Evolving Infinitely From An E-Class Hero-Chapter 114: Rinds

The cavern was a graveyard of heroes, their broken forms strewn across the jagged stone floor.

Some were dead, their lifeless eyes staring into the void, while others clung to fading threads of life, their breaths shallow and faltering.

The ranking system that had once elevated these warriors to pedestals of glory now seemed a cruel mockery. Dr. Kuseno, the architect of this carnage, stood at the heart of the chaos, his presence radiating a power that dwarfed the metrics of any hero classification. He was no mere villain—he was a force of nature, a calamity in human form.

Which is where I come in.

"Skill: Exchange..." I whispered, my voice barely audible over the distant drip of water echoing in the cave.

Tti-ring.

[Active Skill: Exchange.]

The system’s mechanical chime reverberated in my mind, a familiar anchor in the storm of battle. Standing in the cave’s oppressive darkness, the situation felt far more perilous than it had when I’d observed from afar, my Tactical Swarm Drones relaying images of the devastation.

The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid scent of scorched earth, remnants of the heroes’ futile stand against Kuseno.

My drones had shown me the aftermath, but being here, surrounded by the weight of their defeat, made my pulse quicken.

Dr. Kuseno stood motionless, his piercing gaze fixed on me as I surveyed the wreckage. His expression was unreadable, a mask of cold calculation that betrayed neither triumph nor remorse.

The heroes’ bodies lay scattered like discarded toys, and I moved quickly, driven by a grim sense of duty.

One by one, I carried their limp forms—dead and living alike—to a safer corner of the cavern, where the jagged walls offered some semblance of shelter.

My forever armor, a marvel of nanotechnology that hugged my body like a second skin, hummed softly as I worked, its sensors amplifying my strength and precision.

Shadow Girl was the last I reached. Her condition was dire, her breaths shallow and ragged, each one slower than the last.

Her pale face, streaked with blood and dirt, was a stark contrast to the fierce determination I’d seen in her eyes during past battles. She was alive, but barely, and time was slipping through my fingers like sand.

My Exchange Skill, was still on a thirty-minute cooldown. She didn’t have thirty minutes. Desperation clawed at my chest, but I forced it down, focusing on the task at hand.

Kuseno’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and mocking.

"You’re wasting your time, Bionic. They’re already lost." His tone carried the weight of someone who believed victory was inevitable, and it set my teeth on edge.

I didn’t respond.

Not yet.

My focus remained on securing the heroes, but I knew Kuseno wouldn’t let me walk out of here without a fight. Since my rise to SSS-Class, I’d faced countless threats—monsters, machines, and men who thought themselves gods. But none had matched my strength, my speed, my resilience.

Kuseno, though, was different. The air around him crackled with an energy that rivaled my own, and the cavern itself seemed to shrink under the weight of his presence.

This was no ordinary foe.

This was the greatest battle I’d ever faced.

The cave was a colossal arena, its high ceilings lost in shadow and its walls stretching far into the darkness. Stalactites hung like jagged teeth, and the uneven floor was littered with debris—shattered weapons, scorched armor, and the faint glow of residual energy from the heroes’ failed attacks. I

t was a perfect stage for a duel of titans, and I felt a strange thrill at the thought. Fear and excitement coiled together in my gut, a familiar sensation that sharpened my senses.

"Initiate..." I said softly, my voice steady despite the storm brewing within.

The forever armor responded instantly, its nanites surging to envelop me completely. Plates of shimmering, obsidian-like material locked into place, enhancing my strength and speed while feeding me real-time data on my surroundings. I stood opposite Kuseno, my stance wide, ready for whatever he would throw at me.

He smirked, his eyes glinting with malice. "Ahh... The holy grail! Reno Renly, AKA Bionic! I have been waiting for this day..." His voice dripped with theatrical flair, and he spread his arms wide, as if embracing the chaos he’d wrought.

Before I could respond, the shadows behind him writhed, and a swarm of Calamity Creatures poured forth—grotesque, insect-like beings with razor-sharp limbs and glowing red eyes. They scuttled toward me, their chittering filling the cavern with an eerie cacophony.

I smirked and flexed my right hand. "Incinerate."

Boom!

A wave of searing energy erupted from my palm, a torrent of white-hot plasma that engulfed the creatures. In seconds, they were reduced to smoldering ruins, not even ash or smoke remaining to mark their existence. The cavern trembled from the force of the blast, and a faint haze of heat shimmered in the air.

