Grandmaster Kraul and Grandmaster Oram stood entirely frozen... their eyes locked onto the shimmering green scales of the Nemesis Hydra. The silent chamber was thick with the suffocating... scorching heat of the beast’s majestic aura.
The oppressive weight of the draconic pressure seemed to lower the room’s ambient temperature... making their very spirits tremble. It was a deific force of biological discord that offended the natural order of Nergal.
But the two powerhouses were not satisfied with merely observing the creature’s passive majesty from a safe distance. Their scientific curiosity and martial instincts demanded a practical demonstration of the hydra’s actual combat capabilities.
The grandmasters slowly circulated their own analytical mana probes through the air... seeking to scan the creature’s underlying muscle density. They wanted to dissect the biological variables that allowed such a small frame to harbour so much power.
Kraul turned towards the doorway and called for his personal disciple... Torin... to enter the fortified chamber immediately. Oram did the same... gesturing for his pretty... freckled disciple... Ran... to step forward from the corridor.
The two disciples entered the room with cautious steps... their gazes instantly locked onto Kale’s towering frame. They were both highly talented in their own rights... yet they were fundamentally non-combatants compared to Kale.
Naturally... they could not fight with bare hands like the anomaly that Kale had become. One was a dedicated toolcrafter... while the other was a pillcrafter... their hands designed for precision rather than brute violence.
To remedy this... Grandmaster Kraul reached into his spatial storage and retrieved a massive... obsidian-coloured artefact hammer. The heavy weapon hummed with a devastating... kinetic energy that seemed to rattle the very stone floor.
"Take this... Torin..." Kraul commanded... handing the powerful kinetic weapon to his trembling disciple. "Use the hammer’s vibration arrays to defend yourself and test the physical limits of Kale’s beast... do not hold back."
The young toolcrafter gripped the cold handle... his knuckles turning white as the artefact’s energy flowed into his pathways. He took a heavy... grounded stance... the tip of the hammer sparking with high-density mana.
Simultaneously... Grandmaster Oram retrieved a glowing... crimson pill from a glass vial and handed it directly to Ran. Beside the medicine... he placed a beautifully curved... silver blade that shimmered with a sharp wind element.
"Consuming this pill will grant you a temporary... immense boost in your baseline strength and physical speed..." Oram explained softly. "The side effects are minimal... allowing you to experience the sensory pathways of a peak awakened combatant."
Ran swallowed the bitter pill without a single moment of hesitation... her eyes instantly flashing with a sharp... crimson light. She drew the curved blade... the wind mana wrapping around the steel in a high-frequency whistle.
Kale observed their rapid preparation with a cold... calculating look... his analytical mind mapping their energy fluctuations. It was obvious that the Grandmasters also trained their auxiliary disciples in high-level physical combat.
In the brutal world of Nergal... it was never a good idea to remain completely defenceless... regardless of one’s profession. Strength was still the most necessary component for survival... a lesson written in the ashes of Dagan.
Even the most peaceful pillcrafters and toolcrafters needed the capacity to defend their research against predators. To rely entirely on others for protection was a biological inefficiency that Kale thoroughly despised.
Kale initially assumed the two pampered disciples would fight like pure... unrefined amateurs with no practical experience. But to his shock... Torin and Ran suddenly displayed a combat prowess close to peak Apprentice rank.
They moved in a perfectly synchronised pincer formation... their steps light and incredibly precise as they closed the distance. Torin swung the kinetic hammer in a wide arc... while Ran blurred forward with her curved blade.
The heavy hammer whistled through the air... creating a visible warp in the local gravity as it targeted Neo’s flank. Simultaneously... Ran executed a series of rapid... fluid slashes that sought to sever the hydra’s wings.
Of course... their coordinated and seemingly deadly attacks were not so threatening to the Nemesis Hydra. Neo was merely playing with them... leisurely dodging every single strike with a fluid... predatory grace that looked effortless.
The Hydra’s three heads arched in a display of unbridled draconic arrogance... its golden eyes tracking their clumsy pivots. It pivoted on its four limbs... its green wings providing instant bursts of aerial mobility.
Torin’s kinetic hammer struck nothing but empty air... the impact generating a loud thud that shook the stone walls. Ran’s curved wind blade followed... but Neo tilted its neck... letting the sharp gust pass harmlessly.
