In General Kim's office, the atmosphere was heavy with seriousness. With an unwavering expression, the general meticulously reviewed several military and civilian documents.
He was organizing everything necessary to finally put an end to 'Gold Door,' a military contractor company that had been committing irregularities in the shadows and had amassed billions of won illegally.
General Kim was fully aware of this organization, which was growing like a tumor within the military installations, so he always kept an eye on it.
He hadn't eliminated it until now because he wanted to extract the maximum benefit once he eradicated it. And as if by a blessed coincidence, he now needed a large amount of money to start the plan that Robert was to execute.
Suddenly, his mind filled with recent memories of the fight between Robert and Park Jincheol. The scene played vividly in his memory, a reminder of the surprising capability of the brat.
He remembered the start of the confrontation when Park Jincheol, a veteran military man known for his prowess and superhuman strength, charged at Robert with relentless fury.
General Kim knew that Park Jincheol was not an invincible soldier, but when compared to current and past fighters, he knew that only three or four could surpass him in skill or strength, but they could never defeat him.
For this reason, the General had expected that Robert, despite his skill, wouldn't be able to keep up against someone with the experience and ferocity of Jincheol.
But what happened next left him astonished.
Yes, at the beginning, the boy was completely overwhelmed by the fight, and Park Jincheol seemed to be toying with him. However, at a certain moment, the aura surrounding Robert underwent a subtle change, one that shifted the course of the confrontation.
'This brat's body hides more secrets.'
The General thought, recalling the moment when Robert, with unexpected speed and strength, dodged Jincheol's attack and countered with precision and power that almost rivaled the veteran.
The fight quickly turned into an exhibition of superhuman abilities, with both combatants moving at a dizzying speed, their blows resounding like thunder, and the ground trembling beneath their feet!
The General remembered how he had watched with a mix of elation and admiration, seeing how Robert not only withstood Jincheol's onslaughts but also managed to counterattack with devastating efficiency.
He knew the kid was special, and in that moment, he was proving it. There had been moments when it seemed the fight could go either way. But in the end, the boy's strength and skill seemed to reach their limit.
General Kim wasn't upset or disappointed because Robert had exceeded all his expectations with the fight.
If everything went as he initially thought, Robert might need a month of rigorous training with Jincheol.
But with all the strength and speed shown in the second stage of the confrontation, the General was confident that a week of preparation would be more than enough for the kid to carry out his plans.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of the door opening abruptly.
Creeeeak
The old soldier's eyes turned to the entrance, where a soldier, evidently agitated, hurried in.
"What is it, Lieutenant Choi?" General Kim asked a slight surprise in his tone.
The said Lieutenant Choi was a member of military intelligence under his direct command, a loyal subordinate who had participated in several of his paramilitary intervention plans, forged in the heat of battle.
For that reason, Lieutenant Choi, along with another equally capable soldier, had been put by General Kim to monitor Robert, wanting to know if anything happened during his unconscious state.
The soldier, out of breath and with a pale face, stood at attention and saluted quickly before speaking.
"Sir... I need to report an incident with the subject Robert. Something... something strange has happened in the surveillance room"
The General frowned. This guy wasn't a rookie, not a newly inducted cadet; he was someone with great combat experience and a calm demeanor in the face of any problem.
What the hell happened with the kid to make him react like this?
"Explain yourself, soldier. What happened?" - he ordered, his tone firm and authoritative.
"Sir, Robert started to move and wake up, but then... then his body began to glow with multicolored lights and deformed grotesquely! Lieutenant Yun was there and saw everything... It's something that defies all logic, sir!"
General Kim stood up from his seat, straightening his uniform with an automatic gesture. Quickly, the two bodyguards behind him moved to his sides.
"Take me there immediately, soldier" - the General said, with a firmness that left no room for doubt.
The soldier quickly nodded and turned to lead the General and the other officers to the surveillance room. As they made their way there, General Kim couldn't help but feel a mix of intrigue and fear.
¡What the soldier described was something he had never encountered before, and he knew he would have to act with caution and determination to deal with whatever was happening!
............
