Desther immediately became alerted as soon as it used an entirely new skill.

His Supreme Combat Art, Body and Will absorbed the information extremely quickly, filling his mind with possible countermeasures to the sudden move made by the Shadow Monster.

Desther immediately stopped in his tracks; his senses screamed, not with danger, but on what would be the Shadow Monster’s next move.

Dissolving to the ground like a liquid shadow, Desther predicted that it would ambush him beneath the ground; hence, the reason why he stopped midway.

The next instant, Desther kicked his foot off the ground and leapt a few meters away in an instant.

Where he stood earlier, three razor-sharp claws protruded on the ground like a growing spike. If he did not react in time, Desther was positive he would sustain some sort of damage from that attack.

The claws emerged along with the entire body of the Shadow Monster.

"Time to take this up a notch."

Desther muttered under his breath, staring at the Shadow Monster intently.

Since earlier, he had not truly fully utilized his full strength. His attributes, way above the 1000 mark, were a notch higher compared to the Shadow Monster.

He had merely been testing the waters, trying to see what kind of fight the Shadow Monster would give him.

It has been a while since he last enjoyed a fight, not that he had become strong enough that fights could no longer be enjoyable, but because he was already tired at the notion of it.

When the apocalypse struck and dungeons descended en masse, he was one of the many students in his school that gathered their courage to confront the monsters.

At that time, all they faced were mortal monsters, those just a bit stronger than ordinary humans, like a goblin.

Ever since then, Desther has always fought day in and day out, carving their way out of the monster-infested school.

The situation became worse, and as the ’savior’ that led the students, the teachers, and even his parents out of danger, the amount of fight he experienced was no less than a thousand.

Relied by many, bound by his sense of responsibility, he responded to everyone’s call, saving them from the danger called monsters.

His sacrifices were many, not only limited to his own happiness and freedom.

The responsibility bore down on him, wore him out, until he finally exploded from the expectations that everyone set on him.

And once he did so, the very people that he protected were also the same people that pushed him toward a horde of monsters without any ounce of hesitation.

Since then, his life just revolved around fighting and surviving.

For him back then, fighting was not an option but a necessity for survival.

Only when the military ’saved’ him from the hellhole did he finally manage to take a breather.

The peace was a much-welcome arc of his life. Hence, the reason why he truly doesn’t want to let go of it.

Unfortunately, the world would not allow him to do as he pleases. Not when he bears the title of the so-called [Chosen One], whether he liked it or not.

Struck once again with such a heavy responsibility, one that he could not avoid, Desther could only trick himself into believing that this was only part of a journey where the destination was the peace that he had always desired and cherished.

This battle, considered a part of that journey, he wondered if he would be able to enjoy it too.

Well, the notion of using his skills against an opponent that he could not one-shot easily seemed pretty exciting, to say the least.

Using all his strength and all his attributes, Desther’s gaze caused a chill to run down the spine of the Shadow Monster—if it had any.

The next instant, its vision blurred, and where Desther stood before, only dust that rose through the air remained.

Realizing that Desther was no longer in sight, the Shadow Monster frantically looked around, searching for where he might be. In the brief moment that the Shadow Monster did not see him, it decided to use its skill once more.

Dissolving like a liquid, its foot slowly sunk to the ground, as if absorbed by it.

Before its ankle could be fully submerged, though, it suddenly felt a sudden shift in the air behind it.

Its head screamed danger as it turned its head around, only to see a fist enlarging toward it at visible speed.

A pair of vicious eyes stood behind the fist, the dangerous aura so intense it froze the Shadow Monster’s body in fear and trepidation.

The fist screamed danger, its body frozen in sudden fear and paranoia. The fist grew closer, but it could not move. Its brain screamed to move out of the way, but its body was unresponsive, not listening to the mind, as if it were dead.

Unable to move, the fist landed squarely on the Shadow Monster’s face. Its mind went blank; the impact seemed to penetrate its soul. The foot slightly submerged to the ground produced a bone-cracking sound as the ground cracked. Ultimately, with no one stopping it,its body was blasted toward the distance with insane momentum that defied common sense.

Like a loose arrow, its body traveled in a straight line, destroying tree after tree every time its body smashed onto them.

The concept of blood seemed nonexistent to it, but with his strength in full blast, Desther could tell that the shadow had grown fainter at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Shadow Monster grew smaller and dimmer as it smashed on one tree after the other.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Desther kicked the ground and propelled himself forward like a raging tornado. The ground where he stood earlier spiderwebbed due to the immense force he used to dash forward.

A sonic boom was heard, his body breaking the barrier of sound effortlessly. His body shot forward faster than a regular bullet, and in no time, he arrived right beside the Shadow Monster that had just lost its momentum after smashing into a huge tree.

The Shadow Monster did not even have the chance to get up when a foot came crashing down toward it like a divine mountain.

BOOM!