The tedious dance of evasion eventually began to bore the young hydra... its six golden eyes narrowing in annoyance. Neo decided to end the mock battle... refusing to waste any more of its majestic energy on cattle.
The beast let out a single... violent burst of its dense beast force... the green and orange energy rippling outward. At the same moment... all three of its draconic maws unleashed a resonant... threatening growl.
The psychic weight of the Roar of the Monarch slammed into their minds... a concentrated shockwave that shattered their mental focus. The sheer physical pressure of the beast force turned the surrounding air into a suffocating vacuum.
The kinetic impact instantly forced the two disciples back... their weapons clattering onto the marble floor. They tumbled across the room... their faces pale with a primal terror that made their legs buckle.
Torin and Ran slowly picked themselves up from the dusty floor... their eyes wide as they stared back at the tiny monster. A mixture of absolute awe... shock... and a competitive spark danced in their trembling pupils.
Even the two powerful Grandmasters felt their spirits ripple under the unexpected weight of the hydra’s draconic pressure. They stared at the palm-sized creature... unable to reconcile the sheer depth of its hidden potential.
Neo arrogantly flapped its green wings... gliding through the air with a slow grace before landing back onto Kale’s shoulder. It let out a soft... satisfied huff... its three heads rubbing against his green hair.
Lazek Oberon stood nearby with a highly smug... prideful look... his pale face twisting into a rare... genuine grin. He took a sip of his tea... enjoying the catatonic shock of his senior brothers immensely.
The mouths of Oram and Kraul twitched violently at the sight of the Fleshcrafter’s insufferable... mocking pride. They felt a sudden... deep wave of regret washing over their minds in the quiet of the chamber.
They deeply regretted that they had not fought harder to recruit Kale back during the primary entrance exam. The boy was an anomaly of limitless creation... a miracle that they had allowed their junior brother to monopolise.
The two dejected Grandmasters shook their heads... their faces carrying the heavy weight of scientific defeat as they called their shivering disciples. They left the fortified work chamber in silence... their pride utterly crushed.
Once the door clicked shut... Lazek’s smug grin instantly vanished... replaced by his usual expression of terminal boredom. He turned his cold... black eyes toward Kale... his gaze carrying a sharp... clinical intensity.
"You did well... disciple..." Lazek murmured... walking over to a massive stone shelf filled with heavy research journals. "But your current rank is still far too low... You must advance to become a Master Artificer immediately."
"The capital’s political climate is shifting... and you require a higher status to access our most guarded resources..." Lazek added. "To achieve this... you must up your game across all three Artificer professions."
The Grandmaster slammed a mountain of thick... leather-bound books and experimental scrolls onto the stone desk. "Here are hundreds of extremely difficult... high-level experiments covering advanced Toolcraft... Pillcraft... and Fleshcrafting..."
The proposed research pathways outlined in these scrolls were incredibly dense... requiring deep knowledge of cellular splicing and high-frequency stabilising arrays. It was an overwhelming workload designed to push Kale to his absolute limits.
"You have exactly one week to complete every single one of these tasks and record the data..." Lazek ordered. "Do not sleep... do not rest... I expect the finalised results on my desk by next Monday."
Kale stared at the massive pile of parchment... his eyebrows twitching in sheer annoyance at his master’s demanding nature. He let out a low... tired sigh... cursing his terribly shitty luck in his mind.
The Cursed Tamer gathered the heavy books into his spatial storage... his expression returning to its usual stoic mask. He left the fifth floor... heading straight toward the grand structure of the Association’s main tower.
The vast hall of the main tower was filled with the distinct... pleasant scent of dried medicinal herbs... processed mana ores... and refined chemical sealants. It was a world built entirely on the logic of creation.
He navigated the busy corridors... his destination being the legendary Main Library of the Association. Previously... as a mere Apprentice... Kale had been strictly barred from entering this sacred reservoir of high-level knowledge.
But now... with his newly gained Master status and the backing of his Grandmaster mentor... the restriction was lifted. He showed his obsidian token to the ancient gatekeepers... who stepped aside with respectful... silent bows.
Kale stepped inside... his green eyes shimmering with a sudden... hungry light as he beheld the endless... soaring shelves of ancient knowledge. The rich smell of old ink and ancient paper filled his senses... and the highly determined Genetic Engineer prepared to systematically devour it all with his sheer... limitless scientific greed.
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