

This was the defining factor that distinguished Seth and Uriel from the others.

While the rest saw a ticking bomb, Seth and Uriel saw an opportunity to evolve.

If they could improve faster than the Night Hoard waves could keep up with...

The ground rattled, the charred soil rumbling as the third wave approached.

Currents of lightning flashed behind Uriel’s pupils as he stared at the looming threat.

His spear drew a brilliant streak in the air. Uriel’s figure cackled with currents as he dashed at his new wave of enemies.

This wave definitely felt stronger, their aura more palpable.

But who was Uriel? Though he had just ascended, he was already very powerful, his strength spilling beyond the Leader grade.

His stats by now had reached the hundreds, and his essence pressure and density had mounted, fueling his gene skill with a lot more lethality.

Not to speak of his bolstered strength — his speed was off the charts. His stat points did it no justice.

Reality blurred, and Uriel was already before the wave, his spear streaking through the air, forming a curve.

Brilliant lights flashed as the spear danced, and Uriel blitzed past the figures spearheading the hoard.

The Bulls took a few steps forward before reality and time caught up with them. Bloody lines bloomed across their figures, and they collapsed suddenly into finely chopped pieces.

The stench of barbecue was thick in the air as the flesh of these monsters sizzled and burned.

The wind whipped across Uriel’s skin, but he didn’t stop. His figure was like a phantom, decimating through the hoard consisting of Boss-level creatures!

Wherever Uriel’s spear flashed, the monsters’ defenses did nothing to stop them from being reduced into finely chopped chunks.

Loots dropped — he picked them if not, his figure flashed, appearing at another location.

There was no rhythm in his pattern of attack. He was random, sowing chaos in the hoard.

The Viagra Bulls didn’t know where the next attack was coming from, and they were dying so easily.

In just a few minutes, half of the Viagra Bulls had died.

But something changed. Uriel halted in his tracks, staring at the void, his expression grim, his body aching, bloated with power.

[You have reached your Limits!]

[Your cells are bloated!]

[From now on you will not receive any more stat points until your body has assimilated all stats gained!]

What was that about evolving faster than his foes could keep up with again?

"Yeah no, I don’t think that’s happening."