The Skeleton King stood before Riko.
Without a sword.
Without caution.
His voice was filled with absolute confidence.
"Come, human… show me what you have."
Riko tightened his grip around his twin daggers and burst forward.
A swift strike, precise and lethal.
The king evaded it effortlessly.
"Come… show me your best."
Riko roared and swung with all his strength, aiming directly for the king's neck.
But—
It was dodged again.
The king laughed mockingly.
"Is that all you have, you filthy human?"
He lunged forward without warning.
Pressure crashed down on Riko. He barely avoided the attack.
'This monster… it's truly B-Rank.'
'Now I understand what the hunters meant.'
'The gap between C-Rank and B-Rank… is like heaven and earth.'
'And I… am only D-Rank.'
Another attack.
Another narrow dodge.
"Interesting," the king said with a grin.
"How can a mere D-Rank human evade a B-Rank's strikes?"
He slipped past the daggers smoothly and added,
"You're not ordinary."
His voice turned cold.
"But unfortunately… you're human."
Step after step, he retreated without taking a single hit.
"Humans are always treacherous."
"I never trusted your kind to begin with."
Strike— dodge.
Strike— dodge.
"You and the rest of humanity are nothing but trash."
A condescending smile spread across his skeletal face.
"Do you know how long it took me to learn your pathetic language?"
He paused.
"One day."
He laughed.
"While you require years."
Suddenly—
He stopped dodging.
His hand shot out and seized Riko's throat with crushing force.
Riko's feet lifted off the ground.
"This is your end, human," the king said calmly.
He leaned closer.
"But before you die… let me tell you something."
His grip tightened.
"I was born only ten days ago."
Riko's eyes widened.
"I have devoured many of your kind."
"That is why I grow stronger… and stronger."
"You are merely food."
"I consume you whenever I wish."
Riko's consciousness began to fade.
'Ten days… and already this massive and powerful?'
'That's… impossible.'
Then—
An idea flashed in his mind.
Ice formed over the king's hand gripping his throat.
The hold stiffened for a split second.
Riko seized the opportunity, slipped free, and fell back.
He staggered several steps, gasping for air.
The king shattered the ice with ease and flexed his freed hand.
His glowing eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Interesting… truly."
He smiled.
"I look forward to seeing more of your techniques, humans."
He stepped closer, indifferent.
"I'll tell you something."
"Since you're weak… you won't pose a threat even if you know."
He looked directly at him.
"Do you know what my technique is?"
Riko asked cautiously, "What is your technique?"
The king laughed.
"The reason for my rapid evolution… is my technique."
"It allows me to drain physical strength and bodily energy."
"I make another's physical power mine… as if I trained exactly as they did."
"No magic."
"No skills."
"Only raw physical strength."
"And it is extracted by killing humans… or devouring them alive."
A savage smile spread across his face.
"But I prefer eating them."
"It weakens the strength more efficiently."
"The name of my technique…"
"Body Extraction."
He approached slowly.
"This… is my great technique."
Then he asked,
"And you, human… what is your technique called?"
Riko met his gaze steadily.
"If I told you… you wouldn't believe me."
The king laughed dismissively.
"Either way, your magical trick will be weak."
"You're human."
His voice grew colder.
"All I need to do now… is kill you."
He stopped right before him.
"Come."
"Show me more, human."
Before the echo of his words faded—
Riko vanished.
He reappeared instantly in front of the king, his daggers gleaming with a dim, deadly light. His strike shot toward the king's chest with a speed that hadn't existed moments ago.
But—
The king shifted a single step.
The blade sliced only air.
"You've grown faster, human," he said with a slight smile.
Riko didn't respond.
His attacks rained down—rapid thrusts aimed at the neck, joints, heart.
The king avoided them with ease, as if watching a child train.
"Interesting… show me more."
Suddenly—
The king disappeared.
He reappeared directly in front of Riko.
One punch—
It slammed into Riko's abdomen.
The sound was muffled.
The impact was not.
Riko's body shot backward like a launched projectile, crashing into the stone wall and shattering part of it.
He coughed.
Blood spilled from his mouth as he collapsed.
Burning pain spread through his stomach. The wound bled slowly.
'This… isn't the same level. The gap is overwhelming.'
The king approached with slow steps.
"You are nothing but human trash."
Another step.
"Weak… miserable."
He raised his hand.
In an instant—
Riko's right arm was severed.
The dagger hit the ground with a sharp metallic clang.
Riko's scream echoed through the palace.
Blood gushed from his shoulder.
"This is the nature of humans," the king said coldly. "You cannot even endure losing an arm."
Again—
His left arm was cut off.
