Crack!
Shortly after their clash, an abrupt crisp sound echoed across the battlefield.
The battered old man, who was closer to the collision site, witnessed the human and the monster exchange a single punch. Although their physical strength seemed evenly matched, that was far from the truth. The human's tiny fist was crushed beneath the fortified giant fist of the monster. Despite this, the human appeared undeterred, continuing to exchange relentless blows with the giant monster as if he had gone mad or lost all sense of pain.
Regardless, the sight and sounds of the ensuing impacts were gruesome to witness. The sound of bones breaking was too disturbing for anyone near the battlefield, inducing phantom pains in those who heard it, including the old man, though to a lesser extent.
Meanwhile...
Cyril abruptly awakened from his trance-like state. The excruciating pain of repeatedly shattering the bones in both arms during his clashes with the Chaotic Wolf leader shook his system alarmingly, jolting him awake. As he regained consciousness, an unbearable and indescribable pain surged throughout his entire body, causing him to convulse. He quickly distanced himself from the giant, Steel Chaotic Wolf leader.
Subsequently, he fell to his knees, his face contorting in agony, and he let out a blood-churning scream.
"AAAAH—!!!!"
As if his mind and body had finally synchronized, Cyril felt the cumulative transformations his body had undergone up until now, including the near-loss of his limbs and the painful restoration process. Every sensation hit him at once, as if countless tiny blades were piercing him all over his body. The intensity of the pain nearly caused him to faint, but he held onto his consciousness.
The terrible sensation reminded him of his past injuries, where each wound felt like a torturous experience. However, the current pain not only subjected his mind to endless torment but it also provided him with clarity about his current predicament.
He had a faint idea of what he lacked when facing the giant, Steel Chaotic Wolf leader, based on their brief exchange. He knew what he needed to do to bridge the gap in their strength and possibly attain victory against the giant monster.
Fortunately, the battered old man seized the opportunity to engage the giant Steel Chaotic Wolf leader and buy more time, preventing Cyril from being immediately chased by the giant Steel Chaotic Wolf leader.
Although Cyril shocked him as he displayed the ability to fight against giant Steel Chaotic Wolf, he could only last for about a minute. Recognizing that it wasn't enough time, the dignified old man decided to face off against the giant Steel Chaotic Wolf leader once again, as he had already used an expensive potion to recover from his previous injuries inflicted by the giant Steel Chaotic Wolf leader. His initial aim was to buy enough time for reinforcement to arrive, and that was what he intend on doing.
Meanwhile...
After enduring moments of agonizing pain that assaulted his psyche and nearly drove him to madness, Cyril fully regained his senses. Kneeling on the ground, he took a few deep breaths to calm his mind and silently contemplated.
During his brief exchange with the giant Steel Chaotic Wolf leader, even in his half-conscious state, Cyril could sense that there was something lacking on his part, something that his opponent possessed, which prevented him from winning despite their seemingly equal physical strength.
What he lacked was body energy. He needed to tap into his body's energy to further strengthen himself, but he didn't know how to do it, nor could he actively think of a solution while in his unstable state of mind earlier.
Most people would learn about the different types of energies corresponding to their awakened talents by attending either the Exterminators' Academy for combatants or the Technology and Science Academy for non-combatants. However, Cyril had yet to attend either of these academies.
Consequently, he had yet to learn about the process of nurturing body energy. From the books he could access in the library and his own deductions, he knew that it was somehow related to the human bloodstream or its circulatory system.
When he awakened and gained enlightenment into his talents earlier, he could vaguely sense a new form of current flowing alongside his regular blood through his veins. Though not entirely clear at the time, based on the descriptions he had memorized, he could surmise that it was the so-called body energy mentioned in the books.
Furthermore, as he absorbed the corpses of the Chaotic Wolves during his unstable state, he felt a current of energy gradually accumulating in his body.
Additionally, with his current understanding of his talent, [Material Conversion], from having absorbed many corpses of Chaotic Wolves, he realized that he could expend a form of energy in his body to convert any material into something of his choosing. That included converting his blood into the so-called energy of the body.
Through his studies, he learned that blood contained one's vitality, leading him to conclude that converting it into pure body energy was a viable option. However, he realized that he couldn't revert the converted energy back to its original form or substance, as that wasn't part of his talent. With this in mind, he could only convert all his blood into the same form as the new current of energy flowing in his bloodstream.
As for whether he could regenerate the lost blood or the potential repercussions that might follow, he didn't know. But in his current predicament, he didn't care, nor did he intend to let such uncertainty hinder his revenge.
No matter what, he had to kill that sinister giant monster, regardless of whether doing so would result in his own death or something worse. After careful deliberation and recognizing that it was the only practical choice he had to level the playing field, he made up his mind.
Fueled by his unwavering determination for revenge, he was willing to take a gamble with his life on the line!
Therefore, in the next instant, Cyril's thoughts shifted rapidly, and he commanded his [Material Conversion] talent to transform all the blood flowing in his body into an energy reserve. Almost immediately, he could feel his blood gradually changing from its liquid state into another form, causing it to boil and his skin to turn red as a result.
Eventually, the bubbling streams of blood transformed into a misty substance that freely coursed through his veins.
At that moment, Cyril's blood had successfully been converted into the same current of energy as the one already flowing in his veins. However, the new energy current possessed different properties from the original one in his bloodstream.
If the original energy current in his bloodstream had no specific attribute, the newly transformed energy current derived from his entire blood now possessed an attribute, making them fundamentally distinct from one another.
As soon as the blood was fully converted into energy reserve, Cyril felt an instant change in his body. With the successful conversion of liquid blood into an energy reserve, he realized that he could manipulate the transformed blood, now in a gaseous state, the misty blood, to accomplish almost anything with a mere thought.
This newfound power was a result of the enlightenment achieved through his successful blood to energy conversion. With an ample amount of energy in his body, Cyril found it easier to control and direct his body's energy to move without any apparent restrictions.