Slith counted the seconds in his head, keeping track of exactly how much time had passed.

'I suppose I can afford to talk with this thing for a minute, since I'll be able to dispose of it in 30- no, maybe 15 seconds.'

The time: 30 seconds had passed since Slith left the home of the Senator.

"I've never met a monster before. Tell me, are all of them like you? Or are you unique? How strong are you compared to other monsters?"

Slith desperately wanted to know just how strong this monster was.

If this monster was considered strong, then he could bask in even more pride as he defeated it.

If it was nothing more than a weakling among monsters, then it wouldn't prove anything aside from the fact that none of the humans could beat it.

"While there are many who are weaker than I, there are a few who are like raging galaxies compared to myself.", Coran said with a smirk. "Let me guess what you're thinking. Even if you beat me, would there be others that are far stronger than I? And the answer is of course, yes. My masters compared to myself are like a blazing star compared to a small speck of dust. Even if you were to defeat me, you would never even come close to their glory."

A nerve was struck in the head of Slith, however Coran could not see his facial expression due to the mask he wore.

"Are you trying to insinuate that there is someone out there who is stronger than I? Ha! Let me tell you something, vile monster. I have faced 10,823 opponents, and not once have I ever lost in my life. I have never even so much as broken a sweat in battle. If there existed a being which was stronger than me, I would have already found them at this point. But I haven't. Your 'masters' have probably been hiding themselves away in fear of me. You yourself are merely ignorant of my own strength, and it was just bad luck that you had to face against me."

"You are beyond delusional. Do you truly believe that it's impossible for someone stronger than you to exist?", Coran asked, baffled by the man.

"Of course!! You don't seem to believe me, but perhaps that's because you haven't yet seen me in action. Though, I am afraid that as soon as I begin it will already be over. I would like to show you how wrong you are, and perhaps then you would understand that even these 'masters' of yours are nothing compared to myself, but I am on a bit of a time limit, so I have to get started."

The time: 60 seconds have passed.

At this moment, Slith readied his two daggers and whispered a set of spells as if he were rapping.

[Dexterity Up](Lvl 5)

[Piercing Damage Up](Lvl 4)

[Slashing Damage Up](Lvl 4)

[Dodge Boost](Lvl 6)

[Skin Hardening](Lvl 4)

[Poison Resistance](Lvl 7)

[Blunt Damage Resistance](Lvl 4)

[Piercing Resistance](Lvl 5)

The time: 61 seconds have passed.

Coran readied his own stance, not daring to make the first move.

He already knew that this was not an opponent he could take lightly.

Even if the chance of death was low, he could not carelessly attack.

'I will wait for the right opportunity.'

Coran readied his blowdart while coating his spear and his spike armaments with poison during the time that Slith was buffing himself.

He completed this far before Slith had finished his own buffs, but Coran took this time to listen in on the buffs which Slith used, trying to figure out exactly what his strategy of attack would be.

'It seems like he has used quite a few skills that counter my own methods.... and he's fast. Not as fast as I am, but he's very fast. And most importantly... that poison resistance of his. Will I be able to poison him? I suppose there's only one way to find out....'

Coran readied his fighting stance, making sure to keep the pin close in case he needed to escape.

'I don't plan to run, but if I have to I won't hesitate to activate this pin...'

It was then that Slith darted forward, hunching himself low and swerving his body from left to right like a true assassin.

Coran kept a close eye on his movements before using his spear like a baseball bat, swinging it in a horizontal motion and hitting Slith in the side.

However, Slith was moving fast enough that the bladed part of the spear did not hit him, and rather he closed the distance so that the pole part of the spear smacked into the side of Slith.

This was enough to cause Slith to go flying into the wall, as a load of debris fell.

Coran quickly shot three darts over to where Slith had landed, aiming for vital locations- his head, heart, and nether regions.

To Coran's surprise however, none of these darts hit their target- nor did they burst through the man explosively like they had done with many of his other opponents.

The power in these darts alone was enough to burst open the head of a man like a watermelon, yet that had not happened for this man.

'Must have been the skin hardening....'

Not only this, but the man who had been slammed into the walls quickly shifted his own body such that the darts landed not in their directed areas.

The one aimed at his head caught the mans ear, tearing off a piece of his mask with it.

The one aimed at the mans heart was now in his left shoulder.

And the one aimed for his nether regions was located inside his thigh.

'Shit.... that must be due to his dodging ability....'

