The air rippled. The ground caved in beneath the force of the impact, dust and smoke erupting outward in every direction. Nearby buildings were flattened by the shockwave.

The crab monster’s body doubled over, its feet lifting off the ground. Blood burst from its maw, hanging in the air for a split second as the monster was launched backward like a bullet.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Building after building collapsed along its path.

After flying more than seven hundred meters, its body finally slammed into a massive metal pillar with a deafening clang before sliding down.

A gaping hole had been blasted through its chest. The armor covering its body and the fabric surrounding the wound were reduced to tatters.

Its body twitched twice. Then it went completely still. Not even the slightest rise and fall of its chest remained.

The other two monsters froze, finally realizing what kind of horrific mess they were really in.

The twin-fish monster immediately turned around on its tail and started fleeing.

But Leon had already moved. Leaving behind nothing but a blur, he shot straight toward it.

The monster sensed him approaching, yet it didn’t stop. Just as Leon closed the distance, it suddenly spun around and thrust both of its heads forward.

Hiss!

Two streams of thick, green liquid shot toward Leon. Smoke curled from the corrosive acid as it sliced through the air.

Leon didn’t dodge. He continued charging forward.

The acid splashed across his face and chest with a sharp hiss. Smoke and steam instantly rose as his flesh rapidly decayed. White bones became visible beneath the melting skin.

Agonizing pain tore through Leon’s body. Yet he never slowed down. He gritted his teeth and kept closing the distance.

And then...

The Frost Monarch’s Blade flashed. A single vertical slash.

The twin-fish monster froze in place. A thin crimson line slowly appeared down the center of its body.

Thud.

The right half, along with one of its heads, collapsed to the ground, kicking up dust.

A heartbeat later, the left half followed, collapsing at the back.

Just like that...

Two Disaster Class monsters were down. Now, only the shark monster remained. Before Leon could charge at it, a series of notifications appeared before him.

[The Host was exposed to excessive corrosiveness.]

[Acid Resistance has increased slightly.]

[Acid Resistance: 1.45%]

Leon’s eyebrows rose. ’Ughhhh. I was too caught up in the moment of enjoying this power.’ Leon mused. ’I shouldn’t have killed it so quickly. If I run into another monster in the future that can spit acid, I’ll make sure it helps me reach acid immunity. If I can awaken the Acid Affinity, it’ll become one of my deadliest elements.’

Leon slowly turned toward the last remaining monster.

The shark-headed monster swallowed hard.

Its fists were tightly clenched, and its jaws were locked shut. The confidence of an apex predator had completely vanished. Instead, its eyes were filled with tension, darting frantically from side to side... Searching for any possible way to escape with its life.

"Congratulations, Master," Noira’s voice echoed once more. "You have successfully drawn out ninety percent of your power at your current level."

Leon’s eyelids twitched again. "Still only ninety percent? I thought that was one hundred. Maybe even two or three percent extra." He let out a helpless laugh.

"No, Master. You are very close, but there is still one final step left to cross." Noira’s voice remained calm. "There is nothing more I can teach you. The rest... you must comprehend on your own."

"I see." Leon shrugged. "Whatever. At least now I understand what Fusion is truly capable of. With this, I don’t believe there’s anyone left on Earth who can stand against me. The only problem is that once Fusion ends, if I have to face another powerful enemy on that very same day, things could get troublesome. But..."

His eyes narrowed. "Let’s finish this first."

He took a step.

Then another.

He began walking toward the monster, slowly and deliberately. His shoulders swayed naturally with each step, every movement carrying an overwhelming sense of dominance. The Frost Monarch’s Blade disappeared into the system storage.

The shark-headed monster instinctively took a step backward.

Then another.

Suddenly...

Leon vanished.

He reappeared directly before the monster.

The distance between them wasn’t that much, and after stepping into the Grandmaster realm through Fusion, even Leon himself had no idea how terrifying his speed had become. A violent gust of wind erupted, slamming into the monster.

Leon looked into its eyes.

Panic.

Pure, undisguised panic.

The monster wanted to flee.

It wanted to turn around and escape.

Yet it couldn’t.

The frigid aura radiating from Leon felt like an invisible mountain pressing down upon it. The monster had the terrifying feeling that the instant it tried to move...

It would be crushed into a paste of flesh and blood.

Leon’s hand shot forward.

BAM!

His palm slammed into the monster’s face, driving its head into the ground with overwhelming force.

The earth exploded beneath the impact. Cracks spread across the ground in every direction.

The monster’s body convulsed violently.

Leon’s fingers tightened around its face, the tips digging deep into its stone-like flesh.

Then...

Silence.

Leon slowly stood.

A gentle breeze swept past, causing his hair to flutter behind him. A refreshing coolness washed over his body.

He slowly raised his hand.

Five monster cores appeared in his palm.

"Five Disaster Class monster cores..." His lips curled into a smile. "What level can I reach after absorbing these?"

His heart pounded with anticipation. Until now, he had only absorbed low-level monster cores. These were different. These belonged to Disaster Class monsters — beings that stood at the very peak of the food chain. At least on Earth.

His current strength was indeed overwhelming. But it was borrowed power.

Once Fusion ended, he would return to his true cultivation, which was only at the initial A-Class level.

That was already an astonishing achievement for someone his age.

Even so...

Who would ever refuse greater strength?

Power, much like wealth, was something people could never truly have enough of. For some, the pursuit consumed them until there was no turning back.

Leon wasn’t that greedy. Yet even he found it difficult to suppress the excitement welling up inside him.

Slowly, he picked up the first monster core...

And placed it into his mouth.