Chapter 18
What sets an Unordinary monster apart from an Ordinary one? Aside from their vastly superior strength, speed, and overall attribute, there was one key difference—their cognitive abilities grew to human levels.
But even more terrifying was that some Unordinary monsters possessed magic and knew how to wield it.
These rare beings were called Anomalies among the Unordinary, ruling over hordes of their kind.
A raging fire erupted from the orc’s hand, engulfing everything in its path!
Eryke’s situation—unknown!
The ground around them began to boil, almost like magma, charring to blackened ruin.
By the time the fire subsided, the earth had completely melted. And Eryke was nowhere to be found.
“Ha… ho… ha…”
Eryke took deep, ragged breaths. He stood in the distance, but his condition was far from optimal…
Half of his body was scorched from head to toe, burned beyond recognition.
It was a miracle he was still standing, still breathing.
“Shit.” Eryke cursed under his breath. His vision blurred; he could barely see ten meters ahead.
His legs trembled, struggling to hold him up. Weakness overtook him, and he collapsed onto his knees.
‘Why is this guy here?’ Luna wondered. But deep down, she was immensely grateful—because if he hadn’t arrived, Belle might have already been dead.
A giant sphere of earth hurtled toward the orc. But this time, it was ready. With almost effortless grace, it dodged the attack.
The orc sneered as it strode forward, step by step, until it reached Eryke. With brutal force, it drove its sword straight at him—
Bang!
The orc couldn’t see what had struck it, but it felt the impact slam directly into its head. Turning slightly, it froze in disbelief.
There, standing before it, was another Eryke. Identical to the injured human in front of him, yet completely unscathed. In his hand, starlight shimmered.
The orc glanced back at the wounded Eryke, tilting its head in confusion.
Turns out the wounded Eryke was the clone and standing before him was the real Eryke!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Real Eryke delivered three devastating punches, brimming with starlight, struck the orc one after another. Its helmet shattered on the spot, blood dripping from its head.
For a moment, the orc stood still.
Then—
It roared in fury!
The sheer shockwave sent the real Eryke flying backward.
Then, the orc felt something—
A tight embrace.
Eryke’s clone had wrapped his arms around it in a tight grip, locking the monster in place.
“No matter how powerful you are, I don’t believe you can withstand Star Strike this many times to the head!” the clone Eryke roared, pushing his body to its absolute limit.
The orc’s eyes widened in panic. It struggled, trying to break free from the grapple, but it was useless, bound so tightly, it couldn’t even move a muscle.
Bang!
Starlight shimmered in the air as the real Eryke struck again and again, his fists raining down like meteors.
Blow after blow, the orc’s head caved under the relentless assault, a deep imprint forming in its skull.
Yet, even then—
It still didn’t die.
The orc straightened its arms, finally breaking free from the grapple. Without hesitation, it raised a palm toward the clone Eryke once more.
Whoosh!
Fire erupted in a furious blaze—ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
This time, the flames completely engulfed the clone Eryke. When they finally died down, all that remained were charred bones…
Did he die?
Star Strike—an overwhelmingly powerful skill. It was the foundation of Eryke’s combat, something he had abused time and time again.
It had cost him five hundred thousand destiny points.
But, he had never truly unleashed its full potential. Until now, he had only gathered its power in his fists, relying purely on brute force.
But there was a simple reason for that—
He never felt the need to go to extra lengths.
A leg shot forward, enveloped in glittering starlight, slamming squarely into the orc’s chin.
Bang!
The orc was sent hurtling upward, only to be met midair by another Eryke. With starlight surging through his fists, his clone drove a powerful punch straight into the orc’s skull.
Bang!
The orc plummeted like a falling comet. Just as it neared the ground, a devastating downward kick accelerated its descent by the real Eryke—Boom!
The impact shattered the earth beneath it.
Even now, two Erykes remained standing.
***
[Talent (SSS-Class): Clone (Level 4)]
Skill: Allows the user to create up to four clones.
Unique Abilities: Hive Mind, Synergy, Quick Reflex
***
That’s right, Eryke’s skill had levelled up again. Even though one of his clone died again but he gained an additional clone, he also unlocked Quick Reflex, a unique ability that had been very decisive in this battle.
Both Erykes turned their gaze toward the orc, watching it warily.
If the orc so much as twitched, Eryke would force every last ounce of strength from his broken body to strike it down.
While the clone’s situation was also similar and even more worse than his!
Amidst the two Eryke’s gaze, the orc rose.
Its head was grotesquely disfigured, brain matter exposed in a brutal display.
Eryke clenched his fists. “Eryke the Third, attack!” he commanded.
Just as they were about to strike—
Thud.
The orc collapsed.
After enduring countless Star Strikes, taking blow after blow, and taking combo from Eryke and his clones, even an Anomaly among the Unordinary couldn’t withstand it.
At last—
It breathed its final breath.
Every fiber of Eryke’s being ached with exhaustion. His body screamed for rest—his eyes begged to close.
Despite the pain, joy flickered in his gaze.
***
[Congratulations! You have accomplished a great destiny by killing an Anomaly among the Unordinary.]
You have gained the Unique Skill: Skin Fortification
You have gained the Unique Skill: Dash
***
He had skipped Level Five entirely, jumping straight to Level Six.
If this were measured in Destiny Points, the cost would be unimaginable but he had reached it so easily?
An uncontrollable surge of joy filled his heart.
Taking a steady breath, he calmed himself, then walked toward the fallen orc and began looting its remains.
“Umm… thank you.”
Belle’s voice broke the silence. She had risen at some point, gripping a rapier in her hand. Bowing slightly, she offered her gratitude.
Eryke turned toward her—then at the others in the distance.
“I almost forgot about them.”