The second dagger fell.
Riko collapsed to his knees, trembling, blood pooling beneath him.
"I don't want to die!"
His voice broke.
"I don't want to die… another chance… please!"
The king stood over him.
"This is your end, weak human."
He stepped closer.
"You humans are nothing but insects waiting to be devoured."
He raised his hand to finish it.
"Die."
Riko's vision trembled.
'One more… chance…'
Suddenly—
A red window appeared before him.
[The player has approached death.]
Another window.
[Skill discovered: Adaptation]
[Skill: Allows the player, in life-threatening situations, to adapt to the opponent's strength.]
[Activates only upon approaching death.]
[Warning: Cannot be relied upon. Long cooldown.]
[Current battle duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.]
[Adaptation to opponent's pattern and strength complete.]
[Regenerating body parts…]
In an instant—
The bleeding stopped.
Flesh reformed.
Bones restored.
Both arms regenerated before the Skeleton King's eyes.
A crimson aura exploded from Riko's body.
The air within the palace trembled.
The king unconsciously stepped back half a step.
Then—
Riko vanished.
Silence.
The king's eyes widened.
"Where—"
A cold voice behind him.
"Looking for me?"
He turned.
Riko stood behind him.
Both arms intact.
Daggers in hand.
The crimson aura pulsed around him like a living heartbeat.
"It seems… I underestimated you," the king said, his tone slightly different now.
Riko lifted his gaze.
His eyes glowed with a terrifying red light.
"Yes. You did."
He stepped forward.
"But I want you to know something."
He stopped directly before him.
"My technique… allows me to steal techniques and souls and make them mine."
Silence.
Then—
The Skeleton King burst into loud ridicule.
"It seems that punch shattered your mind."
He stepped closer, still without his sword.
"No such technique exists."
His smile sharpened.
"If you're trying to frighten me… you've failed."
He spread his arms slightly.
"Come… attack me."
The crimson aura around Riko intensified.
His eyes no longer resembled those of a frightened human.
In an instant, he disappeared.
He reappeared before the king, daggers flashing at blinding speed.
Relentless, sharp, continuous strikes.
The king dodged—but unease began creeping into his face.
'Has this human evolved?'
Riko did not stop.
His attacks grew faster… heavier… more precise.
'This human is dangerous… I must kill him.'
Suddenly—
The king's left arm was severed.
He froze momentarily, staring at his fallen limb as bones scattered across the floor.
He stepped back, his voice no longer calm.
"You are dangerous… I must kill you."
He drew his massive sword.
A violet aura erupted around him.
"You should thank me… for killing you with this great blade."
He launched a terrifying chain of strikes.
The air tore apart with every swing.
Riko blocked with his daggers. Sparks flew. The ground cracked beneath them.
'Even after evolving… I can barely block him. He's truly powerful.'
He clenched his teeth.
'I must kill him now.'
The king was shaken.
'My weakest strike cannot even touch him? Is he truly human?'
'I toyed with him… that was a mistake.'
His strikes became fiercer.
Heavier.
More savage.
Riko stepped back—
And vanished in the next instant.
Behind him. Then to his side. Then in front—
A flurry of unseen strikes.
The king defended with difficulty.
'I can't see him…'
'I was a fool… why did I underestimate him?'
'Is his technique… adaptation?'
'My attacks are becoming weaker to him!'
Suddenly—
A deep stab pierced the king's abdomen.
His massive body was hurled backward, crashing into the palace wall hard enough to crack the stone.
He fell to one knee.
'This human… has become more dangerous…'
He tried to stand—
But Riko appeared before him instantly.
In that moment… the king understood.
He would die because of his arrogance.
Riko looked at him with cold red eyes.
"I want you to know something…"
He stepped closer.
"I will devour your soul… and your technique."
One clean slash.
The head separated from the body and fell with a heavy thud.
The system appeared before Riko.
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
A green window followed.
[You have advanced to C-Rank.]
Riko's breath halted briefly.
Another window.
[Reward: Upon reaching C-Rank, you are granted three uses of the Adaptation skill.]
[Usage Condition: Activates only after one hour or more of continuous battle.]
Then—
[Gate Clear Reward: Soul Elixir – Cures all diseases.]
[Quantity Obtained: 5]
"Store."
Riko retrieved one vial.
The liquid inside was dark crimson.
He tightened his grip around it and murmured softly,
"Wait for me, Mother."
Suddenly—
A window appeared above the king's corpse.
[You may now devour the target's soul and technique.]
Riko stared at the body.
His eyes glowed with a lethal crimson aura.
And the silence within the palace grew heavier than any battle.
End of Chapter (8)