Boom—!
Splash—!
Feeling the power in his new body, Riku couldn't help but throw a punch underwater. Instantly, there was a thunderous crash and a column of water shot into the sky, the river churning violently.
"This kind of strength… It's amazing!" Riku muttered in excitement.
Then, with a single step on the water, he shot straight into the air, breaking the laws of physics entirely. Even without relying on Skywalk, he could stomp the air and move freely above the ground.
It was exactly like the feat the Werebeast captain, Dora, had demonstrated before!
After messing around for a bit and getting used to the new strength, Riku headed for the shore. Honestly, he felt a bit embarrassed—he was still stark naked. He wasn't about to run around with nothing on.
"My whole body's been remodelled… My skin is so white! I'm supposed to be a guy!" Riku complained, noticing how all the dirt had been washed away, leaving his skin unnaturally clean.
No joke, even Corrone couldn't compete with him now.
He grabbed his clothes, washed them in the river, then used his energy to dry them before getting dressed again.
A quick bath—he felt refreshed.
"I've got 6,000 exchange points now. I could save up for a Superior Chest, but it's better to get stronger first. Once I'm stronger, earning more points will be way easier," Riku mused, deciding to spend all his points for now.
"System, exchange for one Common Chest and one Exquisite Chest." Riku gave the order in his mind.
[Understood. Six thousand exchange points deducted. Chest exchange successful.]
Suddenly, a jade-green chest and an ordinary white chest appeared before him.
"Okay, let's hope I get something useful." Riku's golden eyes gleamed as he reached for the white chest first.
With a click, the chest opened, and the system's voice followed.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have opened a Common Chest and obtained an Enhanced Soldier Pill.]
Enhanced Soldier Pill: Restores one-third of your energy and all stamina. (Note: Effectiveness varies according to the user's strength.)
"Not bad at all." Riku grinned in satisfaction. This kind of item, used well, could be a lifesaver.
Next, he eagerly placed his hand on the jade-green chest. Good start—hopefully, the second chest wouldn't disappoint.
As soon as he touched it, the chest opened, and the system announced:
[Ding! Congratulations, you have opened an Exquisite Chest and obtained the Taijutsu—Eight Gates.]
Eight Gates (Eight Inner Gates): (From Naruto.) A forbidden taijutsu technique that releases the body's restraints on chakra, letting the user unleash massive power. There are eight gates—Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, Gate of Death. Opening each gate pushes the user's abilities further beyond their natural limits, but causes increasing bodily harm. Opening all eight—"Eight Gates Formation"—gives overwhelming strength for a short time, but at the cost of burning out your own life.
"Eight Gates… can't believe I got this!" Riku's eyes widened with joy at the system's explanation.
The Eight Gates—Might Guy's signature move! By the end, the Eighth Gate nearly let him kick out the series' final boss. People called him the King of Kicks for a reason!
Pulling this as a reward was a godsend for Riku right now—a true trump card.
If not for its side effects, Eight Gates would probably qualify as a Superior Chest prize, maybe even one of the best.
Besides, Riku's body had now totally broken through normal human limits. While he hadn't compared himself to Might Guy, he was probably even tougher by now. As long as he didn't use the Eighth Gate, there shouldn't be much risk.
"Six thousand points for these two items… absolutely worth it." Even calm old Riku couldn't help but get a little fired up.
His raw power had just skyrocketed.
"Next stop, the Werebeast Nation. Hope it doesn't disappoint me." Riku glanced at his map, then set off at once.
His figure vanished in a blur—at least twice as fast as before! And this was him holding back, still unfamiliar with the full extent of his upgraded body.
------------------
Meanwhile, Jibril soared through the sky, thoroughly annoyed.
The day before, she'd accidentally let her "prey" kill himself, so she'd gone off to challenge a top-ranked race—the Giants, fifth in the hierarchy. But those guys wouldn't even face her one-on-one.
Instead, they ganged up on her. It all ended in a mess, leaving her even more annoyed, looking to relieve some stress.