My setting is above yours!

Chapter 62 The only reason you lost was arrogance! (7k7)

Olde was right.

He did indeed begin a biological evolution that is extremely difficult to understand—

Bone spurs pierced through the skin, twisting and intertwining, quickly becoming a complete bone surface.

His ears were being stretched and made sharp, covered with fine downy hairs that trembled slightly in the wind.

His body also began to grow and enlarge inexplicably.

His massive muscles bulged, and his menacing veins throbbed, bursting his slightly dirty white lab coat.

Its flesh also underwent a bizarre change in color, with dense scales appearing on its skin, and a gash appeared on its back, from which long, withered, and pitch-black wings extended—

In just a moment, Ald completed his ultimate "evolution," transforming into a three-meter-tall, grotesque humanoid creature.

Vines and grasses climbed up his legs and feet, seemingly taking root directly in his body, and were throbbing strangely.

Although Ald may seem like the same tomb raiders as before, merely undergoing a mutation towards the Hollow Monster, their essence may be the same, but the results are vastly different—

Olde clearly did not die from it; on the contrary, he actually received the gifts of these mutations...

Clearly, he truly crossed the line between human and non-human in this distortion!
He has truly embarked on an evolutionary path that transcends humanity!

Seeing the suddenly mutated Ald, Ron frowned and immediately stopped in his tracks.

Alder's transformation was so rapid that it seemed as if he had always been this monster, and his previous appearance as a middle-aged man was merely a disguise.

Once Ald senses danger or is certain that his power has been exposed, he will easily tear off that layer of skin, leaving no room for resistance.

Is this Older's trump card?
Why does this look so familiar...?

Upon closer inspection of the strange biological features on Alder's body, Ron was slightly taken aback and immediately retrieved the corresponding memories from his mind.

Bone spurs, scales, wings, blades of grass...

It was no coincidence that these seemingly unrelated characteristics appeared in Alder—

This guy has obviously stitched the biological characteristics of all the previous test subjects onto his own body!

The bone spurs and scales resembled those two tomb raiders, and the withered, dark wings reminded me of Beck, whom I encountered during the college entrance exam...

Seeing all this, and recalling what the magician had said earlier, Ron immediately understood what had happened to Ald.

All of this indeed stems from Hera's "experiment of seeking knowledge" in pursuit of "controlling evolution."

The magician had casually mentioned that the branch experiment Ald was undertaking, [Ability Modification], required a final result, a test subject for the [Final Modification]...

This guy used himself as an experimental subject and underwent "final modification" in an attempt to surpass the limits of humanity!
His reason for using so many poor people from District D for experiments was probably not just to extract the ability materials that fell out of the "Void"...

After all, the reason those poor people were mutated into monsters was clearly because the "Ascension Ritual" and the modification surgery used unprocessed supernatural properties, which were then twisted into mutated monsters due to the influence of the supernatural properties themselves.

Ald was naturally afraid that he would become a hollow monster during the [Final Modification], so he used them as test subjects to experiment on the side effects of the crude [Ability Modification] technology.

The fact that he can stand here now clearly means he has found a way to optimize things...

A closer look at the proliferating organs on his body reveals that Ald probably used optimized technology to somehow create monsters of higher quality and reduce their contamination...

He removed the dross from those poor people who had mutated into monsters, carefully disassembled them, and then loaded all the powerful organs that eliminated the harm onto his own body, which is why he has become what he is now.

I wonder how many superhumans he killed after being sponsored and modified by Noah Pharmaceuticals...

Looking at Alder's withered, dark wings, Ron couldn't help but shake his head.

Just by looking at those familiar wings, it's clear that Beck, who once competed with Ron for the college entrance exam rankings and even served as Euan's pawn, is now dead and has become the inhuman food that Ald achieves.

No wonder Old wanted to capture Xia Zhi and the others—these high-level superpowered individuals might be the best experimental subjects for him.

The resulting modified organs may allow him to take a significant step forward in the path of biological evolution.

No matter how you look at it, Old's trump card is incredibly powerful...

The gifts he received during the [Experiment of Seeking Knowledge] have indeed made him surpass a normal Lv.3 ability user. Now it seems that he is not far from becoming a true Lv.4.

If he hadn't failed to truly complete the Hera branch project and genuinely obtain Lv.4 ability permissions, he would now have truly transcended humanity and reached the transcendent realm of Lv.4, both physically and in terms of his abilities.

But here is the problem.

You mean... how did he overcome the limitations of humanity?

