Chapter 16: Adaptation

Chapter 16: Adaptation

Ren was speeding towards the Kibune village, feeling the wind hit his face, but not letting it stop him. The scenery around him blurred as if everything was just a blur. He could feel his newfound speed coursing through his body, each step light, precise, as if barely touching the ground. The sensation was liberating, and his endurance, inexhaustible.

"This is amazing", he thought as he ran, the wind whispering in his ears and the world expanding before his eyes.

As he got closer, his perception also intensified. His senses had improved. He could pick up details in the distance, feel the slight tremor of cursed energy in the air.

"Now I understand how physical restraint users could cope with curses... this level of perception makes you almost invincible", he muttered to himself, more aware of his power.

Arriving in Kibune, the atmosphere was oppressive, charged with cursed energy. The village was completely empty of human life; only curses roamed the ruined houses. Before they noticed, however, Ren began to deploy a barrier around the village, sealing off the place and making sure nothing escaped.

'It would be a nuisance if they escaped', he thought, his lips curving into a satisfied smile. As he was finishing the last details, the curses had already become aware of his presence.

From the shadows emerged the curses, dozens of them, coming out of the houses and streets as if they were a plague.

Ren observed their number and, without further ado, disappeared in the blink of an eye, dodging their attacks with incredible speed. His body, now much stronger, moved among them as if they did not exist. He struck precisely, but not hard enough to defeat them completely; he didn't want to get rid of them so quickly. He needed to adapt to his new strength.

Each attack of the curses was easily dodged, and Ren took them out one by one, testing his limits. As he progressed, the weaker curses fell quickly. The grade 2 ones, however, were more resistant, but Ren treated them like toys, jumping between them and playing with gravity. He could feel his control over his power improving with every second.

Finally, only a few curses remained. Perched on the roof of a house, Ren smiled confidently as he watched the shadows move restlessly. "Are they going to keep hiding?" he said aloud, his tone provocative.

Suddenly, three large winged serpents appeared out of the darkness. Their bodies were huge, their black scales glistened sinisterly, and their fangs seemed capable of piercing steel. With a hiss, the snakes lunged toward Ren with great speed, trying to catch him by surprise. However, with a simple movement, Ren disappeared from his spot, dodging the attack easily.

"Ah, now I understand why this is one of the most difficult missions", he commented with a smile, as he dodged the snakes' attack.

The abandoned house below them had been completely destroyed. One of the snakes lunged towards him again, but Ren easily evaded it, landing on its back. "They're fast... But not enough," he commented as he struck its head using his gravity technique to smash the snake to the ground. The other two snakes soon attacked, one from above and the other from the side, but Ren, with a quick spin, jumped over one of them, propelling himself to strike the other in mid-air.

"This is what I call training", he thought as the snakes quickly recovered. Each one of them was dangerous, not only because of their speed and hard scales, but also because of their ability to disappear in the dark, rendering their attacks almost invisible. However, Ren's senses, enhanced by the Celestial Restraint, could follow their trails. As the snakes tried to camouflage themselves, he felt them approaching.

With a smile, he decided to get a little more serious. He used his technique to reverse the gravity between the snakes that were sneaking up on him, throwing them at each other. The impact was brutal, but the snakes recovered quickly, full of fury.

"Wow, looks like they didn't like that", Ren said with a mocking tone.

The three snakes, furious, began to entwine. Their dark bodies writhed and merged in the air, forming a single colossal creature that resembled a dragon. Its scales glowed with a cursed aura, and its roar shook the air.

Roaaaaaaarrrr!

Ren, seeing the transformation, crossed his arms and nodded his head in awe. "Well, I admit, that looks cool."

[Mission updated]

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Mission: Exterminate the Nest of Curses in Kibune Village (special grade).

Rewards:

-CE: +35%.

-CP: 1.000.

-Special grade cursed tool.

-Spell enhancement (limit: special grade).

-Enhancement material (special grade).

---

Ren, still smiling. "This is getting interesting", he commented, with a hint of awe in his voice. However, for the first time in the entire battle, his eyes turned serious.