Kyle simply stood there, staring at the skills he had obtained.
Who would have thought that Ethara’s innocent gesture could bless him with so many gifts at once?
Not to mention the massive boost to his stats.
He was now almost as strong as a Special Grade, which was astonishing. Under normal circumstances, he needed to activate Overlord to reach numbers like these.
This was an unbelievable power-up.
’No wonder I feel so light,’ he thought as he began bouncing lightly on his feet.
He had a feeling that if he jumped with all his strength, he would be able to see the city below by jumping higher than these ten feet long boundaries.
Using Overlord had always come with a sense of urgency. He had only a brief window to make full use of its enhancement before the effect wore off.
This, however, felt completely different.
The strength coursing through his body felt natural, as though it had always belonged to him.
He knew these powers had been bestowed upon him as a gift, yet that did nothing to stop the smile spreading across his face.
"Haah... I want to jump off this rooftop. I want to try something, anything, right now." He was getting frustratingly excited.
[The host can use the newly unlocked teleportation feature to visit the Temple.]
"The same one? But wouldn’t that be unfair?" Kyle muttered.
In his current state, he knew he could fight Hashu far more effectively, perhaps even force him to draw his weapon.
But in the end, he would only be robbing himself of an opportunity to learn.
Even if his usual self lost, the experience would still be valuable. Just like today’s fight, he had gained so much simply by facing Hashu with his true abilities.
He doesn’t want to skip lessons by having unfair power ups.
[The system can transfer the host to a different section of the same Temple to test the host’s newly acquired powers.]
Kyle grinned.
’So generous of you, System. Please do it.’
[Command accepted.]
His vision shifted, and a familiar sensation washed over him.
It felt as though he were being pulled across an immense distance while his feet remained firmly planted in place.
A moment later, his surroundings came into focus.
As soon as his vision cleared, a system panel materialized before him.
[Temple of Tsuhimi]
[Act II: The Bundle of Savagery]
....
"Haah... that was difficult." Amanda muttered, patting her sore shoulder before tilting her head to one side to ease the stiffness.
Clara let out an annoyed sigh. "If you hadn’t been so impatient to deal with the threat, we could’ve handled that much more cleanly."
The pink-haired girl had every right to complain.
Someone who always maintained a neat and polished appearance, she looked anything but presentable now.
Her hair was caked with mud and smeared with the disgusting substance the Majin had spat at them.
"But we still cleared the rift much sooner than expected," Amanda replied. "When was the last time a three-person team finished a Second Grade Rift in under half an hour?"
Clara grimaced but said nothing.
She knew Amanda wasn’t wrong.
Even so, one person’s recklessness could easily create a far bigger mess than necessary.
"Where are you going without even washing up?" Clara asked as she watched Amanda remove her battle uniform and head straight for the door.
"I need to be somewhere," Amanda replied, offering no further explanation.
Once again, she had left Kyle on short notice and hadn’t even been able to answer his calls.
Yes, he knew the reason.
Even so, she couldn’t shake the guilt weighing on her heart. She wanted to make it up to him.
That was why...
"Why hasn’t Cadet Kyle reported it yet?"
The voice, or rather, the name itself, made Amanda come to an abrupt halt.
Frowning, Amanda turned toward the source of the voice.
It was someone from the administration department speaking with an officer.
"He was advised to undergo a full-body checkup before reporting," the officer said. "It probably took longer than expected, so he might’ve decided to head home first."
That immediately caught her attention.
Unable to ignore it, Amanda walked over.
"Excuse me, but what are you talking about? Did something happen to Kyle?"
The officer let out a weary sigh.
"Officer, you’ve just returned from a mission yourself. You should also get a full-body checkup, just like Kyle."
"That’s exactly what I’m asking," Amanda replied, a trace of irritation creeping into her voice. "What happened that Kyle needs a checkup?"
He had replied to her message only a few minutes ago, so she knew he was safe.
Still, there wasn’t another cadet named Kyle stationed at the base.
They could only be talking about him.
The staff member from the administration answered, "Cadet Kyle was caught in a Rift incident today at the Archery Arena. He didn’t suffer any serious injuries, but the medical staff still recommended that he undergo a thorough examination at the hospital."
Amanda’s eyes widened.
A Rift?
And Kyle had been caught in it...
She instantly took out her phone and dialed his number.
[The number you trying to reach is currently out of reach...]
Her heart sank.
Amanda didn’t wait to hear the rest of the man’s lecture about Kyle supposedly being irresponsible and pocketed her phone.
Soon, she spun around and sprinted out of the hall, heading straight for his house.
....
"This is insane," Kyle muttered as he glanced around.
Darkness stretched in every direction, broken only by the moonlight pouring from the sky and bathing his body in its pale glow.
He couldn’t make out much of his surroundings. The only things visible were several small hills rising unevenly across the landscape.
A chilly breeze swept through the Temple.
The moon’s enhancement was still coursing through his body.
And because of that, he sensed something approaching from...
"Behind."
He spun around instantly, his body so light he nearly twirled twice in air before coming to a stop.
A wolf-like creature was already airborne, its left claw raised high as it slashed toward his face.
It was undoubtedly fast.
Yet, to Kyle, it almost seemed slow enough that he had more than enough time to sidestep and avoid the attack with ease.
"Gruff!"
Having missed its target, the creature landed on the ground.
Only then did Kyle realize that it wasn’t exactly a wolf.
It had a tall, muscular torso and looked perfectly capable of standing on two legs.
Okay...
Something dangerous.
Even so, Kyle felt so confident in his current strength that not even ten Ghouls attacking at once seemed like a real threat.
A grin spread across his face.
Lowering into a crouch, he beckoned with one hand.
"Come at me, puppy."
The creature answered with a guttural snarl.
Its muscles swelled before it shot forward, tearing across the ground with explosive speed. Dirt burst into the air beneath its claws as it closed the distance in an instant.
Kyle didn’t move.
Not until the last possible moment.
He shifted half a step to the side.
The claw sliced through empty air.
"Ghurff...?"
The monster’s eyes widened.
Kyle’s fist was already buried deep in its ribs.
Boom!
The impact echoed across the silent hills.
The beast’s body folded around his punch before it was hurled through the air like a broken doll, smashing into the closest hill, carving the stone until it vanished into darkness.
A heavy silence followed.
Kyle slowly lowered his fist, staring at it with disbelief.
"...I barely put any strength into that."
He raised both his hands before muttering, "Have I become Sup*rm*n or something?"