Ron stood still, looking at Ald's body, which looked bizarre and ferocious yet inexplicably possessed a harmonious muscular beauty, as if sculpted by a master craftsman, and silently changed into [Embers of the Age of Gods].

The magical vision opens, revealing a dazzling array of colorful magical light.

These twisted organs were all imbued with magic, and each stitched organ shimmered with a different magical glow.

The reason he hasn't been erased by the [Anti-Mystic Equation] in this state is simply because he also has a semi-transparent membrane on his body, just like those hollow monsters...

This power from the "void" that resists the erosion of the Anti-Mystic Equation is much thicker than the void monsters Ron had seen before, and it can obviously withstand the Anti-Mystic Equation for a long time.

Ron had no doubt that if Ald restrained himself enough and only used this transformed state for two or three hours a day, his magical organs might never be worn down by the [Anti-Mystic Equation].

...But who told him to mess with Ron?

In the past, even Ron might not have posed any threat to Ald, but he had just advanced to Lv.3...

The ability of [Illusion Dissolve] has been greatly enhanced once again. Ron may not be able to completely erase all the magical organs on Ald's body with [Illusion Dissolve], but erasing the power from the "void" is not difficult.

At that time, Alder, exposed to the [Anti-Mystic Equation]...

No matter how you look at it, it would be directly resisted by the "Anti-Mystic Equation" and turned to ashes, right?
Ron looked at Ald with a strange expression. At this moment, Ald, who had finally completed the transformation, was enjoying the comfortable feeling of his blood surging in his body. He didn't care about Ron, his enemy, at all, and stretched while standing there.

"Click, click-click..."

A series of cracking sounds came from his bones. He tilted his head back, and the sunlight shone on his face, revealing an overflowing sense of satisfaction and ecstasy.

"Hmph hmph hmph, hehehehehe, hahahahahahaha!"

Ald suddenly grinned and burst into wild laughter:
"Different abilities, different extraordinary organs... I have acquired them all, and have taken the first step towards evolving into the ultimate life form!"

As he spoke, he suddenly and without warning extended his hand, with its distinct knuckles and sharp fingers, and slashed it viciously across his own chest like a knife—

In an instant, a huge gash opened up in front of him, tearing open his abdomen and revealing his throbbing internal organs, enveloped in dense magical energy...

He wasn't even satisfied, just like casually slicing open a sausage on a plate, he casually cut open his own heart!

However, he was not harmed in the slightest by his actions.

Not a single drop of blood spurted from the ruptured heart. The myocardium squeezed the wound, blocking the bleeding, and at the same time, it was bound together by a dense magical force, instantly restoring it to its original state.

The instant his heart recovered, countless tiny, twisted tendrils of flesh inexplicably sprouted from the huge wound that pierced through his chest and abdomen.

These fleshy tendrils intertwined, tangled, and stitched together, quickly closing up the huge wound and completely healing it.

He stomped his foot again, and countless vines, much thicker than before, sprouted from the concrete and steel ground, waving wildly and blocking out the sky.

He flapped his wings and slowly lifted his heavy body up.

The eerie green flames appeared and swirled around him, which he easily controlled.

"see it?"

He wobbled over to Ron, completely ignoring Ron's threat, and brought his bone-spiky face close to Ron, grinning wickedly:

"Immortality, agelessness, and countless ability models—"

"By relying on my ability to modify myself, I have truly touched the door to [Mastering Evolution]!"

"Now, do you still think you can beat me?"

He laughed arrogantly, and Xia Zhi, who was standing to the side, turned pale the moment she saw Ald suddenly transform into a monster.

What…what is this?!

Are they like those monsters?
But it is clearly many times more powerful than ordinary monsters...

This guy has already exceeded the limits of ordinary ability users!
It's important to understand that people with superpowers can generally only use one ability, a unique ability model specific to them...

But Alder used so many different abilities, and even possessed a terrifying physique that could instantly heal even fatal wounds—

Although the output of those different abilities is still not comparable to that of a normal Lv.4, based on Xia Zhi's experience, in terms of combat power alone, the physical strength that Ald possesses now is probably already approaching the threshold of Lv.4!

It's important to understand that in Ideal City, there's an insurmountable gap between a Level 4 ability user and a Level 3 user...

Xia Zhi, who had truly received Artemis's authority and had temporarily used Lv.4 power, knew that in the face of a true Lv.4, no matter how many Lv.3 ability users there were, they might not be able to harm her in the slightest.

The computing power brought by the Central Intelligence Brain can expand personal reality to tens or even hundreds of meters. Just by the distortion of reality by personal reality, a frail child can punch down a building.

