God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Adam focused as the musketeer growled at him, then leapt at him, as Adam feinted to the right, and kept dodging all the lightning attacks performed by the musketeer. He didn't break a sweat, at least not yet.

Adam found an opportunity, as the musketeer swung his claws, aiming to embed a scar in Adam's, but missed. Adam's eyes sparked with fire as he lunged high, then, using gravity, to force himself down as fast as possible, and since he was now an E-rank Adventurer, he was much faster and stronger.

The musketeer didn't do anything, letting Adam's claws plunge into its skin. Adam stirred his claws downward, a chunk of blood spilling to the ground, as he leapt back, the musketeer screaming in agony.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped as the musketeer locked eyes with him, instilling fear in Adam. As the claw mark dissipated, the skin knitted itself in a very grotesque way. It made Adam feel weird, as if his skin shouldn't be doing something like that.

The musketeer lunged at Adam, its claws brimming with lightning, as Adam jumped up, barely able to dodge the musketeer's claws in time. The musketeer also jumped, reaching Adam faster than the blink of an eye, then punching him down with all its might, electrifying Adam in the process.

Adam took it to the chest, then launched at Mach five to the ground, a large sonic wave erupting, but it didn't disturb the musketeer. Adam was sprawled on the ground, his head aching, his body trembling, as he tried to get up.

Just as the musketeer started to walk towards Adam, the police sirens grew closer and eventually, within ten seconds, all the police cars surrounded the musketeer, the policemen pulling out their guns, as the musketeer turned his gaze towards them, grinning violently.

He slowly walked towards them, frightening them, quivering their very soul. The policemen didn't give a warning and started to shoot the monstrosity immediately, but it didn't scratch the musketeer, and he decided to instill even more fear by effortlessly dodging all the bullets.

The musketeer chuckled as he grabbed a policeman and ripped him apart, organs spewing out, liters of blood sprawled on the ground. Then he grew the ripped policemen, and in a matter of seconds, he killed another fifteen, as they tried to run away, but were slow and weak.

He turned back to Adam, who saw the horror, bleeding from his forehead. Adam didn't want to give up, not now, especially not now, since he had gotten his E-rank status just a day ago. He didn't want to be weak anymore; he wanted to be reliant, not a liability.

---

After clearing the checkpoint, the secretary rushed Adam to the guild's infirmary, as he was on the verge of losing his life. After the nurses and doctors healed and operated on him, performing a very difficult surgery, the healers weren't able to heal; they left him alone to rest for the rest of the night, thinking he was asleep.

Adam stirred awake that night, his body aching as though every nerve had been set ablaze. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, his vision blurry.

He felt the ceiling of the guild infirmary glitching in and out of focus. He tried to move, but every motion of muscle sent jolts of pain tearing through him.

Bandages wrapped his torso tightly, and stitches pulled against his skin. He turned his head with effort, catching sight of his arms, scraped, bruised, and trembling as if they belonged to someone else.

This is me? He thought bitterly. Even with my ability, even as an F-rank awakened, I couldn't survive against two wolves, while Nova, with no ability, probably took down the Alpha. I almost died fighting two wolves. Pathetic.

He shut his eyes, but the memories cut deeper than the wounds. The wolves' snapping jaws haunted him. He felt helpless, broken, lying in a pool of his own blood.

He clenched his fists, his nails bit into his palms, reopening the half-healed wounds. But he didn't feel the pain; he didn't care about the pain.

I can't stay like this. Stuttering at every single sentence. Being fucking weak. I can't let Marcus and Nova carry me at every single step. I can't be a liability. Not again. Not ever.

Something inside him ignited: rage, shame, resolve. These emotions twisted together inside him into a single burning will. His chest burned as though a fire had been lit from within, hotter and brighter than before.

Adam's eyes cracked open, the faint spark in them blazing against the infirmary's pale light.

I'll get stronger. Stronger than the wolves. Stronger than Nova. Stronger than anything that dares to put me on the ground.

Even as exhaustion dragged him back towards unconsciousness, the fire inside him refused to dissipate. Instead, it burned brighter and brighter. It was flaring brighter than the sun as he closed his eyes.

But that night had marked something promising inside of him. Something that Adam swore he wouldn't give up on.

---

The musketeer rushed towards him, Adam's eyes heavy with anticipation, as he feinted left, leaving the musketeer speechless, as he realized that Adam's reflexes had improved, making it harder for the musketeer to hit him.

The musketeer snarled, lightning sparking violently across its claws as it swung with terrifying speed, but Adam slipped just beneath the arc, his movements sharper, more deliberate than before.

His body still bore the memory of pain, but his instincts had sharpened, honed by the fire burning inside him. Each feint was tigther, more compact and composed, each counter a fraction faster.

The creature lunged again, overconfident, but Adam pivoted low, his claws flashing upward in a sudden strike that grazed its torso. A line of blood blossomed before the musketeer could recoil. For the first time, its grin flatered.

Adam's chest shallowly rose, but his eyes burned with that same unyielding spark of fire, of determination, to not become a liability.