Chapter 66: Getting Used to the New Strength
He suddenly stepped forward and drove his knee into its stomach.
Bang!
The gorilla’s body folded slightly.
Cain released its wrists and struck its face.
The impact knocked the creature backward.
It recovered quickly.
Again and again.
No matter how often Cain pushed it away, the evolved ape returned with the same aggression.
One punch landed across Cain’s shoulder when he deliberately reacted a fraction too late.
The force twisted his upper body.
Cain corrected himself immediately as he felt almost nothing afterward.
Even the dull pain faded before it could properly settle.
His body remained perfectly capable of continuing.
Cain understood more about his new physical state with every exchange.
His Strength had increased tremendously and his balance was better. More importantly, his body could tolerate sudden explosive movements without protesting the way it once had.
Well... Even when it was still at the Undying War Body, it already had that effect, but the effect was just so much better that he felt as if the difference was too big to be true.
Cain began enjoying himself.
The gorilla swung toward him and he blocked the attack in response.
Bang!
Then he answered the attack immediately as his fist sank into the creature’s chest.
The gorilla stumbled backward.
Cain instantly followed up, striking the side of its ribs.
The evolved gorilla swung wildly toward him.
Cain ducked, then threw a punch to its abdomen.
Blood sprayed from the gorilla’s mouth, yet it still attacked.
Cain laughed.
"Crazy bastard."
The longer they fought, the more comfortable he became with his new body.
That had been his other reason for returning to this place.
Undying God Body had increased his physical stats so drastically that Cain’s old instincts no longer perfectly matched what his body could accomplish.
A battle against something durable enough to withstand him was the easiest way to correct that.
Cain gradually stopped thinking about how much force he needed as his movements became natural again.
"This should be enough." Cain muttered to himself.
He had adjusted sufficiently. So, continuing would only waste time.
The gorilla roared and rushed him once more.
Cain’s hand moved toward his sword as more Ruin energy poured through his body.
The pressure surrounding him immediately became heavier.
He unsheathed the blade.
Shing!
Dark gray energy spread across the edge.
The gorilla raised one arm and swung.
Cain disappeared from directly in front of it and appeared beside its shoulder as he swung his sword.
Shhk!
The blade cut the gorilla’s neck cleanly.
Cain passed beside it and stopped several meters away.
Behind him, the gorilla remained standing.
Its arms slowly lowered.
A thin line appeared across its neck.
Then the head slipped sideways.
Thud!
The enormous body collapsed shortly afterward.
Cain flicked the blood from his sword.
Before he could check anything else, a tremendous impact sounded from the other side of the park.
BOOM!
Cain turned and noticed that their battle had almost ended.
The hippo was badly wounded.
Several deep claw marks covered its side, while wooden fragments remained embedded inside the thick skin around its legs.
The panda had also suffered injuries, but the green glow surrounding its body continued repairing the worst of them.
The hippo lowered its head and charged.
The panda did not move away. Wood rapidly spread around its right forelimb.
At first, Cain thought it was creating another layer of armor.
Then the wood continued extending.
It twisted tightly around the paw and forearm.
The end narrowed and began rotating.
Cain raised an eyebrow.
The wooden structure had become a massive drill.
As the hippo reached it, the panda thrust its reinforced forelimb forward.
CRUNCH!
The spinning wooden point entered directly through the hippo’s forehead.
Its thick skull cracked as the drill continued deeper.
The massive animal’s charge stopped almost instantly.
Its legs buckled before the body collapsed with enough weight to shake the nearby ground.
Cain stared at the panda.
"Interesting."
The wood around its arm slowly broke apart and fell onto the ground.
The panda sat beside the dead hippo.
Its violent presence faded almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Cain looked toward the gorilla’s corpse as he noticed a Cyan Scroll lay nearby.
His eyes immediately lit up.
He crouched beside the body and removed its Core before storing it inside his Inventory.
Then he picked up the scroll.
Cain did not open it and stored it inside the inventory as well.
When he looked back, the panda had already torn the Core from the hippo.
It stared at the object briefly before placing it into its mouth.
Crunch!
The Core shattered between its teeth.
Cain blinked.
"You can just eat that?"
The panda swallowed.
Then, apparently satisfied with the outcome of the battle, it began walking back toward the large tree where it had been sleeping earlier.
Cain hesitated briefly before he followed it.
The panda noticed immediately.
Its body stopped.
The green markings across its fur brightened faintly.
Cain kept Ruin Dragon Force circulating through his body just in case.
He raised both hands.
"Relax."
The panda watched him cautiously.
"I’m not going to hurt someone who helped us, since you helped that idiot complete his mission."
Cain pointed toward Ron.
Ron cursed from behind, but Cain ignored him.
The panda continued staring at Cain for several seconds before the green markings’ glow faded slowly.
Then it turned around and continued toward the tree.
Cain followed at a slower pace.
The panda reached its previous spot and dropped heavily onto the ground.
Its back rested against the trunk.
One paw settled over its stomach.
Within seconds, it looked almost exactly like the lazy animal Cain had first seen.
When Cain stopped in front of it, the panda opened one eye.
Cain crouched.
The eye remained on him.
Cain suddenly leaned close, his fingers reached toward its face.
Pinch!
The panda’s cheek compressed between his fingers.
Cain’s eyes lit up.
"...Soft."
He squeezed slightly.
The fur was much thicker than he expected.
However, beneath it was a surprisingly soft layer of flesh that gave way under his fingers, making the panda’s face look even rounder when he pinched it.
Cain moved his fingers slightly.
The fur felt dense and smooth, though not perfectly soft. There was a faint roughness beneath the surface that reminded him that this was still an evolved animal capable of fighting two 1st Echelon beasts at once.
A memory suddenly appeared in his mind.
His little sister had once watched a panda video repeatedly for almost an entire afternoon.
Anya had stared at the screen before announcing with absolute seriousness that one of her life goals was to pinch a panda’s cheeks.
Cain had laughed at her.
Now he was actually doing it.
The panda opened both eyes.
Cain stopped pinching its cheeks as they stared at each other.
Cain slowly released its cheek.
The panda remained silent for a moment, then it closed its eyes again.
Cain’s expression became strange.
"You really don’t care?"
No reaction.
An idea immediately entered his mind.
"Ron!"
Ron approached and asked with an annoyed expression.
"What?"
Cain took out his phone and handed it over.
"Record me."
Ron stared at the phone, then at the panda for a moment before looking at Cain in disbelief.
"You cannot be serious."
"I am."