SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System
Chapter 86: Genetic Assimilation!

Chapter 86: Genetic Assimilation!

The Golden-Armored Blue Ape stood on its high plateau, a silent, golden titan against the gloomy Yin-region sky.

It watched Daniel, its ancient sapphire eyes holding a flicker of something that might have been surprise, or perhaps mild amusement.

Daniel’s most powerful, multi-elemental, homing-missile arrow attack, a combination of A-grade Hunter skills and elemental fury, had been caught and contemptuously snuffed out in its massive, golden hands.

The lesser Silverback Blue Apes, watching from a safe distance, let out a series of hooting, mocking cries, thumping their chests in a clear display of superiority.

"Okay," Daniel muttered to himself, his heart pounding a heavy rhythm against his ribs.

"So, my B-grade bow is just a peashooter against you. Noted."

The bow had served him well, especially after his Tier 2 [Soul Assimilation] had pushed it to a respectable grade, but it was clear that it couldn’t channel the sheer, overwhelming power he now possessed.

His S-Grade [Solar Flare Fist Art] and his immense, assimilated Strength were being bottlenecked by the weapon’s physical limitations.

This fight wasn’t going to be won at a distance. It had to be personal.

The Golden-Armored Blue Ape seemed to understand this.

It let out a low, rumbling hum, a sound that felt less like a noise and more like a physical vibration in the air.

It beckoned with one colossal, golden finger, a clear and unmistakable challenge: Come closer, little man. Let’s see what you’re really made of.

Ayra would have called this an invitation.

Daniel called it a death wish, but it was one he had to accept. He let the bow clatter to the ground, the sound lost in the vast, oppressive silence of the foothills.

He flexed his hands, his A-Grade Kinetic Void Gauntlets and Phantom Edge Striking Wraps feeling like a natural extension of his own skin.

"Alright, big guy," he whispered, a grim smile touching his lips. "You asked for it."

He activated his A-Grade [Voidwalk]. The world around him seemed to dim, the sounds of the mocking apes fading into a dull thrum.

He became a ghost, an undetectable ripple in the shadows, his aura completely suppressed.

The Golden-Armored Blue Ape’s sapphire eyes narrowed slightly, its head tilting as it tried to pinpoint the sudden absence.

"Boom!"

The ground where Daniel had stood cracked as he launched himself forward, not with the roaring fury of Ayra, but with the silent, deadly precision of a phantom.

He appeared directly behind the colossal ape, a spot he calculated would be its biggest blind spot.

He activated his B-Grade [Savage Might], feeling the deep, grounding power surge through him, doubling his already monstrous strength.

He then focused the nascent inferno of his [Solar Flare Fist Art], not its full, world-ending supernova, but a controlled, focused blast of white-hot energy channeled directly into his gauntleted fist.

The Golden-Armored Blue Ape, despite its transcendent senses, was still surprised by the sheer speed and silence of Daniel’s approach.

It began to turn, its massive body moving with an unnatural grace, but it was a fraction of a second too late.

Daniel’s fist, now a miniature sun, slammed into the back of the Ape’s knee.

"BOOM! KRA-KOW!"

The impact was like a thunderclap ripping through the silent plateau.

A visible shockwave of pure kinetic force and searing solar plasma erupted outwards, kicking up a storm of dust and shattered rock.

The wind shrieked and howled as the Ape roared in sheer, unadulterated rage.

The attack had buckled its leg, sending it stumbling forward a step, but its golden fur had absorbed most of the heat, and its incredible resilience had negated the worst of the force.

Daniel felt a jolt of feedback shudder up his arm.

He had hurt it, but barely.

Before Daniel could press his advantage, the Ape retaliated.

It spun with terrifying speed, its massive golden arm sweeping in a wide, horizontal arc.

Daniel was still too close! He tried to use his [Shadow Glide+], but the Ape’s attack was just too fast.

"WHUMP!"

