Transmigrated with my corruption system-Chapter 62: Evolution [III]

Hearing the young lord’s laughter, chills raced down Graegor’s spine as he drew in a sharp, cold breath. This was just beyond him.

He exhaled, giving up entirely on trying to figure out the young lord. Everything about him was just beyond him.

He could see now why Greyson sent him to protect the young lord. He was too great of an asset for him to risk any harm coming toward him.

And beyond that, with everything he had seen, he could confidently say, the future of House Greyson lay within the young lord. But now, looking back, a wry smile trailed across his lips.

He doubted the young lord had ever needed protection. If anything, he felt pity for anyone who dared attack him while he was in the middle of his breakthrough.

He had a feeling the young lord would welcome them willingly as a sparring partner. Sighing softly, his head shook slightly, still reeling from the monstrosity.

Slowly coming to terms with everything he saw, he walked from behind the huge rock. Not that it had done anything to mask his presence, as he prepared to walk forward and congratulate the young lord about his breakthrough.

But before he could, his figure suddenly froze in motion. His eyes widened inadvertently as he gulped audibly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He could see it!

The young lord had lowered his head, a familiar grin settling back. One all too familiar, as he had seen him flash it right before the previous two advancements.

The realization struck an absurd thought deep inside him. He wasn’t about to advance again, right? He couldn’t! That was impossible, he yelled inwardly, before his thought process halted at the word.

Impossible.

What was that anymore? He had seen that concept shattered multiple times today. What was one more time?

Bracing himself for another wave of darkness, he almost spat a mouthful of blood watching as massive reserves of golden energy emerged, before flowing serenely to the youth at the center of it all.

Regaining his composure, Ulric pulled up the system interface, before his eyes narrowed on a notification that had blinked to him ever since he had killed the Sanguine Blood Moon Wolf.

[Ding! You have leveled up.]

[Level 25: 50,000 / 50,000]

[Ding! Congratulations, you have ascended to peak F-rank and meet all conditions for advancement. Do you wish to evolve?]

For countless hours, he had resisted the urge to press yes and be done with it. Ever since he tasted the first morsel of power, he had quickly grown addicted.

But now... now there was nothing holding him back. Releasing all his pent-up frustrations, he finally muttered,

"Yes."

Barely a moment after the words slipped from his lips, he felt the streams of golden energy seep into his body as a mystical change unfolded deep within.

It was as if shackles he never knew he had were slowly lifted as the limit of the power his body could wield was slowly being redefined.

The sensation was oddly soothing, washing over him in a refreshing current. Multiple cracks echoed across his body as he felt relieved.

A surprised glint flashed across his eyes. He had almost expected his body to strain slightly, but he just felt full... like he was always meant to wield this power. He could feel control flowing back into his body.

He didn’t have to worry about fracturing the ground with every step. It was almost like his older self from a few hours ago... just unbelievably stronger.

But even with all that, some desires were insatiable. With the additional power thrumming deep inside him, his body grew restless, craving release.

Snapping out of his stupor, Graegor breathed heavily, watching the golden energy recede as time slowly slipped by.

When it finally vanished, his eyes blinked rapidly, a gasp slipping past his lips.

"Huh?"

He could have sworn he was looking at where the young lord stood a few moments ago.

One moment he was just standing there, and the next, he was gone. Where did he go?

His answer was given instantly.

From behind him, an overwhelming pressure oozed out in a crushing display as it froze him in place.

Stilling his trembling knees, he forcefully turned his body, almost stumbling back as he saw the young lord’s figure.

He was right before him? How had he gotten there in the first place? That didn’t matter as he stared into the youth’s crimson eyes.

He could tell he wasn’t purposely radiating his aura. This was just the force of his presence. How strong had he gotten to force him into this situation? The thought couldn’t help but make him tremble slightly.

If this was just the force of his presence, what about his aura? Wouldn’t he suddenly die if he unleashed it?

The thought did nothing to ease him as another film of sweat covered his face.

Before he could delve deeper into his worries, Ulric’s voice echoed into his ears.