After the intense transformation that had shaken his body to its core, Robert fell backward, gasping, sweat soaking his forehead.
"Haaa!... Haaa!"
He lay still for a moment, waiting for the pain to return. The multicolored light that had enveloped him slowly dissipated, leaving a tense silence in the air.
With each breath, Robert felt his body stabilizing little by little.
Although the sharp pain had subsided, leaving only a persistent echo in his muscles and bones, he knew that something inside him had changed forever.
Robert slowly opened his eyes after a few minutes that seemed like an eternity. Gradually, he sat up, inspecting his body with amazement.
Ding, ding, ding
[Integrating your nature as a Transcendent has completed its initial phase. You now possess an increased capacity to handle and utilize ETIOS in a controlled manner]
Robert didn't know how to respond to the system's words, as the unpleasant and painful transformation still tormented his confused mind.
His gaze, normally resolute and full of energy, now reflected a mixture of awe and confusion.
He carefully moved his limbs, feeling the difference in every movement. Though he physically appeared the same as before, something had changed within him.
He no longer felt pain, not much. In fact, despite feeling some residual stabs throughout his body, he felt incredibly well, as if a new energy flowed through his veins, an energy more powerful and controlled than before.
He stood up carefully, feeling a lightness in his movements that he had never experienced.
'System, what the hell happened?!'
[Responding to the host, your entire body underwent a second qualitative and quantitative change]
'I felt… I felt like my body was being destroyed and reformed… Why the hell did this happen?!'
Robert remembered very little about his arrival in this world. After being thrown through the spatial tunnel by that cursed old man, he lost consciousness almost instantly. When he regained it, he was in the middle of the forest, naked, and with a scrawny body.
He did not recall having undergone any first transformation, as mentioned by the system.
[The first change occurred when you arrived in this world, to adopt a human nature over the Transcendent nature. This second change is to adapt your body to the Transcendent nature over the human, as you will be handling ETIOS from now on]
[With this enhancement, you have begun the path to true transcendence. You must learn to control and manage ETIOS if you wish to reach your true potential]
Robert's mind was still dazed from the transformation, but one thing was clear: he had changed; he had adapted to the energy of ETIOS in a way he never could have imagined.
Robert remained silent, processing the information as the last waves of pain slowly dissipated. He looked at the system with a mix of awe and concern in his eyes.
'So... am I now less human?'
Robert murmured to himself, trying to grasp the idea that he had undergone two profound transformations without even being aware of the first.
He knew he was never a normal human; that much was clear. However, that was because the system told him he had a different nature than normal.
He didn't feel that different from a human, as he couldn't find much difference from what he remembered of his past life.
But now... now things were completely different.
Without needing the system or anyone else to tell him, Robert knew he had changed completely. Not because of the horrible sensation of feeling his body break and rebuild itself, but because now, he felt that he was something more than human.
'Damn... it's true... it's not the same anymore' - Robert murmured to himself.
[Indeed, host. You can now be considered a unique being in its initial stage, with the ability to handle ETIOS and access powers beyond normal human comprehension. This process has prepared you for the path to complete transcendence]
The system responded, breaking the tense silence that filled the room.
'I understand,' Robert responded. 'But now... what should I do? How do I learn to control this energy?'
[You must train diligently. ETIOS is a powerful and dangerous force if not handled correctly. You will be given missions to help you develop your transcendental abilities and gradually master ETIOS]
[For now, train your body to its maximum potential. Once you surpass the level considered the peak within this world, you will break through to other worlds where you will refine your skills, and your nature as a Transcendent will increase]
'Haaa... damn... and I just wanted to enjoy my quiet life, building my fashion company and having many more girlfriends'
Robert sighed, resigning himself to the fact that his life would never be the same.
'Well, the sooner, the better' - Robert said with determination - 'Show me my new stats.'
