Chapter 282: Learning From The Master Of Ki

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Riven pointed his hand at the frog and grabbed a potion from his inventory. "Here."

He threw the bottle toward the Crimson Frog King. The creature eyed it with clear wariness but still caught it in one large hand. It opened the bottle, sniffed the contents carefully, and its eyes widened in surprise. Without further hesitation it drank the entire potion in one go. The large wound across its stomach closed and healed over within seconds, though the strain on its muscles remained. The frog still looked tired, even after recovering a good amount of energy.

It now had enough stamina to turn and run if it wanted, yet something kept it rooted in place. The Crimson Frog King stared at Riven’s large frame and the power radiating from him.

"Sure, I’d gain plenty of power by eating you, but..." Riven sighed and glanced off to the side. "I always wish there could be other ways of communication."

The Crimson Frog King tilted its head. It could sense the man’s peaceful intentions, even if it did not fully understand them. Why would this human who had come here specifically to attack suddenly want to stop the fight and make peace?

As a solitary animal the Crimson Frog King had never been good at forming bonds. Friendship was a concept completely foreign to it. Still, it felt something unusual coming from this man who already carried the DNA of so many different animals inside him. The power in Riven’s aura made it obvious that the frog stood no real chance of winning. Instinct should have told it to flee right away, yet it had no desire to escape.

Submitting to a stronger opponent was normal in the natural world, but this was a monster whose very nature set it apart from ordinary animals on Earth. That difference left it struggling to process the situation.

In the end a strange mix of gratitude and self-sacrifice began to form inside it. Crimson ki overflowed from its body as it rose back into a fighting stance.

It gave Riven a small smile, eyes gleaming with a faint golden light.

"Why?" Riven asked. "We don’t have to fight—"

RUMBLE!

The Crimson Frog King simply did not understand the idea of walking away. It saw Riven as an honorable warrior who wanted to see the battle through to its proper end. By offering the potion and a chance to recover, the man had shown mercy and given it a fair chance to continue. The frog therefore chose to respond in kind.

It also understood, in its own limited way, that Riven grew stronger by consuming monsters. That knowledge led it to a simple conclusion: it wanted Riven to eat it.

This may have been the first time a monster actively wished to be consumed. The desire came partly from a wish to keep existing in some form inside Riven, and partly as genuine thanks.

Thanks for giving it the best fight of its life.

"I see..." Riven somehow felt the frog’s intentions. His senses had grown much sharper over time, and when combined with his psionic abilities he could even read the emotional flow of an animal and understand what it wanted even if it was incapable of speech. "Then come at me with everything you’ve got."

At first he had not fully understood, but now he did. This animal was not going to surrender. It was not going to run away, and it was not going to submit to him either.

If push came to shove it would die fighting, because that was what made the Crimson Frog King what it was — a warrior and a beast combined into one.

The honor of a warrior was simply its instinct.

RUMBLE!

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Their fists collided again and again, unleashing dozens of explosive ripples and shockwaves. The ground beneath them trembled and cracked apart as mud and heavy boulders flew in every direction.

Vladimir watched from a safe distance with clear annoyance. "Just what is he doing prolonging this fight for so long?! What a dumbass...!"

Daniela, however, spoke up in Riven’s defense. "He just loves animals. He tried to befriend him but didn’t understand that some animals will never really be able to become friends with us..." She looked down at Noir and gently patted his head. "Some would rather die than serve someone else."

"Hah!" Vladimir clicked his tongue. "I wish I had been given such a chance myself, but that bastard forced me into what I am now..." He continued groaning and complaining under his breath without end.

Meanwhile the fight showed no signs of slowing down.

"GOOOOKYUU!"

"HAAAAH!"

Riven and the Crimson Frog King clashed once more. Their fists and open palms slammed into each other with heavy force. Riven took several solid kicks and punches head-on while managing to avoid others, carefully watching and learning from every movement the frog made.

"You’re an amazing fighter!"

"GOOKA!"

For a brief moment the Crimson Frog King seemed to answer with something close to "you too!" before it struck Riven hard in the neck and sent him crashing backward through several thick trees that grew out of the swamp.

As Riven crashed through the wood he quickly pushed himself back to his feet and began gathering energy around his body. "Please, before you go, teach me everything you know! I will memorize it to my heart!"

"GUUU!" The frog roared in response. Fire-like ki overflowed from its body and started to burn through its own lifeforce. With a sharp flicker of its wrist a powerful beam of concentrated energy shot straight at Riven.

BOOOMMM!!!

"Nnngh?! This one’s burning even more intensely...! He’s evolving as well, improving!" Riven thought for a moment before a small sneer of respect crossed his face. "How amazing you are, mister frog!"

With a proud smile he gathered his own internal Ki. It glowed with a mix of purple and blue light as he harnessed it carefully between his palms, trying to imitate the monster’s technique as closely as possible.

"Like... this?!"

RUMBLE!

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