"Graegor, right?" Ulric muttered, casting the figure with his basic appraisal.

"Eeee!" The young lord knew his name? Graegor breathed heavily as he nodded to his earlier words.

The young lord’s methods truly were beyond him. Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts,

his eyes suddenly narrowed, understanding the situation he was in as he hurriedly sputtered,

"Your lord father sent me here to protect you while you advanced. I did not mean to spy on you. Please... f-forgive me, young lord..."

A person’s breakthroughs were considered sacred, given it was a moment where most people were at their weakest. But that logic didn’t seem to apply to the youth before him.

"No need," Ulric breathed while flashing his hand in a dismissive gesture, understanding the figure’s concerns. What he had just seen was the tip. Besides, he commanded the shadows, not lived in them.

His power would soon be apparent to the world. This was just a measure of defense if something had gone wrong.

But that was not the point. Reverting his attention to Graegor, he breathed,

"Attack me!"

"Huh?" Graegor muttered, suddenly taken off guard.

"You heard me," Ulric growled. Combat was the only measure of how great one’s power was. And now, with the massive leap he had just taken, he was practically dying to know.

"Uh... no..." Graegor stammered, beads of sweat dripping down his face.

"You defy me?" Ulric muttered, a surprised glint flashing across his eyes.

"No... no..." Graegor hurriedly muttered. And as much as he hated it, the truth was clear as day. With the power Ulric had displayed, he doubted he could survive a single blow from him, relaying his concerns.

Ulric’s brows eased as he smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry. I won’t retaliate."

Hearing the words of affirmation, Graegor let out a sigh of relief. Before his eyes slightly narrowed.

Ever since he had seen the young lord’s near-perfect physique, one question had been burning at the back of his mind. Was it as unyielding as it looked, or just carved for charm?

Now, with the young lord’s permission, he could finally acquire the answer to that.

Clenching his fingers into fists, he drew in a sharp breath, summoning all his strength.

Then, with refined experience, his arm shot forward, striking his lower torso with all the might he could conjure. Given there were no vital organs there, with the glint in the youth’s eyes, he figured he didn’t want him to hold back.

A moment of silence passed before a sharp crack echoed, followed by a muffled shriek.

Taking a step back, Graegor looked down at his supposedly broken arm, and the figure before him almost as if he were looking at a monster.

The force he had unleashed ought to have killed a regular peak E-rank being, or at least injure them gravely.

Yet the youth stood relatively unharmed. The moment his hand struck his torso, It was like striking the hardest metal fused with human flesh. With the excessive force rattling back at his arm.

Looking at Graegor’s pained face and his uninjured lower torso, Ulric’s brows furrowed slightly. Strange... he didn’t feel anything. He had expected at least a bit of discomfort, but there was nothing.

Only his mending robe spoke proof he had just endured a fully charged blow from a peak E-rank being.

"You are a warrior, right?" Ulric muttered, causing Graegor’s face to drop in shame as he muttered,

"Y-yes."

Shock couldn’t sum up the feelings raging deep inside him, but all were overwhelmed by shame seeing the look the young lord cast at him, as if he were looking at a weakling.

"You have a weapon?" he pried further.

Causing Graegor to nod slightly.

Understanding his intent, he retrieved a massive mace from his storage pouch, before gripping it tightly in his arms.

Ignoring the pain, he charged forward, smashing the mace madly on the figure before him.

If another person were present, it wouldn’t be out of the question they would think he was trying to kill the young lord.

But a closer look revealed a more shocking realization. No marks were left behind by the mace’s savage strikes.

"It’s of no use," Ulric breathed, holding out his hand, stopping the mace’s charge effortlessly.

Graegor stumbled back, the shame morphing into embarrassment. He could almost have sworn he saw a tinge of disappointment in the young lord’s eyes.

But that didn’t matter now as Ulric’s voice echoed,

"It seems only D-ranked beings can challenge me now."

Holding his hands behind his back, he looked into the endless horizon before a slow smile carved across his face.

It was only a little while now before he made his way back into the Greyson residence.

A new being.