Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Mark exited the dome of flames and entered the battlefield once more.

The number of Insect Monsters, of Fiery's Offspring, was slowly dwindling.

But so was the number of enemies.

Light rushed towards a Corrupted Dark Elf.

Before he could reach it, Gray, who remained behind, opened his mouth wide.

Wind Blast.

BOOM-

The area where the enemy had been standing was decimated, but that enemy had leaped into the air, successfully dodging.

The Corrupted Dark Elf reached for the quiver on its back.

Light's momentum hadn't decreased at all.

He jumped up.

An arrow was shot, and Light's body turned into a dark fog.

The Corrupted Dark Elf's hand that was holding its bow twitched.

The fog approached rapidly, uninhibited by gravity.

The Corrupted Dark Elf let go of its bow, but before it could unsheath its Daggers, the dark fog turned into a ferocious beast.

Sharp fangs pierced its left shoulder, before turning once more into fog.

The attack wasn't a powerful one.

After all, Light's fangs lacked what they needed most.

The element of surprise.

Blind Spot Killer.

A [B] Ranked Skill that could increase the inflicted damage by 300%.

But Light's goal wasn't to deal damage.

The Demonic Dark Wolf had attacked an airborne enemy.

Its left shoulder.

Light had successfully set the enemy into motion.

And as the Corrupted Dark Elf's body was forced to rotate in the air,

ROAR-

And with that powerful roar, a mighty gust of wind was shot by Gray.

A second later, the Corrupted Dark Elf's body hit the ground.

Multiple ribs had been crushed.

Meanwhile, Mark's legs were moving at full speed as he dodged multiple arrows and daggers at a time.

'This Skill makes fighting simple... Instinctive...'

He bent his body backwards, and an arrow passed by.

'Natural.'

A volley of arrows were shot, forcing Mark to jump back.

'I need to focus and keep it under control but...'

He raised his arms.

'How do I do that?'

Immediately, a dozen spikes made of bones, previously lodged in the ground, split before flying towards the Corrupted Dark Elves with great speed.

'My mind can barely...'

He ran forward.

'Keep up with my body.'

Mark clenched his fists.

'Fighting becomes...'

Dodge to the left.

'Like turning pages...'

Tail Flick.

'Absent-mindedly...'

Punch.

'Then should I just let my instincts...? Why should I even fight it? Fighting is done with the body anyways, so why-'

Mark raised his leg and hit the floor.

'Can't let my mind wander.'

He took a deep breath in.

'I can't sit back and rely on my instincts...'

Even though every minute, every second, had been spent honing those instincts inside the Dungeon.

'That would be the opposite of focusing. I'll be swallowed again if I do that. Then...'

A volley of arrows was shot.

Before Mark could move, his shield positioned itself in front of him.

'That's it. That's exactly it!'

He stared at Levi's back.

'Previously, he attacked the enemies at the back. Those who couldn't see him. He ignored those in front of him...'

The crystals that covered his Guard's body grew in size.

'I thought I had to act a bit more like him. To think more... Long-term? When fighting. And that's true. Except...'

The numerous arrows hit the tough crystals, barely making a dent, before bouncing back.

'Not now. Not here. Not...'

Mark had completely stopped moving.

'When using this Skill.'

He relied on his Guard and his Guard alone to shield him from the aggressors.

'I can't focus on the enemies far from me. I can't attempt to think strategically, otherwise, I'll lose control. I need to focus solely on the enemies in front of me. No...'

Mark raised his foot slightly, before slamming it on the ground.

'I need to bring my focus even closer than that...'

The look in his eyes changed.

'I need to... Consciously...'

Mark shifted his center of gravity forward.

'Focus... On every move... On every muscle... Don't think about running. But rather...'

His left foot moved.

'About every individual step.'

The next second, Mark's body seemed to disappear.

'My entire focus...'

Cracks were made on the ground every time his feet touched the ground.

'On every action.'

'The opposite of instinctively... Of passively...'

Mark's fists moved, and skulls were split.

'Turn every move... Every act...'

His tail moved, and ribs were crushed.

'Into a conscious one...'

In a handful of seconds, a dozen Corrupted Dark Elves were defeated.

And the Fire Spirit seemed pleased.

"Good. Pretty good. It's different. Lacks the edge, brutality, and... Savagery. But this is good too...' He commented from above.

Mark's left foot traced a half circle.

He extended his right arm.

And Mark was conscious of his muscles' every contraction.

Every stretch.

A Corrupted Dark Elf Warrior threw a punch.

And Mark's eyes seemed to see clearer than ever.

He felt as if his "Superior Kinetic Vision" Skill had evolved, even though there was no message from the System confirming that.

Before Mark could counter-attack,

Pant-

He jumped back twice and Levi positioned himself in front.

"My Lord?"

'Shit... This is... It's tiring... How come? My Endurance should still be...'

Indeed, his Endurance Points were still at a relatively high level thanks to the increase induced by the Berserker Skill.

'No. It's not my Endurance... My head... Dizzy...'

Between heavy breaths, chuckles exited Mark's mouth.

Only then did Mark notice.

'I haven't... Been breathing...'

By making every action a conscious one, the most basic instinct was neglected.

'I can feel it. Using this for too long... Is tough mentally...'

The beginnings of a headache could be felt.

A smile was on his face despite his heavy breathing.

'This adds... So much to my arsenal.'

Mark took a couple more seconds to recover while Levi protected him.

'Not so many left...'

He looked to his left, and found a good distance away, the Underling he was looking for.

'Fiery.'

The Underling had previously been told what to do when called out.

The FireAnt-Spider Queen Mutant curled its body.

For the first time, Fiery used a Skill she had obtained long ago.

A body part she had obtained long ago.

By this point, less than two dozen enemies remained.

The Aura around Mark became fiercer.

'Let's make this...'

His feet cracked the ground.

'The final stretch.'

As something was suddenly cast, shadows covered the Corrupted Dark Elves group in front of Mark and Levi.