Kill The Old Ones!

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Ren doesn’t have the ability to freeze or slow down time.

Although that would be cool, Ren wasn’t strong enough for that. His communion with Heaven and Earth, as well as the conceptual laws, isn’t that deep to have that ability.

Hell, martial artists who could exert influence over time and space are exceedingly rare. If they’re discovered, they will practically become a living treasure...and a breeding machine, because honestly, the human race could use more of them.

No, Ren didn’t freeze or slow down time. This was all in his head. It’s what happens when he sharpens his perception to a certain point and is preparing to move fast.

As he stared at the falling mountain, Ren spotted all the resources he could grab in the air.

Rare ores and minerals, treasure hordes of the apes, rare plants and herbs that are about to be buried in the rubble...Ren saw them all.

Then, after a sharp inhale, Ren held his breath and moved.

He disappeared from where he was, leaving behind a cloud of dust and the sound barrier shattering. He zipped through the skies, running on air pockets like they were flat ground.

Ren used the fallen stones and rubble as a foothold to get to where he wanted to go. He grabbed resources in the air, completely ignoring the panicked and terrified apes that were about to be buried underneath all this.

If one happens to be on his way, one punch to the head is all it takes to get rid of it, and that doesn’t slow him down at all.

Ren’s inventory was wide open, and he was throwing in all the stuff he caught in there without even giving it a second glance. If it looked valuable, it goes in his inventory.

Now, Ren couldn’t say that he’d be able to grab everything. There’s just too much going on at once, and he could only zip through the air for so long before everything else becomes buried.

That said, he tried to aim for the rare resources to make it worth his while.

The advantage of collapsing a whole damn mountain is that, one, the falling rubble will take care of the apes living on top of it. Even if they couldn’t, there’s no way the fall from such a high place wouldn’t hurt them.

And two, the resources that are typically hidden beneath were revealed. Not every single one, of course, but a good lot will be exposed, and Ren could grab those easily.

Felling one mountain caused some domino effects. It crashed through the nearby mountain, near-damn toppling that as well. The apes living in that mountain were spooked badly enough to make them panic. They were doing their best to evade or hold onto something so that they wouldn’t fall.

Ren, being the little shit he was, decided that felling one mountain sounds cool, but felling one more, or just...more, sounds way cooler.

So, he predictably punched the already fragile second mountain and felled that too.

It didn’t take long before he was zipping up the skies again, becoming a blur of speed, snatching resources out of thin air.

Ren was having the time of his life.

While others would certainly see this at certain death, this was a good shot of adrenaline for Ren.

He didn’t even care that the rainstorm seemed to be growing stronger. Matter of fact, he wanted it stronger. Hell, he wouldn’t stop even if he were struck down by lightning, either.

To him, this was fun.

The slippery and muddy slopes don’t bother him since he didn’t have to go through them. The soul-shocking thunderous sounds and furious lightning strikes don’t strike fear in him either.

Ren’s physique was so tough and durable that he’d just take them all anyway. The Black Adamantium Technique was more than enough to protect him from the consequences of his recklessness and wanton destruction.

This was Ren’s rampage. A fun one, at that.

Ren doesn’t get many chances to unleash his full strength. When he does, things usually get troublesome. But in dungeons like this, trouble is exactly what he wants.

He wasn’t here to make friends with the monsters, after all.

Besides, it’s faster this way. And it’s not like he’ll cause permanent damage. This was a generated biome. When he leaves, this whole place resets to its previous state and gets recycled.

To clear stage 51, Ren had to kill 150 Thunderous Apes.

There are a lot of mountains for him to go through, so he won’t lack apes to kill.

The second mountain fell and crashed to the third. So, Ren was once again up to his shenanigans.

He will continue this until he’s out of steam or until he clears the requirements. Whichever comes first, really.

**

”Tsss, ah!!”

Ren slammed the mug of beer on the table after letting out a sound of satisfaction.

He’s in a little pub right now, resting after clearing stage 51. He was a bit spent but could still continue. He’s just catching his breath after all the adrenaline.

A mug of beer won’t make him inebriated. It’s not strong enough to do that to him; his body would flush out its effects before they take place. But it does satisfy his cravings after doing all that work.

With a good and hearty meal to pair that with? Even better!

His daily quota had been used up—meaning that he had cleared stage 51 five times already this day. The best part is that nobody came to bother him because of the disguise.

That part was important since he could still hear people looking to catch a glimpse of him. Hell, he even had to cover up his tattoos with the disguise and long sleeves just to escape their prying eyes.

He still feels uncomfortable with that; he could only hope that, with time, the hype about him dies off eventually.

One thing to note is that not everybody who’s looking for him was friendly. Some were searching for him for deeper or more sinister purposes. He even felt some killing intent aimed towards the mention of his name.

What’s crazier is that he was almost certain that some of those people came from the White Haven Clan.

He had seen Seraphina fight. Hell, he memorized the White Haven art and could probably do it too, even better than her, for that matter.

The chakra signature of the White Haven Art was distinct, and there’s no way Ren would miss that, especially when he’s paying attention to his surroundings, albeit discreetly this time.

These people were old; some were at the 3rd to the 5th transformation of the Inhuman Realm, which means that they are no mere strangers of that clan; they hold important positions. Elders, most likely, ones that make big decisions about the clan.

That is normal; after all, nobody beyond the Inhuman Realm was allowed to stay permanently in this realm. Not even the Martial Gods themselves.

That means that, even if the White Haven Clan does have somebody strong enough to contend with the Martial Gods, there’s no way that person was here right now. And there’s no way that person would be confident enough to make a move when two of the five Martial Gods are practically breathing down their necks.

It’s not wrong to assume that, if Ren were to be dead the next day, everybody would blame the White Haven Clan. Whether they are proven guilty or innocent, it doesn’t matter. They will bear the stigma of stifling a human genius forever.

And for a clan that craves and lives by their reputation so much, that’s practically a death sentence to them.

Although Ren felt their killing intent towards him, he could tell that they’re not here to assassinate him. They’re on the lookout. They are probably hoping to catch a glimpse of him from afar and report his movements to the clan.

What for? Who the hell knows? Ren couldn’t be bothered to think that far.

But unfortunately for them, Ren doesn’t have the time or desire to play their little game. He’s got things to do.

Since he’s finished today’s quota and his pocket’s refilled with credits and resources—not that he ever lacked any—he left the plaza.

He didn’t plan to return just yet. Instead, he made his way to Sam Smithy.

It’s been a while since he was here, and honestly, his gear needed long overdue upgrades. He’s still wearing the old lion king’s leather armor. He had long outgrown them, and they could no longer accompany him in his dungeon climb.

Old Sam still remembers him. Well, even better now than before after his incredible victory at the tournament. The old man was a good sport; he didn’t use Ren for clout even if he technically could.

And when Ren removed his disguise, the old man ushered him to a VIP booth for privacy. He then brought out a catalogue of his finest works for Ren to choose from.

Ren had to deliberate for quite some time. But eventually, he made his pick.

Also, now that he’s here, he was reminded that he needed to buy a new axe. Not for him, but for Charles.

He did say that he’s going to replace the one broken during their fight.