Chapter 188: Disdain

The scene before him was shocking, but no one was more stunned than the Doctor. Not long ago, this very kid had taken a direct hit from his powerful attack. He’d assumed the boy would have been obliterated, and yet here he stood, without a scratch.

The Doctor berated himself for underestimating him.

No one here truly understood what had happened. The idea that a mere youngster could wipe out so many aberrations—if they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, they never would have believed it.

Meanwhile, the Spirit-rank aberration that had opened the door just moments ago underwent a sudden transformation. Its simple, cartoonish appearance darkened, covered now in scales. Its limbs elongated. Its claws grew sharper. Its height shot up by five or six meters. In mere seconds, it had become towering and menacing.

Now its true form was clear—a giant crocodile-like aberration that had started evolving toward a humanoid shape, capable of standing on two legs.

The crocodile aberration finished transforming and swung a massive claw toward Shi Ji.

Shi Ji rolled his eyes, exasperated. 

Why were there so many irrational types—aberrations, in this case—these days?

“Unbelievable. You guys attacked me first, and now you’re acting like it’s my fault.”

As he spoke, a sleek, silver spear appeared in his hand.

He raised the spear just as the crocodile’s claws came slashing down.

Clang!!!

The force behind the strike kicked up a wild gust, making it clear just how powerful the blow was.

But despite all that strength…

Everyone, including the Doctor, watched as Shi Ji stood there, barely moving. He simply raised his spear and blocked the attack like it was nothing.

“What?” 

The towering crocodile monster looked stunned.

Shi Ji glanced up with a smirk, “Did you think this was one of those anime scenes where I’d stand here, let you beat me up, then yell, ‘You’re done for!’ and take you down? You’ve got a long way to go.”

The crocodile monster was irritated by Shi Ji’s smug look. Spirit-rank was no joke, and having a human look down on him like this was infuriating. But he wasn’t dumb. Shi Ji had taken out thousands of monsters outside. Underestimating him now would be a bad move.

Without wasting time, he lunged forward as soon as he pulled his claw back.

“Silent Cyclone Slash!”

No sense in dragging it out—he went straight for his big move.

In a flash, his claws swung down in a rapid rhythm, way faster than before. The air filled with a fierce wind, swirling around and sending small objects flying all over the room.

In addition to the power of each strike, the crocodile aberration unleashed glowing energy blades with every swing, using a unique ability that only aberrations had.

The move looked incredibly flashy, but…

Clang! Clang! Clang!

There it was again—that familiar clanging sound, echoing with each clash.

The crocodile aberration quickly noticed a problem. No matter how fierce his attacks were, this kid kept blocking every single one. 

And that smug look on the kid’s face? It was driving him crazy.

‘Why isn’t this human panicking? He should be struggling to handle this move. It was supposed to be a finishing blow!’

In his mind, he’d imagined this flurry of attacks would completely overwhelm Shi Ji, slicing him into pieces to seal the deal. But that was just a fantasy. The harsh reality was quite different. For a moment, doubt crept into the aberration’s mind.

He shook it off, snapping back to attention.

“You little pest! Just die already!!!”

With a furious roar, he picked up the pace. If before you could at least see faint streaks from his strikes, now they were too fast to even track.

Side slashes, vertical chops, and upward cuts. All these moves came in rapid succession, each one blurring into the next.

But even as the barrage intensified, Shi Ji stood his ground, spinning his spear with lightning speed. As the aberration sped up, so did he.

The scene before them was chaotic. Phantom light blades flashed everywhere, missing Shi Ji but scattering to hit the walls. The entire conference room was now a wreck, scarred and battered.

“Argh!!!”

After failing to land a hit, the crocodile aberration was on the verge of losing it. 

‘What on earth is going on here?’

He was starting to question his strength.

With a furious roar, he gathered all his strength and swung his massive claw down at Shi Ji with everything he had.

Boom!!!

The ground shook violently. Debris flew everywhere. The sheer force left a huge crater in the floor, and the walls around them cracked under the impact as if one more hit would bring the whole place crashing down.

The room was now filled with dust and smoke, obscuring everything. There was no way to tell what had just happened. The only certain thing was that the relentless barrage of attacks had finally stopped.

“Did he get him?” another aberration muttered, eyeing the scene uncertainly.

The crocodile aberration thought he succeeded. A hint of a smile began to form, but then his face froze. His whole body locked up, and he felt his strength drain away. And then… darkness swallowed him as his vision faded.

The fight’s sudden pause didn’t guarantee anything. Now, all that was left was to wait and see.

Amidst the dust and smoke, a massive figure slowly came into view. The crocodile aberration was still standing there, frozen in place. But both the Doctor and Slayer Demon knew the outcome.

The battle was over.

The Doctor closed his eyes slowly, regretting his carelessness. He underestimated Shi Ji and brought this formidable enemy right to their underground plaza. As a result, every Human to Nether Rank aberration he’d gathered in the Yinshuang region had been wiped out. And now, another Spirit-rank member had fallen.

He had underestimated humans. Beyond the known heroes, he hadn’t expected someone this powerful to exist.

“Hey! Look!” one of the other Spirit-rank aberrations shouted.

The Doctor’s eyes snapped open, and he looked up. The huge body that had been standing tall was now just a pile of meat on the ground. Shi Ji was still standing, completely unscathed.

Gritting his teeth, the Doctor’s frustration boiled over.

“Attack! All at once!”

Shi Ji didn’t even flinch. He hadn’t put any of this brute force on his radar. Still, as they began to close in, he decided he’d had enough. He stomped the ground, leaping out of the conference room and back into the open plaza.

Once there, he glanced back to see several towering figures leaping out after him, charging right at him.

“If you’re gonna attack me, at least have a reason. I hate it when people hit me for no good reason. Now you’re doing it again. What did I do to you?”

Shi Ji steadied his silver spear and, for the first time, charged straight at them.

From the swirling dust, a massive silhouette slowly emerged. The crocodile aberration was still standing there, frozen in the same stance. But both the Doctor and Slayer Demon knew the truth—this fight was over.

The Doctor closed his eyes, blaming his own carelessness. He had underestimated Shi Ji and brought him right into their underground plaza. As a result, every Human to Nether Rank aberration they’d gathered in the Silver Frost region was wiped out. And now, another Spirit Rank fighter had fallen.

He had underestimated humans, never imagining there was someone this powerful beyond the known heroes.

“Hey! Look!” one of the Spirit Rank aberrations shouted.

The Doctor snapped back to attention, looking up just in time to see what was left of the giant body—it had collapsed into a pile of meat on the ground. And Shi Ji? He was still standing tall.

Grinding his teeth, the Doctor’s rage bubbled over.

“All of you—attack! Now!”

Shi Ji didn’t even blink at the sudden command. To him, this brute force was barely worth noticing. But with the swarm moving in, he figured it was time to change things up. He stomped the ground and leaped out of the conference room, landing back in the spacious plaza.

From where he stood, he watched as several towering figures burst from the room, charging straight for him.

“If you’re gonna attack me, at least have a reason! I hate it when people come after me for no good reason. And here you go again—did I ask for this?”

Shi Ji tightened his grip on his silver spear, then, without hesitation, charged right at them.