Rain returned home after spending three hours investigating the case. While they hadn't solved it yet, one thing was clear: it wasn't a suicide but a murder. They had detected traces of energy from a weird object at the scene where the man was killed.
Sitting on his sofa, Rain checked the time—8:14 p.m. He wasn't feeling tired enough to sleep this early, so he considered his options. He could either spend some time learning the two techniques he had purchased or continue refining his arm in the acid-filled tub. His forearm and palm were already refined, but the rest of his arm still needed work. A thought crossed Rain's mind—he couldn't practice the two techniques at home, so there was only one option left. He decided to continue refining his arm. After stripping off his clothes, he took a shower, cleaning himself thoroughly before preparing for the acid bath.
He sat beside the acid-filled tub, placing genetic energy recovery pills within reach. From past experience, he knew that he usually passed out after refining his hand in the acid and wouldn't wake up for two or three hours—a waste of valuable time, considering his forearm and palm skin and muscles could fully regenerate in under an hour.
Closing his eyes, Rain took a deep breath, steeling himself for the excruciating pain he knew was coming. Without hesitation, he opened his eyes and plunged his entire arm into the acid. Instantly, pain shot through his body, but he was familiar with it by now. He watched as the skin of his arm melted away within seconds, though the skin on his forearm and palm remained intact, already refined twice before.
As the acid continued its work, the muscles of his arm began to dissolve. His forearm and palm, which had been resistant at first, eventually started to melt as well. Within seconds, the muscle tissue was gone, and the acid reached his bones. The pain surged, intensifying threefold, but Rain was prepared—he had endured this agony twice before.
Fighting through the unbearable pain, he kept his arm submerged, knowing the importance of the process. However, as his genetic energy reserves dropped to 30 percent, Rain pulled his arm out of the acid.Without wasting a moment, Rain quickly grabbed the recovery pill with his other hand, placing it inside his mouth. He began absorbing the pill's energy while slipping into meditation, focusing on his self-healing ability that was already working to regenerate his damaged arm. As he meditated, he could feel the flow of genetic energy coursing toward his injured hand, aiding its recovery. Slowly but surely, his arm healed, the skin and muscles regenerating as though there had never been any injury at all.
Even after his arm fully recovered, Rain continued to meditate for a few more minutes, as a faint, lingering pain still remained. Once the residual pain faded and his genetic energy was replenished, he readied himself again—this time, plunging his other hand into the acid, continuing the brutal refinement process.
Rain steadied himself, already familiar with the process but no less wary of the pain that would follow. As he took a deep breath, his gaze hardened with determination. Without any further delay, he plunged his other hand into the acid.
The instant his skin made contact with the corrosive liquid, a sharp, searing pain shot through his arm. His skin began to bubble and dissolve within seconds, but this time, the process seemed slower, as his mind adjusted to the agony. His muscles burned as they melted layer by layer, the acid working its way deeper into his flesh. Just like with his first hand, the pain was relentless, but he gritted his teeth and endured it, refusing to let himself falter.
As his forearm and palm began to melt, the sensation intensified. The already-refined sections of his other hand held on a little longer, but eventually, they too began to succumb to the acid's relentless bite. Soon, the bones in his arm were exposed, and as the acid ate through them, the pain became nearly unbearable, a white-hot blaze that shot through his body.
His genetic energy reserves started to dwindle, dropping to 30 percent. Knowing it was time, Rain quickly pulled his hand from the acid, his breath ragged. Without wasting any time, he took another recovery pill, swallowed it, and entered his meditation again. The soothing energy from the pill spread through his body, and combined with his self-healing ability, it began mending his hand. Slowly, the skin, muscles, and bones regenerated as though untouched by the acid, the pain easing as his body healed.
Rain sat there, eyes closed, focusing on his breathing as his body continued its natural healing process. Gradually, the sharp sting of the acid faded, and soon his arm felt as strong as ever, with no sign of the grueling refinement he had endured. When he checked the time, it was just five minutes past 11 pm.
He stood up, washed himself off once again, and changed into fresh clothes before heading to his bedroom. Settling into bed, Rain decided to dive into the 'Poison Claw' technique, particularly focusing on the nine moves inspired by the Lizard Claw. As he studied further, he discovered that the lizard which served as the inspiration for these moves was the fearsome A-rank beast known as the 'Devil Lizard King'.
Intrigued, Rain searched for more information on the 'Devil Lizard King' and found an image of a towering, majestic creature—a humanoid lizard with scales of deep purple and black, covered in spikes that radiated an aura of menace. He learned that Devil Lizards lived in large groups, where even their youngest automatically reached D-rank upon reaching adulthood. Their elite soldiers were C-rank, their leaders B-rank, and their king, the terrifying 'Devil Lizard King', was an A-rank powerhouse.
Despite years of research, scientists had been unable to crack the genetic code of these creatures to create any kind of genetic medicine. Their communal nature made them incredibly difficult to capture, as they lived in groups of over a thousand. Some researchers even speculated that with the passage of time, Devil Lizards might evolve into a sentient race like humans, due to their growing complexity and organizational structure.
Rain absorbed the information, marveling at the power and potential of the 'Devil Lizard King'. Understanding the beast whose moves had inspired the 'Poison Claw' technique only made the technique feel more potent and awe-inspiring. After memorizing the movements, Rain set his alarm and laid down, closing his eyes to clear his thoughts as he drifted into a deep, restful sleep.
Some time later, Rain opened his eyes and found himself in the white dream space once again. It had been two days since his last visit here, and he wondered why he hadn't been able to enter the dream space before. Reflecting on the difference, he realized that on the previous two nights, he had been completely exhausted, with little to no genetic energy left in his body. Tonight, however, his genetic energy had been nearly fully recovered before he fell asleep. This led Rain to conclude that his ability to enter the dream space was tied to having sufficient genetic energy in his body.
Now, standing in the white dream space, Rain knew exactly where to focus. The task at hand was to understand and master the 'Poison Claw'. While converting his genetic energy into poison energy would undoubtedly take time, he realized it would be far more efficient to first familiarize himself with the nine claw techniques of the 'Devil Lizard'. He understood that honing his physical moves first would quickly elevate his combat effectiveness.
Rain began practicing the nine moves, each one more complex and demanding than the last. He soon discovered that each movement called upon the full strength of his body, and all the techniques flowed seamlessly into one another. From his knowledge, he understood that the power of each move built upon the previous one, meaning that as he progressed, the force behind each strike increased. By the time he reached the final move, its power was three times stronger than the first.
He also realized that once he mastered these techniques, any of his claw strikes would possess the power of the final move, enabling him to unleash devastating attacks at will. However, for now, he had to start from the first move, gradually building momentum toward the last. A thought crossed his mind—he could accelerate his progress by using clones, similar to what he had seen in the 'Naruto' anime.
Without hesitation, Rain began creating his copies. After producing five, he realized that was his current limit. Nevertheless, it would suffice for now. Each clone immediately began practicing the nine moves alongside him, allowing for faster learning through shared experience.
For hours, Rain and his clones drilled the 'Devil Lizard' claw techniques relentlessly, not stopping until his alarm went off. By that time, he had successfully connected the first three moves into a seamless flow. Progress had been swift, but he knew there was still a long way to go before fully mastering the technique. Yet, the rapid improvement motivated him.