Chapter 189: I’m Just an Ordinary Guy

The Doctor and Slayer Demon’s faces twisted as they took in the scene before them. Neither of them could stomach what was happening. For the Doctor, especially, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Sure, this mess was caused by that nameless kid, but his own carelessness had played a part too. He’d exposed the entrance to their hidden passage.

Looking at the thousands of Nether-rank aberrations now compressed into a single mass by Shi Ji’s power, the Doctor felt a pang of regret. He’d waited so long for the day when aberrations could finally stand against humanity. But now, only a handful of them were left. Just minutes ago, they were riding high, ready to wage a war against the humans. And now, in mere minutes, their entire army had been obliterated.

Glaring at Shi Ji with bloodshot eyes, the Doctor clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles went white.

‘It’s all because of you. You, you, YOU!’

“Everyone, attack! Kill him!!!” he bellowed.

The remaining four Spirit-rank aberrations transformed immediately, shedding their simplistic disguises. Gone were the cartoonish appearances, replaced by monstrous, towering forms with hideous faces and razor-sharp claws and fangs.

Unlike the two Spirit-rank aberrations from before, these four had all reached the peak of their rank. They were on par with someone like Gesila. These were no small threats.

For an ordinary person, these creatures were nothing short of apocalyptic weapons.

What does it mean to be ordinary? 

Everyone defines it differently. 

For Shi Ji, though, an ordinary person was simply someone weaker than him. And who was weaker than him? Well, as far as he was concerned—pretty much everyone.

As the four peak Spirit-rank aberrations lunged toward him, Shi Ji felt nothing. He just gripped his spear, then charged straight at them.

Each of the aberrations stood over five meters tall, and two of them even towered at over ten meters. Next to them, Shi Ji looked laughably small.

The aberrations attacked. Shi Ji met them head-on. In a flash, they clashed.

Leading the charge was the demon ape aberration. It didn’t have claws or fangs of steel, but those massive fists were hard to miss. It specialized in raw power, crushing its enemies with its heavy punches.

As it squared up with Shi Ji, it sent a massive fist crashing down toward him.

“Die, you little pest!”

Shi Ji just smirked. He tossed his spear, and it scattered into glimmering sparks, disappearing in an instant.

The ape’s huge fist came barreling down. It was so large, it nearly matched Shi Ji’s entire height. If he took it head-on, any ordinary person would—

But Shi Ji wasn’t ordinary.

As the punch bore down on him, he didn’t flinch. He just gave a small, confident grin. Shi Ji clenched his own fist and threw a punch of his own. 

What!? He was actually countering it!

“Sorry, but you’re not the only one who knows how to punch. I’m pretty good at it myself.”

With that taunting remark, Shi Ji’s fist shot forward, meeting the ape’s punch with ease.

A massive fist versus a smaller one. The two collided, fist to fist.

Boom!

The impact echoed. In that instant, the demon ape aberration felt an intense pressure in its fist.

“This kid… What?!”

The ape’s eyes widened, and before it could say much more, its massive body flew backward as if it were nothing but a small stone.

Shi Ji wasn’t about to let up. He dashed at the ape as it hurtled through the air.

“No need to look so surprised. That was just a warm-up. Here’s a tip, never underestimate your opponents. You four idiots really thought you could take me on? You’ve got some nerve.”

Shi Ji moved fast, catching up to the airborne ape in no time. He raised his fist, ready to strike.

“Die!!!”

A sudden shout came from behind him.

The smallest aberration rushed in to help. He appeared right behind Shi Ji in a flash. Its speed alone was impressive. As Shi Ji went to strike the ape, the smaller aberration also launched an attack, swinging its iron fist toward Shi Ji. It was even faster than the demon ape.

Shi Ji heard the voice. He felt the wind of the punch from behind. It was a strong punch, no doubt about it. But still…

“But you’re messing with the wrong guy!”

Shi Ji sneered, and just as he said it, he shifted his own punch mid-swing. With a quick twist, his fist redirected toward the aberration behind him.

Boom!!!

A powerful force swept across the plaza, stirring up clouds of dust and debris. The ground shook under the intense energy. It felt like the entire underground plaza might collapse at any moment.

Dust filled the air, hiding everything from view—until suddenly…

Boom!!!

Another thunderous impact, just as powerful as before. The tremors began anew. The force of the blow scattered the dust cloud, blowing away more than just the grit in the air. It scattered their last bit of confidence too.

As the dust settled, the Doctor, Slayer Demon, and the others looked on in shock. Shi Ji was walking toward them. He looked completely at ease. Not far behind him lay two mangled, bloodied bodies.

The fight hadn’t lasted long. The two Spirit-rank aberrations were already down, and the worst part was that the others hadn’t even had a chance to intervene.

The Doctor and Slayer Demon exchanged glances. They were going to have to rethink everything they thought they knew about this guy’s power.

“He took down two Spirit-rank fighters just like that. Could he be one of the strongest S-rank heroes?” one of the remaining aberrations muttered.

The Doctor stared at Shi Ji, shaking his head almost involuntarily.

“No, not S-rank. This is the rare strength of an X-rank.”

Both remaining Spirit-rank aberrations froze, their expressions darkening.

“W-what? Doctor, didn’t you say there were no X-rank heroes? How could…”

The Doctor was silent, realizing how badly he’d miscalculated. He’d been so sure of what he thought he knew, but reality was proving him wrong in the worst way possible.

“This is all my fault. I underestimated the Star Alliance. I never thought they’d have a backup plan–” the Doctor said, barely finishing before someone interrupted him.

There was only one person here who would do that—Shi Ji.

“You’re right, you did assume too much. But actually, I’m not some hero like you all think. I’m just an ordinary guy. Now, why don’t you tell me why you attacked me back there?”

Even now, Shi Ji hadn’t forgotten about the Doctor’s random attack from earlier.

The Doctor ignored him, instead glancing at the two remaining Spirit-rank aberrations standing nearby.

“Stay alert! We’ll take him together!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth…

Boom!

Boom!

Two explosive impacts. In seconds, the two aberrations collapsed into lifeless heaps on the ground.

Shi Ji retracted his fist and turned back to the Doctor.

“This is between you and me. They’d better stay out of it.”