Return Of The Strongest Player

Since time immemorial, beasts had inhabited Heaven's Spire along with many other planets. They were considered weaker in some planets, and dominated in others. However, one thing was for certain.

They were usually beings with low intelligence.

There was a certain terminology that only circulated within the tower, which referred to the power of beasts. Many planets did not have such classifications, and simply referred to stronger beasts as 'Guardian Beasts' or 'Deities'.

However, the Heaven's Spire classified them into ranks, which were usually dependent on the number of marks a beast possessed. A person gazing upon a beast could automatically sense the number of marks they had.

There was a variety of ranks a beast could be classified in.

[A/N: Refer to the auxiliary chapter.]

*

"Finally," Arthur muttered, finishing off the two Eagles that had 27 beast marks each. Although they were on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of Infant Beasts, their power–when combined–could rattle even the strongest newbies.

Arthur's breathing was erratic, and coupled with the few shallow cuts on his body, his condition had deteriorated. His plan was to conserve energy for the second tier of the second trial, but it seemed doing so would be difficult.

Thankfully, all newbies would suffer such wounds.

Unless one could interfere with the tower's system, it was practically impossible to defeat beasts designed specifically for one's power level and emerging unscathed. Doing so would be a miracle.

It would mean one had immaculate control over their power, to the point where the beasts simply couldn't lay their claws, paws, or hands on the newbie.

Once the eagles disintegrated into nothingness, a terrifying aura arose. It was one aura… a single beast. However, as soon as its appearance was confirmed, shivers shot down Arthur's spine.

He wasn't rattled easily, yet as he gazed at his foe's appearance and sensed its dormant power, he couldn't help but be stunned. He wasn't certain whether to be impressed or anxious due to his own power.

It was an ogre.

His skin was crimson, camouflaging with the tint of the atmosphere and the soil that originated from the abstract world. His muscles bulged from under his skin, and his body contained hundreds of visible veins.

With a lower garment crafted using straw and a wooden club, the ogre was not loaded with anything else. However, weaponry and clothing wasn't a dictating aspect of one's power. Gazing into its eyes, Arthur felt chills.

Its corrupted, skewed smile was horrifying. The ogre, letting out subtle, deranged laughter, approached the crimson-eyed man with heavy footsteps. His feet left indents in the soil beneath, creating tremors.

Although the ogre was only a few inches taller than Arthur, his presence seemed much more clear. It was overwhelming and disorganized, rather than the calm and collected presence of Arthur.

"Kekekeke."

Its laughter reverberated across the area. Arthur's surroundings, which were previously silent, were riddled by the unpleasant sounds of the ogre's amusement. The crimson-eyed man didn't reveal any significant reaction.

In fact, he didn't take a single step, allowing the ogre to take one step closer at a time.

His thought process was unknown. 

The ogre, realizing Arthur wasn't reacting, let out a mighty snort. Mana condensed in his calves before the ogre shot forward towards Arthur, preparing to swing his wooden club when within proximity.

However, before he could do so, Arthur disappeared.

'Huh?'

The ogre, confused by Arthur's disappearance, looked around for any trace of the crimson-eyed man. Yet, there was none. Halting his advance, the ogre hesitantly turned around, only to witness Skofnung approaching his eyes at terrifying speeds.

Letting out a groan, the ogre pushed himself to the side.

Skofnung missed his eyes by a hair's breadth. But Arthur wasn't one to relent. He planted his feet on the ground, twisting his heel before shooting towards the ogre. Using Mana Infusion, he maintained Skofnung's durability and sharpness.

[Judgment Regeneration] was on standby.

[Heavenly Sin Manipulation] was practically unusable, as Arthur had nowhere enough mana to shift a person's Sin Toll by even a percentage. It would be long before he could even utilize its basic functions.

Had it not been for Mason's foreign mana, Arthur would have never been able to escape Ms. Gomez's clutches.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The ogre and Arthur exchanged blows. Each collision caused tremors to run across the ground beneath. The ogre had around 41 beast marks, but its power was much more potent than the two Eagles combined.

Its movements were much quicker, coupled with a higher intelligence and reasoning. 

Instead of the Eagles, who only relied on instinct, the ogre chose the best method to counter all of Arthur's moves.

He kept Arthur on his heels at all times, forcing him out of his comfort zone during battle. His concentration was focused towards the ogre and towards planning his next move, reducing the efficiency of the latter.

Arthur leapt to the side, allowing the ogre's club to collide with the ground beneath. The ground shook, disturbing the crimson-eyed man's balance slightly. Taking advantage of the slight disbalance, the ogre clenched his teeth, releasing a tremendous amount of necromantic aura.

When the aura of death collided with a living being, the latter suffered the consequences.

Arthur's mind shook, and his concentration was disturbed. The aura of death shook his insides, and he wished the corpses of the wolves had remained instead of disintegrating. Using their teeth, the crimson-eyed man could have prevented such an outcome.

'Fuck,' thought Arthur, as his body flew backwards like a ragdoll. Once he collided with the ground, the crimson-eyed man caressed his ribs, noticing that a few of his bones had shattered because of the ogre.

Immediately, he activated [Judgment Regeneration], preventing internal bleeding and regulating his heart rate. Although the intense pain remained, and his bones hadn't been recovered, he could still move.

'I can prevent the injury from getting any worse, so I just need to deal with the pain…' Arthur thought, groaning as his eyes rolled back. He lifted his hand from his ribs, directing a glare at the ogre, who laughed uncontrollably.

It was a pity that the meat of Necromantic Beasts couldn't be consumed.