E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 320: Against The Champion

Chapter 319

"Oh? Oh? Oh?"

The laughter echoed through the palace, slow and thick with amusement.

Han’s gaze sharpened.

A figure sat casually on a dark red, fur-covered throne.

It looked like a dark wolf.

But wrong.

Deeply disturbing.

Its body was humanoid, stretched unnaturally tall and broad, muscles packed tight beneath warped skin.

Two jagged horns spiraled outward from its skull, curved like those of a great boar. Where legs should have been were massive hooves that cracked the stone beneath them.

And its armor.

Black leather.

Stitched together with crude precision.

Embedded with human skulls.

This thing had eaten many people.

"Oh? Oh? Oh?" the creature repeated, its grin widening. "A human?"

Han raised an eyebrow.

Only high-ranking monsters could speak.

Analyzer Eye activated automatically.

Name: Crytali

Race: Bullwolf

Rank: Peak S-rank

Status: On the verge of evolution.

A warning followed immediately after.

Beware of the green eye.

It is not a joke.

Han frowned.

That voice.

"Navi?" he muttered. "How have you been? I thought you said you’d be helping Clara with some blueprints."

"Yeah, yeah, you’re right, Host," Navi replied lazily. "I’m mostly done. Just need a bit more time. I just thought I’d take a peek and see if you were finally in trouble."

A pause.

"Ooo, sorry. I mean—finally in another exciting situation."

Navi sighed.

"But seeing this portal boss... disappointing. No fun at all. I’ll head back now."

The presence faded.

Han’s face twitched.

Hard.

That damn AI really needed its brain fixed.

By fun, Navi meant Han getting his ass kicked.

It always did.

It showed up hoping to see him on the brink of death, barely surviving like in the early days, when he had first become a hero.

Back then, danger had been real. Every fight had been a gamble.

Now?

Han was too strong.

Nothing here could even scratch him, let alone threaten his life.

And that, according to Navi, was boring.

If Han could give the AI a body, he would. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

And then beat it senseless.

Until it begged.

"Oh? Oh? Oh? What do we have here?" Crytali said, leaning forward slightly. Its voice was thick with mockery as it examined Han from head to toe.

To it, this was just another human who had come to unseal the portal connecting the two worlds.

Yet something bothered it.

This human had reached the throne without a wrinkle in his clothes.

No blood.

No sweat.

No desperation.

His expression was calm. Serene. As if he had taken a comfortable stroll through the cave.

That alone made irritation creep into Crytali’s eyes.

Still, it smiled.

"Let me guess," it said smoothly. "You’re here to kill me and save your world, aren’t you, human?"

Han raised an eyebrow.

Interesting.

It understood the nature of portals.

That meant it wasn’t just a portal boss. It was likely maintaining the seal. Interfering with the portal’s collapse. Possibly anchoring it with its existence.

Before Han could reply, Crytali continued, confidence swelling in its tone.

"Alright. I feel like playing a game. Let’s see if the human sent this time has any skill."

It snapped its fingers.

The sound cracked like a whip.

The ground trembled.

A massive shape burst forward from the shadows.

A wolf.

Nearly three times Han’s size.

A dark wolf, similar to the ones Han had wiped out earlier.

But this one was different.

Its muscles bulged unnaturally, veins glowing faintly beneath its fur. Its eyes burned with feral intelligence. The pressure rolling off its body was suffocating.

This wasn’t fodder.

This was a champion.

"This is the deal," Crytali said casually. "If you can take down my champion, I’ll let you leave."

Han did not speak.

He simply nodded.

The champion roared.

Its aura exploded outward, slamming into the hall like a physical force. Stone cracked. Pillars shuddered. Power layered upon power as its strength stacked violently.

Its speed tripled.

In a blink, it was above Han.

Claws tore downward, sharp enough to rend steel.

Han tilted his head.

The claws missed.

He removed one hand from his pocket.

Clenched it into a fist.

Unhurried.

Casual.

Then he punched.

The strike looked gentle.

Almost soft.

But the force behind it was catastrophic.

The champion wolf was driven straight into the floor. The impact shattered the stone beneath them, a thunderous explosion of debris and dust ripping outward.

The entire palace shook.

When the dust settled, Han stood there calmly.

His hand slid back into his pocket.

The champion lay beside him.

Unmoving.

Dead.

One hit.

Crytali stared.

Its mouth opened slightly.

Then closed.

Then it blinked.

And suddenly....

Han was gone.

No warning.

No distortion.

No buildup.

The next instant, Crytali felt a vast, dominating presence slam down on it.

It looked up.

Han was sitting on the throne.

One leg crossed over the other.

One hand resting against his cheek.

White and black hair stirred gently in the air.

Calm.

Unbothered.

He had switched places with it before it even realized what had happened.

Cold fear crawled up Crytali’s spine.

Han spoke.

His voice was steady.

"Now that I’ve played your game," he said, "it’s time you play mine."

Crytali couldn’t think.

Its thoughts were tangled, scattered by shock.

"This is the deal," Han continued. "If you win, I might consider letting you spill all the secrets you’re hiding before I kill you."

He paused.

Then his voice dropped.

"But if you lose, you’ll undergo a torture so severe you’ll wish you were already dead."

Crytali trembled.

Its hooves scraped against the stone.

Wait.

I’m scared.

I’m scared of a human?

The realization hit harder than any attack.

Han tilted his head slightly.

"Well then," he said calmly. "I’ll let you face one of my champions instead."

He raised his gaze.

"Let’s see how long the battle lasts."

Crytali swallowed.

Its green eye flickered.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Han spoke a single name.

"Thunderwrath."

TO BE CONTINUED...

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