I casted 20 [Magic Missiles], using [Telekinetic Control] I pushed the massive ape back into the dungeon. The nearby hunters looked stunned by the sheer display of power. Ignoring their reactions, I quickly followed the monster inside the dungeon.
"Now the stage is set. It's time to unleash my newly acquired skills," I muttered, preparing myself to test my skills.
First, I cast [Frost Blast]. The icy explosion formed a thin layer of frost over the ape, with a heavier concentration on one of its legs. Without wasting time, I followed up with 20 [Flame Bursts], maintaining them over the ape. After a few seconds, the ice shattered, and I unleashed the [Flame Burst], flames engulfing the beast.
"I need to finish this quickly before it gets a chance to reach me. Physically, I'm not at my best yet," I reminded myself.
ROAR! The ape roared, slamming its fists into the ground with enough force to shake the surroundings. "If that hit me, I'd be a pancake. Good thing I've got immunity to blunt damage," I thought, watching it thrash around in pain.
"This is dragging on," I muttered. I unleashed a combined barrage of 10 [Electric Jolts] and 10 [Flame Bursts], hurling them at the ape. The cave rumbled under the impact, and finally... the ape collapsed, dead.
[Ding! Your level has risen by 1]
"I dealt with it quicker than I expected, and yet, no skill book? What a waste," I sighed, picking up the mana stone from its corpse.
"Well, what now? I have some time to kill," I mused, noticing that the battle outside the dungeon was still raging. It wasn't that the hunters were slow; I just finished too fast.
"Nothing better to do than spam my skills to improve their efficiency and boost my 'mana'," I said, deciding how to spend the rest of my free time.
Then suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, and my gaze fell on the mana stone I had placed beside me.
"Control, control Zephyr," I reminded myself. "You're not in a race to become the strongest."
Generally, when someone consumes a mana stone, they transform into a monster—even if they are a hunter. This is because mana stones contain impure and corrupt mana, which the body cannot handle properly, resulting in a monstrous transformation.
I picked up the mana stone, "I'm counting on you, [Infinite Adaptation]. Don't disappoint me... Here goes nothing." I then consumed the mana stone.
As I consumed the mana stone, I didn't experience intense pain, but a barrage of notifications appeared, giving me a slight headache.
[Warning: Corrupt mana is cruding the body]
[Warning: Corrupt mana is causing the monstrification]
[Warning: Consciousness is fading, and killing instincts are taking over]
"Damn it, did the gamble fail?" I regretted as I saw my body slowly beginning to transform into a monster but after a few seconds
[Ding! Due to Infinite Adaptation , Your body is adapting to contain the Corrupt mana]
[Congratulations! You acquired minor resistance to monstrificaton]
I sighed in relief as I saw myself returning to normal.
[Ding! Your stats are rising as you have consumed the Mana stone of a monster ranked higher than yourself]
I suddenly felt a surge in my power, especially in my strength, which had been my weakest point. "They won't ask me about the mana stones, will they? They can't be that petty," I said, feeling the boost in my abilities. "There's still time left. Now I should do what I do best—slam skills and push my limits."
After almost an hour of intensively practicing my skills, I stopped. "Today has certainly been fruitful."
[Your "Parallel Mind" has evolved to B-rank]
A big smile bloomed on my face as I quickly emerged from the dungeon. All the monsters had been decapitated by the hunters, and the dungeon cleaning team was already at work. Some hunters were unharmed, while others had sustained minor injuries.
Mr. Ethan waved at me, and I walked over to him. Although he didn't notice, the nearby hunters observed me with newfound interest as I emerged from the dungeon, with no visible signs of battle.
"Thank you, Mr. Zephyr," Mr. Ethan said, his voice filled with relief. "If it weren't for you, we could have lost many valuable lives. It would have been a complete disaster."
"No problem at all," I said, offering a smile in appreciation of his gratitude.
He then motioned towards a car, guiding me inside. I followed him, and we headed straight to the Association without delay.
"Mr. Zephyr, we deeply apologize for the sudden interruption. You must be exhausted from the dungeon, and yet we called you on such short notice," he said in an apologetic tone. "As a token of our gratitude for your cooperation and the struggles you endured for us, we've prepared a wonderful reward as a compensation."
We arrived at the Hunter Association, and Ethan led me to the top floor, which was the sixth. As we stepped out of the elevator, I noticed an isolated area with a door marked *Chairman*. It stood apart from the rest, giving off a sense of importance and exclusivity.
I instinctively began walking toward the chairman's office when Ethan's voice interrupted, "Please come this way, Mr. Zephyr." He guided me to a room in front of the chairman's office instead, which annoyed me slightly. I didn't let it show too much, but it must have been obvious because he gave me a soft, knowing smile.
We entered the room, and to my surprise, it was another office—much more spacious and well-furnished than I expected.
"Mr. Ethan, are you the director of the Hunter Association?" I asked, caught off guard by the revelation. I hadn't realized he held such a position.
Ethan chuckled softly. "Yes, Mr. Zephyr, I am. I suppose I never mentioned it before."
"Haha!" He let out a hearty laugh. "Well, it's understandable that you didn't know. The chairman's popularity completely dwarfs mine. Hardly anyone knows who I am."
I couldn't help but chuckle along with him. His humility made the situation feel a bit more relaxed.
"Speaking of which, is the Chairman busy or something?" I asked, curious about why we hadn't gone to meet him. "I thought we were going to see Victor Stone, the strongest hunter in Cobalt City."
Ethan's smile faded slightly, and he nodded. "Yes, Chairman Stone is handling some urgent matters right now. But don't worry, Mr. Zephyr, you'll meet him soon enough." He then gestured for me to take a seat, clearly avoiding any further discussion on the chairman.
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Well... Enjoy