Such a vast personal reality can already be considered a "world" belonging solely to that Lv.4, where everything could potentially be distorted due to his thoughts and aided by the computing power of the [Central Intelligence]...

Moreover, Level 4 ability users would not waste their computing power in such a way, but would make good use of their ability models to use extraordinary power in their own personal reality.

Even so, Ald demonstrated combat power approaching the Lv.4 threshold without relying on the [Central Intelligence].

This shows just how powerful he is after transforming into this form.

Just now, Ron was able to fight Ald to a standstill thanks to the strength of his ability model, but if Ald were to become like this...

Ron, a level 2, no matter how talented and resourceful he is, how can he face an enemy who has reached the level 4 threshold?
...He doesn't have captain privileges, so he's not qualified to apply for Artemis's permission to assist him. It's impossible for him to jump two levels from Lv.2 and temporarily use Lv.4 abilities!
"Quick, run!"

Thinking of this, Xia Zhi immediately spoke up:

"You can't beat him, he's already reached the Lv.4 threshold!"

"Use your power to fly away! His wings can't carry him high in the sky, but you can still run!"

"Go find the bureau chief, he's level 4..."

Hearing Xia Zhi's words, this time, Olde did not stop her.

Instead, he listened with relish to Xia Zhi's urgent dissuasion, looking down at Ron with an air of superiority—

"Listen, she's telling you to run away."

Old took a few more steps closer, finally standing right in front of Ron. Looking down at the little guy who wasn't even half his height anymore, he said with great interest:

"What? Aren't you going to run?"

"Did they faint from fright, or did they give up?"

He stuck out his long, thin tongue and licked the mask made of bone spurs on his face, dripping foul-smelling saliva, a hint of greed in his eyes:
"But no matter what you think, I won't let you go..."

"I've already advised you. You've fulfilled the company's code of conduct and all your obligations. You chose to die, and even Tian Ting Media can't say anything about it!"

"With your abilities, the materials generated after modification will definitely allow me to advance further..."

He was speaking when Ron suddenly interrupted him.

"Actually, you are indeed very strong."

Ron looked up at Ald's superhuman physique with a serious expression and said softly:
“This power… if it’s only a Lv.3, no matter how strong his abilities are, no matter if he has already constructed the [Ability Formula]…”

"With your cheat-like physical strength, there's only the possibility of losing." "But... you're still going to lose."

What do you mean?
What is this guy muttering in his sleep?
My current power surpasses that of humans. This is currently the "Experiment of Knowledge," and I haven't broken any rules. No one with abilities exceeding Level 4 will suffer the consequences.

How could I lose? How could I possibly lose?
"What a mess!"

Old frowned, then reached out and grabbed Ron's throat—

"Do you see me as a helpless lamb to the slaughter?"

Ron chuckled and delivered his verdict:

"If you don't come close to me, I might actually have a hard time dealing with you..."

"Old... the only reason you lost was because of your arrogance!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Olde's wrist.

Then, it was refined in an instant!
[The "Setting: Fantasy Dissolution" is being eroded by an extreme and excessive "mystical influence."]

[Performance impairment: 97%!]

Just as Old was about to shake off Ron's weak and overconfident body, he suddenly felt an extremely intense burning sensation coming from the wrist where Ron was holding him—

If one were in the Magic Vision, one could see that those illusory, semi-transparent "veils" covering Ald were melting away as rapidly as snow under the midday sun...

In no time at all, all the power from the "void" in Ald was completely dissipated, leaving not a trace!
As the "veil" disappeared, the omnipresent [Anti-Mystic Equation] within the entire inner city of Ideal City immediately began to perform its function—

From the moment Ron grabbed his wrist, Ald's scales began to crack, decay, and turn to ash.

The mask made of bone spurs on his face began to crack, shatter, and fall to the ground, turning into dust.

Withered, jet-black wings; grotesque muscular lumps; feet clinging to vines and blades of grass—

Everything about him was burning silently, without heat, and without mercy!

"what!!!"

He cried out in agony, twisting his body in agony.

The surrounding vines also began to dance wildly because of their owner's current state, fiercely and violently lashing out at everything within sight.

Ron had anticipated this.

He shook his head, suppressing the extreme dizziness and pain in his mind, and immediately released his grip on Ald's hand. He then fully activated [Vector Manipulation] and rescued all the other team members from the raging vines.

He led everyone away from the area where the vines were swirling wildly and landed quickly. Xia Zhi stared blankly at the calm and collected Ron, then at the monster not far away that was howling madly and rolling around on the ground...

She was bewildered.