Kuseno’s enthusiasm didn’t waver. "Is that simple for you, huh?!" he called, his voice tinged with excitement rather than fear.

I tilted my head, unimpressed. "A Calamity Creature that knows how to talk. That’s a first."

His face twisted in annoyance, the first crack in his confident facade. We began to circle each other, our steps deliberate, the tension between us a palpable force.

The cavern’s walls seemed to close in, the air growing heavier with each passing second.

Then, without warning, we closed the distance, standing forehead to forehead, our eyes locked in a silent challenge.

Kuseno struck first. His fist slammed into my face with the force of a meteor, a blow that would have pulverized any ordinary human.

Bam!

My head snapped to the side, and my back arched, but I stomped down, rooting myself to the ground. The forever armor absorbed the brunt of the impact, its nanites redistributing the force to prevent injury. I felt the sting, but it was nothing compared to what Kuseno had expected.

"You can... withstand my power?" he said, his voice laced with disbelief. His plan had been simple: crush me in a single hit. But I wasn’t just any human.

I didn’t give him time to recover. My fist swung upward, a blur of motion fueled by rage and precision.

Swish!

Slam!

The punch connected with the center of his face, and Kuseno flew backward, crashing into the far wall with a deafening

kaboom!

The jagged stone caved in, a crater forming where he struck, and the entire cavern shook from the impact. Dust and debris rained down, and for a moment, I thought the ceiling might collapse.

But Kuseno wasn’t done. He floated back to the ground, graceful and unscathed, his skin gleaming with an unnatural resilience. Was it his transformation into a Calamity Creature that made him so durable? If so, I’d need more than finesse to break him. Brute force was my only option.

"Skill: Overclock..." I muttered.

Tti-ring.

[Active Skill: Overclock.]

My body surged with power as the system activated the skill. My shoulders broadened, muscles expanding beneath the forever armor. Thick veins pulsed under the surface, and the air around me grew dense, as if gravity itself had intensified. The cavern’s atmosphere seemed to hum with my energy, a low vibration that made the heroes in the corner stir uneasily.

"You dare!" Kuseno roared, his voice echoing with fury.

Step. Step. Step.

We closed the distance again, our movements faster now, the space between us shrinking in an instant. We stood face-to-face once more, and then the real battle began. Fists flew, each strike carrying the weight of our full power.

Slam!

Kaboom!

Boom!

The cavern rocked with the shockwaves of our blows, the ground cracking beneath our feet. The heroes watched, their faces pale with awe and fear, their voices silenced by the spectacle.

Kuseno was strong—perhaps my equal, perhaps more. But as our fists collided, I could feel the toll on both of us. His skin, tougher than any substance I’d encountered, began to show signs of strain. Red patches bloomed across his arms and face, a testament to the force of my attacks. My own body ached, but the forever armor mitigated the damage, allowing me to press the assault.

"It can’t be," Kuseno gasped, his confidence wavering as he noticed the changes in his body.

Kaboom!

I landed another punch, this one to his cheek. He staggered, the impact forcing him to take a step back. I didn’t relent, following up with an uppercut that snapped his chin upward.

Bam!

His head tilted toward the ceiling, but his eyes locked onto me, burning with murderous rage.

Then, in a flash, he attacked. A tongue-like tentacle shot from his mouth, tipped with a glistening, poison-coated barb. It moved like a bullet, too fast for most to dodge at such close range. I tilted my head just in time, but the barb grazed my cheek, leaving a shallow cut. Kuseno’s lips curled into a triumphant smile.

"It’s done..." he said, his voice dripping with certainty.

The poison was no ordinary toxin. Enhanced by his Calamity Creature physiology, it was designed to paralyze in nanoseconds, robbing victims of all sensation and control. But my system was faster.

Tti-ring.

[Deadly Toxin detected in the body.]

[Detoxification has begun upon introduction...]

Tti-ring.

[Detoxification Complete. Master is now immune to this specific poison and cannot be affected by it ever again.]

Kuseno’s smile widened as he swung again, aiming for my face. I raised my left hand, blocking the blow with ease. His expression faltered, confusion replacing his smugness.

"...????"

My right fist answered his unspoken question, crashing into his face with enough force to send him sprawling to the ground.

Bam!

A pained yelp escaped his lips, the first sign of vulnerability he’d shown. The cavern seemed to hold its breath as I stood over him, my system confirming the detoxification with another chime.

Tti-ring.

[Detoxification Complete.]