Ascension Beyond Mortality

The café was chaos. Shattered glass crunched under fleeing footsteps, tables overturned, drinks spilled across the floor like blood from a wound.

The parasite's eyes locked onto Elior, its lips peeling into something that resembled a smile, though nothing about it was human.

With every step it took, the air seemed to grow heavier—charged with some kind of pressure that made it hard to breathe.

But Elior... he could move.

No—he could see.

Lines formed in the air, glowing faintly in his vision—trajectories, pressure points, micro-movements. The system was no longer dormant. It had awakened.

Everything slowed down. Not like some cinematic slow-mo, but like my brain was processing more data than ever before.

The creature lunged—and I stepped to the side before I consciously decided to.

Its claws missed me by inches, carving into the tile floor with a sickening screech.

[Combat Foresight Lv.1 – Triggered] [Movement Prediction: 82% Accuracy] [Optimal Counterstrike Suggested]

My hand moved on instinct.

I ducked low and jammed my knee into the parasite’s side. It felt like hitting a car door—hard, metallic—but it flinched. It actually staggered.

I didn’t wait. I moved again, circling behind it.

[Weak Point Identified – Vertebral Gap 3.4cm] [Target Strike Efficiency: Moderate]

I grabbed the shattered leg of a chair from the floor and rammed it into the glowing blue line I saw on its back.

It shrieked. Like metal tearing apart and a wolf howling at the same time.

Lisa screamed my name.

I turned—too slow.

The parasite swung, clipping me with the back of its arm. I flew across the room, crashing into a table.

[System Sync: 53%] [Vital Status: Yellow – Moderate Internal Damage Detected]

I coughed, tasting blood. My ribs were on fire. But I wasn’t down. Not yet.

I forced myself up.

Because the parasite was limping now—leaking that glowing blue fluid. And it was looking at me not like prey…

…but competition.

“Come on,” I muttered. “Let’s see what else you’ve got.”

Th

e parasite hissed—and charged.

But so did Elior.