What's going on? What did Ron do?
Why did he suddenly go crazy and start dancing such desperate steps the moment he grabbed the guy's arm?
Moreover... this pain seems to be very real!
Summer Solstice could clearly see Ald's body, which looked as if it had been scorched by a raging fire, curled up, brittle, and pulverized...

Ron seemed to have done nothing and was unaffected, but he was like a burning fireman, turning into a "fireman" whose flames were invisible!

It should be noted that, in her opinion, Ron could only temporarily use his Lv.3 ability with the "Ability Amplifier".

But he hadn't even activated the "Ability Amplifier" yet; he had only hastily engaged in battle with his Lv.2 ability, and yet he had managed to turn Ald into this state...

This incomprehensible situation shocked her long-held beliefs. She had never imagined that someone who had reached the Lv.4 threshold with just her physical abilities would howl like a stray dog ​​with a broken spine in front of another Lv.2 ability user.

"What's going on here?"

She couldn't help but look at Ron and ask:
"Why...why did he become like this? Did you 'ignite' him with something?"

"Oh, that's not my doing."

But Ron shook his head, pressed his temples, closed his eyes to ease the pain in his head, and casually made up an excuse:

"Actually... it's just that he went down the wrong path and went against the ideal city."

Did we take the wrong path? Did we go against our ideal city?

Xia Zhi was completely confused and couldn't understand what Ron was talking about. She even thought he was being deliberately modest.

After all, even if Ron says it wasn't his doing, anyone with eyes can see that Old's current state is definitely Ron's fault!

Could his abilities really have reached this level...?

A variant of telekinesis?

I have a feeling that one day, sooner or later, Ron's abilities will no longer be referred to in this way...

Looking at Ron's profile, which showed a relaxed expression as he had just recovered from the pain, Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Perhaps he really can become a Level 5 and give himself a unique title!
However, what Xia Zhi didn't know was...

What Ron just said was the truth.

If Old hadn't used such an unorthodox method to complete his "Experiment of Knowledge," Ron wouldn't have been able to do anything to him...

But why did this guy have to use the magical materials that fell out of the "hole" as experimental subjects?

While the extraordinary creatures of the "Potion Age" were indeed powerful, stitching together these organs might not have been a mistake.

Ron had no doubt that with this power, if Ald went back to the "Potion Era" and kept stitching his supernatural organs back together, he might one day be able to gather the power of all living beings and evolve into some kind of "ultimate life form"—

But who told him to be in Ideal City?
Play with "mystery" and "magic" in Ideal City, and use the remains of extraordinary creatures to modify your body...

Going against the version's rules deserves to be tripped up and crashed by the "Anti-Mystic Formula"!
It's worth noting that even the gods of the "Potion Era" couldn't enter Ideal City; now, they've been easily intercepted in the Spirit Realm by the [Anti-Mystic Equation]...

Just like Ald, a superpowered individual who doesn't even have a Lv.4 level, yet he wants to pull off something big in Ideal City... Even "Void" can't save him!

However, the magic emanating from him and the effects of the "void" were indeed powerful...

Ron's [Illusion Dissolve] had 95% durability left after defeating the first magician, but when he encountered Ald, 92% of its durability was consumed, and it was almost completely worn down.

Fortunately, this guy's strength is still limited to the Lv.3 limit, and the power from the "void" on his body has not exceeded the limit of [Illusion Dissolve], so it can be eliminated by [Illusion Dissolve].

No one knows how many superhuman organs he stitched up to himself, or how many people he killed because of this "experiment of seeking knowledge"...

Ron thought silently, watching Ald still dancing desperately not far away, until finally the vines calmed down.

The vines went from being wild and violent to being exhausted, and finally collapsed limply, quickly withering and dying.

Ald's massive three-meter-tall body was also shrinking, as if it were about to be dried out by the [Anti-Mystic Equation]...

Soon, he let out a desperate cry, slowly collapsed to the ground, and burned completely at an extremely fast speed, turning into a pile of fine, snow-white ash.

With his death, the vines that had grown from the gaps in the steel and concrete crumbled completely, leaving only countless pits and cracks on the ground centered around him.

"Rumble..."

Perhaps because the vines that originally filled the gaps had turned to powder and disappeared, the ground around Ald cracked inch by inch, and then helplessly turned to powder and collapsed...

Don't swallow his corpse!
Seeing this, Ron got a little anxious—how could he finish a dungeon and not take the loot dropped by the boss?
He also wanted to take the pendant with the "limitation formula" engraved on Ald's body and his "ability amplifier" as a magician!
He quickly activated [Vector Control] and flew over, looking into the crater...

