The underground arena reeked of blood, fear, and desperation.
Hidden beneath the royal city, this brutal pit was whispered among assassins, mercenaries, and disgraced nobles—a place where rules didn't exist… and survival meant evolution.
Cian Archdemon stood at the gate, face concealed beneath his black hood, silver eyes dull with cold calculation.
The Divine System flickered in his vision:
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[Divine] >> >> Illegal coordinates confirmed █
[Divine] >> >> Host identity: Masked █ Detection: ZERO █
[Divine] >> >> Combat zone entered █ Fatality rate: 83% █
[Divine] >> >> Opportunity for evolution: HIGH █ Recommend: Proceed █
---
"Only 83%?" Cian whispered under his breath, lips curling faintly. "Disappointing."
Steel gates groaned open. The crowd howled. Dozens of cloaked spectators and beast tamers leaned forward, hungry for blood.
Across the arena floor, his opponent snarled—a towering hybrid of ogre and serpent, its scaled arms rippling with lethal strength, venom dripping from its fangs.
Perfect.
The moment the signal sounded, the beast lunged—claws raking the air, earth shaking under its charge.
Cian's form shimmered—Darkness Molecular Dispersal activated. His body broke apart into black mist, reforming behind the creature in a blink.
A calculated strike. Precision, not brute force.
The beast roared, spinning to attack—slamming Cian across the arena. Bones cracked. Pain lanced through his chest.
The Divine System hissed:
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[Divine] >> >> Injury detected █ Rib fracture: Minor █
[Divine] >> >> Regeneration: ACTIVATED █
[Divine] >> >> Sovereign Body adapting █ Defense: +7% █
[Divine] >> >> Host resilience: Increasing █
---
Blood dripped from Cian's mouth—yet his silver eyes gleamed… amused. Pain? Valuable data. Blood? Proof of progress.
His body already hardening, adapting, reshaping itself under pressure.
"Not enough," Cian muttered.
The beast lunged again. This time, Cian met it head-on—precise strikes exploiting molecular weaknesses. Shadows coiled, bones shattered, venomous fangs snapped.
Minutes later… silence.
The beast collapsed, its life drained, its bloodline and skills absorbed into the boy who shouldn't exist.
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[Divine] >> >> Target neutralised █ Bloodline acquisition: SUCCESS █
[Divine] >> >> Serpent-Ogre hybrid traits integrated █
[Divine] >> >> Host evolution progress: +4.1% █ Congratulations, His Highness █
---
Cian exhaled slowly. His ribcage repaired. His muscles strengthened. His control… growing.
Above, the bloodthirsty crowd roared, but to him? They were noise. Weak variables. Expendable.
This arena?
Only the first step.
The only opponent that mattered… was the universe itself.