[Status]
>Basic Information:
Name: Robert Jovanovich-Lee
Age: 19 years
Race: Transcendent (20%) / Human (80%)
HP: 450 (700)
MP: 840 (1200)
Strength: 300 (600) (S)
Speed: 200 (400) (S)
Perception: 100 (150) (B)
Vitality: 1000 (1800) (X)
Intelligence: 75 (100) (B)
Fatigue: 0
Average human value: 10
Additional points: 75
>Passive Skills:
[Unknown max level: no information available at the moment]
[World Traveler lvl 2: a passive ability that allows you to travel between different realities only for a round trip. Can only be used once a year.]
[Unbreakable Spirit lvl 1: Due to your resistance to death, every time your HP is below 30%, all damage received is reduced by 50%.]
[Immaculate Body lvl 3: Due to your nature as a Transcendent, nothing can harm you. Additionally, when you suffer a serious injury, it will heal completely.]
[Advanced Combat Arts lvl 4: Due to your previous life and your new training, you have reached an advanced level in the use of mixed martial arts in close combat.]
[Vitality Absorption (blocked): Allows you to replenish your vitality at the cost of the life and fluids of surrounding living beings to rebuild your own body. Only activates in critical moments.]
[Access to Inner World – lvl 2: You can now store objects from your world or other worlds within a personal space. Capacity: 100 cubic meters.]
[Limit Breaker – lvl 1: Due to your nature as a Transcendent, you can now exert the full power of your body by breaking your mortal chains. Cooldown: eight hours at the current level.]
>Active Skills:
[Sprint lvl 2: Due to your daily training, every time this skill is activated, your movement speed will increase by 100%. Keeping it active costs 5 MP per minute.]
[Body Resistance lvl 2: You can reduce fatigue by one point for every MP point consumed, and also increase HP by one point at the same time.]
[Blood Thirst lvl 2: Due to the host becoming an assassin, your aura will become heavy, intimidating your opponents. When activated, the target will lose 50% of all attributes for 60 seconds. Cost for 60 seconds: 50 MP.]
'Haha, I didn't think my max stats would increase so quickly… that's good' - Robert murmured as he looked at the system screen. However, something caught his attention - 'Hey, what do those letters next to each number mean?'
[The letters assigned to each number are the new classifications assigned for the statistics of extraordinary humans who inhabit this world]
[Level C: Punch of a normal person (10 units), speed of 5-10 m/s. Perception of a normal person.]
[Level B: Maximum punch of a martial artist required to break a punching bag (10-20 times that of a normal person). Speed of 10-100 m/s.]
[Level A+/++++: Maximum punch to break a concrete wall (20-50 times the strength of a normal person). Speed of 100-300 m/s.]
[Level S+/++++: Maximum punch required to break a cast iron plate (50-100 times the strength of a normal human). Supersonic speed (>350 m/s).]
[Level X+/++++: Maximum punch equivalent to the impact of a ton (100-200 times the strength of a normal human). Supersonic + speed.]
'That classification seems more like a video game system' - Robert murmured - 'Is this the power scale of one of the worlds merged into this reality?'
[No. With one exception, most of the worlds merged into this reality come from relatively normal stories, with some exaggerations in fighting styles and superhuman abilities. However, there was never a standardized scale. This scale is created as a measure to help the host]
'Oh, I see' - Robert nodded.
It seems that from now on, he will have to use this scale to categorize his opponents. However, he realized he needed to be careful, as within the same scale, there was a significant gap in terms of strength.
For example, the "A" category for strength included those with at least 20 times the strength of an average human and up to those with 50 times the strength of an average human.
'The "+" must indicate that gap, right?'
[Affirmative]
Robert nodded at this information. All of this was new; it was all crazy, but he couldn't stay still. There was much to do, and he had to start soon.
Slowly, he stood up, his body completely naked. All his clothes had been destroyed in the transformation process. He moved a little away from the bed, and a drop of sweat ran down his forehead as he saw the state of the place.
'What excuse will I give old General Kim so he doesn't ask too many questions about this?'
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AN:
Hi guys, I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry for not uploading chapters earlier, I've been really tight on time. But today, Sunday, I found a small gap in my schedule to edit and upload a chapter.
This short military arc concludes in the next chapter, then we'll continue with Robert's school life and the creation of his company.
Thank you for your support and comments, and your positive reviews; they motivate me to upload chapters more frequently (^_^)