Coran readied himself to charge into the man and finish him off.

'He isn't dead yet.... the poison has taken some effect, but his poison resistance is insane!! My poison should instantly kill almost anyone it hits.'

Exactly as Coran had surmised, the areas where the darts had all hit had become purple and swollen, and the effected areas seemed to be rapidly growing.

However, this was not enough.

Coran understood that this man had not yet given up, and he needed to be finished off here and now- lest he pull something unexpected after being backed into a corner.

"The fact that you survived all that shows just how terribly strong you are. If I had never met my masters, I might have believed that you were the strongest in existence. Unfortunately for you...."

Coran made his way over to the man quickly while raising two of his armaments, preparing to stab the man.

"Did you really think that I would be beaten so easily!?!", Slith shouted.

Coran's eyes went wide, and he jumped back.

'This guy is planning something.... I can't just rush in.'

At the moment that Coran jumped back, the man whipped something out of his pocket, holding it in his own hand.

"I didn't want to have to use this..... this is the same as admitting that my power wasn't enough..... that can't be.... no, this is fine..... I'll beat this monster with my own power..... yes, using this isn't cheating!!!! I'm just doing as I always have!! I'm taking the easy way out!! The fact that I can use this without dying is proof of my own strength, and my own power.... I'll use it then!! I won't die! I will keep hold of my own will, and show everyone that I am strongest!!! That I am the greatest!!!"

While Coran desperately wanted to rush in and kill this arrogant fool on the spot, he could not do so.

After all, what if this man pulled some petty trick and attacked Alicia or the children behind him?

'I can't let them stay here. We're moving to plan B.'

Slith crushed open a bottle which contained a black fluid with his own gripping strength, and the fluid began to seep into his own flesh.

It spread through his body far faster than the poison which Coran had produced, and the man's entire body- not just his outfit, became blackened as he vibrated with power.

From the mask covering the mans head, horns sprouted, ripping open part of the mask, and his hands went black, growing claws.

Through the eyeholes, Coran noticed that the man's eyes had gone completely red, with black circles inside them.

The spots at which the darts had hit, which were previously purple- contaminated with poison, were overrun by the black tar-like substance which overtook the mans body.

On seeing this transformation, Coran felt the power of this man increase dramatically.

'Nope. Nope. Nope. This is exactly what my masters were warning me about. They weren't worried about me fighting this guy as is. They were worried about me fighting him if he powered up somehow. I can't believe how right they were. It's a good thing I didn't rush in carelessly. Now then... time to get out of here.'

The time: 85 seconds have passed.

Coran touched the gemstone in the center of the pin, and it lit up along with the gemstones on every single person in the cavern who was wearing one.

In an instant, the scenery around Coran had changed.

Coran, the 30 children, and Alicia were now all inside the throne room of their masters, where Claire was sitting alone doing paperwork.

The angel in front of the people gave them a delightful smile as she looked up from her work to see all the people appear.

"Hm? Coran? Did you have to rely on the escape plan? Did something out of expectations happen?"

Kneeling before the Determined, Coran spoke.

"That mercenary powered up using a strange unknown device. I fear that keeping the children and Alicia around for such a fight would only prove to be detrimental to them and to myself, as I would not be able to end it so easily while protecting them. Thus, I have relied on this plan to escape. If you will excuse me, I will be returning once more to battle."

"Oh, I see. Then, go on back. More importantly..... those children are so cute!!! Is this what you've been doing all this time, Coran?? You sure have been busy!!"

"I have not been busy enough, clearly. I must return now to finish off that man before things stray further off course."

"Oh, ok. Well then, I'll take care of these ones while you're gone!"

"There is no need to bother you, your eminence. Alicia will take care of them. Please continue your work."

"Ehhh.... but I want to...."

"Is that how it is? Ah, I am getting distracted. Well then, goodbye."

And with that, Coran touched the piece on his chest and was teleported once more back to the cavern.

In front of him stood a man who now looked more like a demon than a person.

That man seemed to be laughing horrendously while holding his hands up.

"This.... this power..... I can feel it flowing through me..... I've been reborn!!!! I thought I was strong before..... but that strength.... it was nothing!!!! It was nothing compared to the ecstasy which I am feeling right now!!!!"

Coran readied himself again, preparing to react to every action of the man in front of him.

