Chapter 31: The Gap

At the same time. Deep in the mountains.

"An early-stage beast couldn’t even scratch my skin."

Theo glanced at his fist.

They say to kill a snake, you strike the weak point. But he had deliberately tested the limits of his new body.

The result? Without using any of his Parasite class skills, he shattered the Iron-Spine Ape with a single punch.

Strangely enough, Theo had never killed an animal before today.

Yet when he slew the beast, he felt no tension. His mind remained calm, as if he had done this countless times.

"Is this another benefit of the Flawless Abyssal Physique?"

Theo mused.

It seemed that his physical density adapted to combat trauma instantly.

He shook the blood off his hand and pulled out a map.

"Thunder Gorge."

After confirming his location, he drew a standard-issue steel machete and ventured deeper into the trees.

The wilderness echoed with scattered shouts. New disciples battled beasts in the distance.

Theo didn’t linger.

He encountered several early-stage beasts along the path. The outcome remained the same. Each fell in a single strike, without him needing to deploy his poison breath or phantom agility.

Soon, he arrived at a region marked on the map as Streamstone Shallows.

Stone pillars stood like leafless trees. A wide river flowed between them.

"This river flows down from Thunder Gorge."

"I just need to follow it upstream."

As he walked, footsteps approached.

Looking up, he saw an inner sect overseer dragging the corpse of a black-horned sheep.

It was a late-stage beast. Though herbivorous, it was aggressive and possessed immense strength.

Yet it had died in a single stroke.

"Liana’s work?"

Theo recognized the mark immediately.

A clean slash across the throat. Frost sealed the wound shut. Not a drop of blood spilled onto the dirt. The beast likely hadn’t even realized it was dead.

"Indeed. This is the handiwork of the Heavenly Peak disciple."

The overseer nodded.

He stood there, watching Theo intently. He made no move to leave.

At first puzzled, Theo soon understood.

He felt the vibration too.

The next moment, a shadow surged from the water. It leapt high into the air.

An Armored River-Toad.

A late-stage beast. Its skin was lined with thick iron deposits. Its blood held alchemical value, but it was notoriously vicious. Any body of water it claimed remained devoid of other life.

The overseer watched with keen interest.

Liana had slain her target in one strike. He wondered how the janitor would fare against the toad.

Admittedly, the River-Toad was far trickier to kill. If it retracted its limbs into its iron-plated skin, a standard cultivator could only stare helplessly at the shell.

Just as he thought this, Theo moved.

He swung the steel machete. He aimed for the exposed joints with a flurry of precise slashes.

"Impressive accuracy."

The overseer nodded in admiration. Even among inner disciples, such precision was rare. Had he not just witnessed Liana’s flawless strike, he might have been more astonished.

Sensing danger, the toad let out a low croak and retracted its limbs.

The machete struck the iron-plated skin.

Sparks flew.

The toad’s armor remained intact. Theo’s machete now bore several deep chips along the edge.

Theo stared at the blade.

This was a standard-issue sect weapon. It was sufficient for early-stage beasts. But against this iron-plated armor? If he struck any harder, the blade would shatter in his hand.

The toad, now thoroughly cowed, flipped over and scrambled back toward the river.

"Oh no you don’t!"

Theo gave chase.

You ruin my weapon and think you can just leave?

"Wait!"

"That beast is cunning!"

Before the overseer could finish his warning, Theo plunged into the river.

Bubbles erupted on the surface. The overseer’s heart pounded.

In the water, the toad was ten times deadlier. Even peak-stage beasts avoided tangling with it there. Theo’s speed was superb, but underwater? He’d be lucky to muster half his usual strength.

The overseer prepared to dive in for a rescue.

Boom!

The river erupted in a geyser of murky water. The heavy toad hurled skyward.

Theo shot out after it, landing firmly on the bank.

The toad’s eyes bulged with terror. It couldn’t escape back into the water. It resorted to its old trick, retracting everything into its iron shell.

The overseer’s jaw dropped.

He had just watched Theo throw a one-ton beast out of the river.

But the real shock came next.

Theo didn’t use his ruined machete. Every muscle in his body tensed. He channeled the full might of his physical density into his right arm.

His fist descended.

The moment it struck the armor, the iron plates crumpled like paper. They caved inward before shattering completely.

The force traveled through the beast, cracking the dirt beneath in a wide spiderweb of fissures.

"I really..."

"Just wanted to be a tactical rogue!"

Theo clenched his fist. He sighed in frustration.

Hearing his complaint, the overseer’s face twitched.

A glance at the shattered armor confirmed it. The toad was dead. It had not died peacefully.

As for Theo? His sleeves had burst at the seams. Steam rose from his skin. His exposed muscles gleamed like forged metal.

You? A tactical rogue?

If the toad weren’t already dead, it would have leapt up to protest.

...

A short while later.

The two corpses rested on a display platform at the camp entrance.

One was unmistakably the black-horned sheep. Slain by Liana.

The other lump?

The elders squinted. They struggled to identify what species it had been in life.

"Is this an Armored River-Toad?"

"Yes, Elder."

The elders’ expressions grew bizarre.

Liana was astonishing. Every beast she faced fell with a single, flawless strike, as if she knew each weakness instinctively.

But Theo?

They truly had no words.

"Vespera, you are certain you taught him anatomy, correct?" the Sect Master asked.

"Why would I lie to you?"

Vespera wrinkled her nose.

The inner sect overseer stepped forward to testify.

"Theo did indeed wield a blade. His accuracy was exceptional. The quality of his weapon was simply too poor to pierce the toad’s armor."

"When he punched the beast to death, he was muttering something about wanting to be tactical."

The elders fell into silence.

Didn’t that mean his bare fists were harder than iron plating?

After a long pause, Elder Silas finally spoke.

"After the trial, let the boy pick a weapon from the armory. We have plenty of heavy hammers. There is no shortage for him. If he finds nothing satisfactory, he may choose a gauntlet from my personal collection."

"As if we need your charity," Vespera lifted her chin. She called out to the scoring deacon. "You there. Record the scores!"

The deacon wiped sweat from his brow and scribbled on the board. A glance at the tallies revealed that Theo and Liana had left all others far behind. The gap between the two of them was razor-thin. Liana led by a mere five points.

As for third place? Garrick.