The back of the Ape’s hand caught Daniel in the chest, a glancing blow with enough force to send him tumbling through the air like a discarded rag doll.

He crashed into a distant obsidian crag with a sickening crunch that would have turned any other recruit into a fine red mist.

Pain exploded through his chest, and he felt several ribs crack despite his immense Vitality and D-grade vest.

[Warning: Significant Blunt Force Trauma Detected. Internal injuries sustained. Vitality resisting, initiating accelerated regeneration.]

"Okay... hits hard," Daniel wheezed, pushing himself up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The world swam for a moment. He had gotten careless, overconfident in his stealth approach.

The Ape turned, its sapphire eyes now burning with a cold, focused fury. It began to stalk towards him, each step making the ground tremble. It was done playing.

Daniel’s mind raced. The Ape was faster than he had anticipated, its defenses were almost absolute, and its strength was off the charts.

He needed an edge, something to disrupt its perfect form. He dodged another sweeping blow, the wind from its passage tearing at his torn uniform.

As he moved, his eyes locked onto the thick, shimmering golden fur on the Ape’s back.

The fur that Nyx had been so fixated on, the fur that held the essence of its impossible speed.

An idea, born of desperation and the sheer audacity of his SSS-Talent, sparked in his mind.

He activated his S+-Grade [Quadruple Sonic Phantom], not to attack, but to evade. He became a blur, a flicker of shadow and distorted sound, weaving between the Ape’s furious, ground-shattering stomps and sweeping blows.

The wind shrieked and howled around him, a symphony of his impossible speed. He was a gnat, impossible to pin down.

The Ape grew more and more frustrated, its attacks becoming wider, more destructive, but always a fraction of a second too late.

As it lunged forward in a particularly furious pounce, Daniel saw his chance.

He blinked, using one of the short-range teleports from his skill, appearing directly beside the Ape’s outstretched arm for a split second.

He reached out, his mind screaming the command for a skill he had almost forgotten he possessed, a humble D-grade skill that now seemed like the most important tool in his arsenal: [Emptyhanded]!

With a speed that was almost a separate action from his own impossibly fast movements, his A-grade gauntleted hand darted out and plucked a single, magnificent, golden feather-like tuft of fur from the Ape’s massive forearm.

The Ape roared, feeling the tiny, insignificant tug, but it was already too late.

Daniel blinked away again, retreating to a safe distance, the precious golden fur clutched in his hand.

It pulsed with an ancient, powerful energy.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he focused his will, his Tier 2 [Soul Assimilation] talent latching onto the sample.

<Assimilate Gene Fragment?> Yes.

A wave of pure, unadulterated speed, of primal, untamed velocity, flooded his being. It was like lightning being injected directly into his soul.

His Nexus Interface chimed, not just with a single notification, but with a cascade of them, a testament to the sheer quality of the essence he had just stolen.

[Genetic Essence assimilation successful on Golden-Armored Blue Ape Fur (TRANSCENDENT-Grade Gene Fragment)!]

[Unique Trait Essence Acquired: ’Divine Speed Shard’ (Legendary Catalyst)!]

[Fusing with existing S+-Grade skill [Quadruple Sonic Phantom]...]

[WARNING: Fusing with Transcendent-level catalyst! Skill evolution exceeding standard parameters!]

[Evolution Complete! Your speed has broken a fundamental limit!]

[New Skill Acquired: SIXTEEN TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND (S-Grade)!]

Daniel felt a profound, fundamental shift in his very existence.

The shrieking wind fell silent. The trembling ground became still. He could see the dust motes hanging in the air.

He could perceive the individual heartbeats of the distant Silverback Apes. His new S-Grade skill wasn’t just an upgrade; it was a rewriting of his personal physics.

He looked at the Golden-Armored Blue Ape, which was still turning, trying to pinpoint where the annoying gnat had gone.

A slow, dangerous grin spread across Daniel’s face.

The playing field had just been leveled. Or, more accurately, tilted so far in his favor it was practically vertical.