But beneath the concrete and steel floor, there was an empty, dark, and cold space.

Anti-gravity engineering supports the ground of the inner city of the ideal city, and beneath the concrete and steel paved ground lies the true nature of the planet—

Through the sunlight shining down from the sky, Ron could clearly see that beneath the ground lay only the cold, rough, pale earth.

The land is covered with coarse basalt, and all that can be seen with the naked eye is its cold, grayish-white color.

The ashes that Ald turned into fell on the cold, rough soil, their color blending with the natural appearance of the land, making the earth feel even more desolate and inexplicable.

Ron shivered, feeling a chill creeping over him, and didn't dare waste any time.

He quickly searched through the items and found a sapphire pendant that was exactly the same as the one in the magician's hand, who was wearing a protective suit.

Perhaps because he had transformed himself so thoroughly, Ald left nothing behind except for these things, not even the "power amplifier" that a magician would inevitably carry...

Did that thing shatter during the struggle, or did this guy abandon his identity as a magician long ago to hone his superpowers?
Ron didn't know the reason and didn't dare to continue searching. He immediately flew out of the huge crater that directly touched the planet's surface.

"Yes, that's right. Our team has completed its mission objective and encountered a criminal claiming to be the head of [Noah's Medicine] who attacked us. He was dealt with legally on the spot by Agent C08 alone..."

As soon as she stepped outside, she heard Xia Zhi reporting to the command center via walkie-talkie. Seeing Ron fly out again, she quickly ran over and asked:
"So, have you found any evidence that can prove his identity?"

“I only have recordings. Although he said he was a department head at Noah Pharmaceuticals, such a large company might not be willing to plead guilty…”

"No... like those monsters, he completely turned to ashes and vanished into nothingness. I found nothing."

Ron shook his head. "Restriction spells" are top-tier weapons for ordinary superpowered individuals, and Ron is unwilling to hand over such a valuable item.

Besides, magicians' things are always something that can't be brought into the open... Ron didn't want to get the Magicians' Association involved again, like when he killed the old magician.

"I really don't know what Noah Pharmaceuticals was thinking. They actually allowed their subordinates to assault the police for the sake of the 'Knowledge Experiment.' It's utterly lawless!"

"It's a pity there's no physical evidence... but the patrol bureau won't let them off the hook. They'll have to pay back every penny of the compensation they're owed!"

Xia Zhi gritted her teeth, clearly harboring resentment over the attack.

But Ron didn't care much, because he knew the methods of a giant like Noah Pharmaceuticals.

Noah Pharmaceuticals has already suffered huge losses due to the failure of this "Knowledge Experiment".

Compensation is something that can be done by giving some credit points at most. Then they'll say Old is a temporary worker and pin all the blame on him. Anyway, there's no way to prove it, so the matter will just pass, and the company will remain innocent.

The inspection bureau itself will protect Noah Pharmaceuticals and prevent this matter from escalating. Ron doesn't think Noah Pharmaceuticals will offer any valuable compensation.

The biggest takeaway from this incident was actually the termination of the "experiment of seeking knowledge"...

After all, after this "experiment of seeking knowledge" was terminated, countless poor souls would have been spared their lives and wouldn't one day end up on the operating table of "Noah Medicine" because of a false advertisement.

It can be considered doing a good deed every day, and having a clear mind...

Ron thought to himself, and saw that Xia Zhi next to him seemed to have made another call to the command center. He wondered what she said, and her face quickly became excited.

She turned to look at Ron, and said excitedly:

"Ron, great news!"

She patted Ron on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up:
"It was worth writing so much about your heroic demeanor when I submitted the report... Your performance this time was truly outstanding. The higher-ups held an impromptu meeting and decided to commend you properly and promote you as an advanced officer of our D District General Inspection Bureau!"

"What kind of good thing is this?"

Ron, on the other hand, was somewhat annoyed: "I don't want to show my face in public..."

"No, no, no, the important thing is not showing your face in public!"

Xia Zhi shook her head and said seriously:
"What's the point of publicity? Taking a picture and giving a speech is all it takes. What's important is the tangible rewards!"

"If I'm not mistaken... when it comes to rewards for students from the three top universities like yours, the higher-ups will be very straightforward and direct—"

"The only reward for students is, of course, 'credits'... a large sum of credits that allows them to directly apply for computing access from one of the twelve sectors of the [Central Intelligence] and rely on it to construct formulas!"

"In other words... Ron, you haven't even started university yet, and you already have your [ability formula] sorted out!"

(End of this chapter)