"Instakill? You really don't respect the fruits of my labor," the white-haired old man muttered to himself with a wry smile.
Raising his hands, he let his fingers dance across the console in front of him. In response, a vast stream of data populated the screen.
"For a human, is this data too outrageous?"
Still, he quickly rationalized it. "After all, he is number one in the world."
His grin widened. "Because he's so powerful, he qualifies as my ultimate research subject. If I could gather his data to create a perfect modified body... and use that as a template for mass production..." His voice trailed off.
The thought was intoxicating. He didn't dare continue, trembling with excitement. His body quaked with a fervent, uncontrollable energy.
He silently thanked fate for granting him the chance to realize his ambition—to conquer the world. The Talent skill he had acquired, "Transformation Laboratory," allowed him to upgrade and evolve humans. Yet his research had hit a bottleneck. The data he'd gathered from zombies and monsters was insufficient.
"They might have raw power, but their attack methods are too simple—brutal but predictable."
That realization had led him to humans, particularly Zach, a figure celebrated across the Heaven and Earth lists. To test his theories, he sent a newly developed "enhanced human" to challenge Zach in the arena.
The result was beyond his wildest expectations.
In his eyes, Zach was a limitless goldmine of data—an opportunity too rich to ignore.
"Whether or not my God of War plan succeeds depends entirely on you," he muttered, his eyes glowing with fervent anticipation.
What he didn't know, however, was that Zach had already returned to the normal world from the arena—with the Red Ghost in its undead form.
Inside his RV, Zach summoned the Red Ghost, noting its slightly altered hue.
"Interesting," he mused, observing the deeper shade of red. It was darker than the original Red Ghost, which had previously only sported shades of gray, white, and black. "If it weren't for this color, I'd have to rename you… White Ghost, maybe?" he joked to himself.
Still, the creature hardly resembled a human. It was confusing; despite its bizarre appearance, it could use functions exclusive to humans—like issuing arena challenges.
Zach pondered aloud, "Was her altered form a result of some high-level skill? But even so, there's no way an E-level skill should manifest such power."
He tested its abilities, noting differences between its skillset and his own Demon Transformation skill. The latter boosted all attributes and turned the body red, but lacked the Red Ghost's mechanical enhancements.
"Was she just lucky? Or is there more to her origins?" Zach couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Ever since the Underworld scenario, he'd learned to view everything, no matter how trivial, with suspicion.
"That bastard Creator God…" Zach grumbled, rubbing his temples as his resentment flared. With a wave of his hand, the Red Ghost disappeared into the shadow world.
No sooner had he begun contemplating his next move when the familiar notification flashed before his eyes:
[Player "Hu Liete" has initiated an arena challenge application for you. Do you accept it?]
"Again?" Zach frowned, the sheer frequency of these challenges setting off alarm bells. Still, he agreed—determined to uncover the truth behind these events.
[Confirming the surrounding environment, host status...]
[Confirmation is correct! The arena is about to be teleported!]
Without time to explain to Miriam, he simply trusted her to understand. She didn't question him, and in an instant, Zach was transported once more.
This time, the opponent clearly appeared human.
Hu Liete's appearance was wild and primal, like a warrior from an ancient tribe. He wore earthy tones—browns and yellows—accentuated by milky-white beast fur clothing.
His skin was a sun-kissed bronze, his hair a thick, dark brown rising in waves. The heavy fur on his lower body contrasted sharply with his bare upper torso, which was adorned with intricate tattoos of unknown origin, lending him an aura of mystery.
Around his neck hung a necklace of yellowed animal fangs, and his wrists were bound with straps securing severed animal claws, their sharp talons protruding ominously.
Zach raised an eyebrow. "Using the remains of your prey as weapons? How… primal."
Still, he couldn't tell if there was any connection between Hu Liete and the Red Ghost.
"Why are you challenging me?" Zach asked aloud.
Hu Liete offered no response.
"Silent treatment, huh? Or do you just think I'm beneath you?" Zach mused, his voice laced with sarcasm.
The countdown ticked away: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
With no hesitation, Hu Liete lunged forward, his speed slower than the Red Ghost but still far beyond normal human limits. Closing the gap in seconds, he swung the clawed weapon on his wrist at Zach.
Sparks flew as the claws struck a wall of earth Zach had summoned to defend himself. The attack left only shallow grooves on the half-meter-thick wall, unable to penetrate it.
Undeterred, Hu Liete retreated swiftly, dropping to all fours.
At first, Zach thought he was about to bow in submission.
But then Hu Liete's body began to transform. His limbs elongated, and his form was soon covered in thick, white fur.
"A beast transformation? Intriguing," Zach remarked.
Hu Liete's face morphed into a hybrid of wolf and lion features, his mane majestic and almost sacred. A thick, bushy tail sprouted, completing the transformation.
Even stranger were the black, stone-like growths on his front paws, each embedded with a glowing yellow crystal. Three halo-like crystals floated above his shoulders, giving him an almost divine appearance.
"What's their purpose? Decoration? Or something more?" Zach wondered, his curiosity piqued by the transformation's complexity. "Sacred, indeed."