Chapter 24: Going Berserk part 2 [1/5]

After becoming an Eclipse, Eileen understood just how dangerous and powerful an Eclipse could be. If Grey Wolf kept absorbing Tainted Miasma to get stronger, the results could be terrifying!

But what she didn't expect was this—

Just as she started to move, Renji reached out and stopped her.

She looked at him, totally confused and worried, but Renji just shook his head and kept his eyes glued to Grey Wolf.

"Ahh, yes! This is it, the power, the amazing power, the unmatched power that can destroy everything!" Grey Wolf started laughing like a madman after some weird groans.

He bulked up so much that his clothes ripped apart. He looked like a freak, but a freak with a lot of muscle. He even tossed a heavy metal table from the bar like it was a toy.

Despite looking freakish, the guy was genuinely stronger. With one of his veiny arms, Grey Wolf grabbed a heavy iron table from the bar and flung it away like it was a toy.

His chest was covered in dark red lines, whether from blood vessels or Tainted Miasma wasn't clear. Grey Wolf started walking toward everyone, clearly more powerful but also clearly less sane.

It looked like his ego and madness had filled him up. He didn't seem in a hurry to attack; instead, he seemed to be enjoying the fear and trembling he was causing in the people in the bar.

That's when Renji started moving toward Grey Wolf.

Eileen immediately wanted to help, especially since Grey Wolf now had an aura even she found intimidating. But again, Renji stopped her.

"Just stay here, I've got this,"

Renji walked past Eileen and into the center of the bar. He was such an obvious target, and his defiant attitude made Grey Wolf roar and charge at him.

Grey Wolf stomped forward, making the bar floor shake. He charged at Renji like a tank, and next to this hulking, over two-meter-tall Eclipse, Renji looked downright scrawny.

Grey Wolf swung his huge fist down, aiming for Renji's head. It was like he could already see Renji's head popping like a balloon.

"This is the power Callewa gave me, and this is what happens when you mess with us!"

Smash!*

Eileen held her breath. She was so tense, her hands were gripping her clothes without her even noticing. But she stayed put, just like Renji told her to.

"What the—!" A shocked yell came from Grey Wolf. His eyes, filled with bloodshot veins, regained a bit of sanity in the midst of his madness. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

'My punch... got blocked?'

To be precise, Renji calmly lifted his hand and effortlessly caught Grey Wolf's full-force punch with one arm.

"No way! This can't be possible!"

Grey Wolf couldn't believe it. He tried to pull his fist back, but it felt like it was caught in a vise grip. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from Renji's grip.

It was only now that Grey Wolf realized the huge gap between them.

"You're an Eclipse too! Wait, your aura doesn't seem like Tainted Miasma. What are you?!"

Renji's answer was pretty straightforward: a fist from his other hand that had been ready all along.

Bang!*

A second loud thud echoed in the Bar. Just like before, Grey Wolf, the huge guy, was sent flying back into the bar counter.

This time, the wall of the bar collapsed, leaving a big hole. Grey Wolf's limp body lay amid the rubble.

Renji wasn't done with Grey Wolf yet.

Even now, there was a big hole in Grey Wolf's chest from Renji's punch. The only reason Grey Wolf was still alive was because of an Eclipse's strong will to live.

"Don't kill me. You might not fear Callewa, but no matter how well you hide, they'll investigate!"

Grey Wolf, now weak and powerless, looked up at Renji who had approached him and started begging for his life. To his relief, Renji nodded, confirming his words.

"You're right. The moment blood was spilled, this became a big deal. It's not just Callewa; even the Church might get involved."

"Then let me go. I'll... I'll cover this up. And the Sea Sand Bar, I won't...," Grey Wolf couldn't finish his sentence before Renji interrupted him.

"I trust myself more than I trust others. So, sorry, Mr. Small Fry."

As Renji spoke, he pulled out a dark red crystal from his pocket.

The moment the dark red crystal appeared, Grey Wolf looked at it in even greater shock and horror than before.

"A crystallized form of Tainted Miasma?! Impossible! Even the Church is still researching this technology. How do you have it?"

It seemed like Renji had unintentionally gained some good information.

But just when he was about to dig deeper, Grey Wolf, who was already on the edge, went completely off the rails when exposed to the crystal's concentrated Tainted Miasma. He couldn't hear a word Renji was saying and kept shaking his head in fear, screaming non-stop.

"Get it away, get it away! Don't come near me, don't, don't!"

Of course, Renji didn't listen to Grey Wolf's pleas.

Instead, he did what he had done to Eileen before. He pushed the small Tainted crystal into Grey Wolf's body.

The second the crystal entered, a painful scream erupted from Grey Wolf. His limbs began to spasm and thrash around. Renji held him down and started observing the changes.

Unlike with Eileen, there was no pact between him and Grey Wolf. Within moments, Grey Wolf's veins burst, his skin melted, and dark lines of Tainted Miasma spread quickly all over his body. His eyes popped, and his face twisted into something monstrous.

The power of the Tainted Miasma began repairing Grey Wolf, even filling in the big hole in his chest. But the cost was his life and sanity. His arms turned into scythe-like appendages, and his feet into claws. Even his label in Renji's game system changed: [Low-Level Tainted Corpse]

"So this is what happens when you use a Tainted Miasma crystal without a contract? Seems like people's resistance to Miasma energy has gone down over the past 500 years. Even low-level 'food' can't handle it and turns into a monster."

"And this one seems stronger than the first-round ones."

"But this could mean that these low-level Tainted crystals could be used as a weapon too…"

While observing and pondering, the transformed Grey Wolf started to resist more, and even Renji began to struggle. Plus, his own power boost from the [Magnetic Pulse] was about to end. So, he decided to end it all.

Pulling out a handgun, Renji pressed the muzzle to Grey Wolf's forehead. If Grey Wolf was still just a [Low-Level Tainted Corpse] then a shot to the head would be fatal.

"Thanks for being a part of my experiment. I learned a lot."

"And now, this whole thing just looks like a simple case of an Eclipse losing control."

"A rogue Eclipse goes on a killing spree in a bar, and we fought hard and finally killed the monster."

"So, try to be a good guy in your next life."

With his final words to Grey Wolf, Renji pulled the trigger.

Bang!*