'This match has almost been evened.... if Gary was in this situation, he would probably be teeming with delight at knowing that he had an even chance of victory and defeat.... but if Theo were in this situation, he might run away and prepare a grand scheme to ensure his victory..... which one do I follow? Do I rush in and fight, and hope that the odds favor me? Or do I back off and form another plan, trying to ensnare him in a trap?'

----

The time: 61 seconds after Slith had left the home of the Senator.

After buffing himself, Slith was completely prepared to fight the monster.

There was no way he could lose.

He had even gone out of his way to use the full range of his skillset to buff himself, based on what he could see from the monsters possible attack patterns.

Even if he was overconfident, he would end this in an instant by going all out.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

But, something strange happened.

When Slith was running at the monster, the monster swung his spear almost like a baseball bat.

It was not the motion in of itself which caught Slith off guard, but the accuracy and speed at which it was done.

Slith was just barely able to avoid a blade sticking into his side, and instead the pole smashed into him.

The fact that he actually had to put thought into the quick decision of dodging was a first for Slith.

One which made him think.

'My goodness.... this monster actually challenged me..... I suppose monsters truly are far stronger than men.....'

But, this was before he was slammed into the wall.

After being hit by the pole, Slith almost fell unconscious, but due to his rigorous resistance to blunt damage he managed to collect himself immediately.

'H-how!? How did that monster hit me!?!? And with such power!?!?! The entire wall is destroyed!?!?!?'

Without even time to think, Slith saw a number of darts being shot at him.

He quickly tried to dodge each and every one of them, his back to the wall, but barely managed to shift their trajectories so that he wasn't killed by them.

'HOW!?!?! How is he reacting so quickly!?!? I..... could it be that he is faster than me!??!?! No no no no no no no no no..... NO!!!! No! He isn't faster than me. I must just be off my groove today. It was an error. A slipup. A fluke. But.... how could I... the greatest assassin in history, make a fluke!?!?! Agh!!! These darts..... they are poisonous!!!! The poison is burning me!!! AGH!!!! How could I be in such a spot!?! This monster.... who does he think he is to wound me like this!?!?! This is impossible!!!!!"

Slith was consumed by rage, and he had stopped his counting of the seconds for a moment before he remembered.

'Ah!!! I have to kill him in 2 minutes!!! I need to get up and end this quickly. Shit!!! My legs!!! They won't move!!! The poison is effecting them!!! It burns!!!'

The monster then turned towards Slith and spoke.

"The fact that you survived all that shows just how terribly strong you are. If I had never met my masters, I might have believed that you were the strongest in existence. Unfortunately for you...."

'This thing.... it's mocking me!!!! It's mocking me!!!! GRR!!!! I am the strongest!!!! I am the strongest!!! You're nothing!!!! Your masters are nothing!!!! Nobody can beat me!!! You're just a little pebble compared to me, but you think that you have the right to address me like that, you vile thing!?!?!?!? HOW DARE YOU!?!?!?'

"Did you really think that I would be beaten so easily!?!"

After being mocked so readily, Slith remembered the potion which the woman had given him.

She told him that he didn't need to use it, but to at least hold onto it as a last resort.

Slith did not want to rely on something external.

He wanted to defeat this monster with his own power.

If he relied on some external power, then he could not claim to be the strongest anymore.

He would never again be able to tell himself that he was the greatest.

That he was the best.

He could not allow that to happen.

No matter what, he had to remain number 1.

His entire life had been spent trying to prove that he was not number 1.

He spend his days trying to find someone better than he was.

And yet, now, after he had finally accepted that there was nobody stronger, someone stronger, and a monster at that, shows up!?!?!

He wouldn't let the story end that way.

It was then, that Slith came to a realization.

Slith felt a great evil power within the potion inside of him.

It was likely one which would consume the soul of the person who used it.

That is, if they were weak.

But what about Slith?

What if Slith were to use this potion, and overcome it???

Couldn't he then say that the power was his own?

That he didn't borrow power, but rather enhanced his own? Just as if he was buffing himself?

Wasn't this just a complicated buff?

Yes.

It was.

Slith found himself murmuring to himself, and the monster seemed to have backed away at seeing the fueled insanity in his eyes as he stared at the monster with a burning hatred and condescending glare.

Accepting this, Slith took out the potion.

He smashed it in his own hand.

As it soaked into his flesh and spread across his body, Slith felt the effects of the poison weaken and eventually disappear.

His body was filled with power.

He felt himself changing, but that didn't matter.

He felt something eating away at him, but like a drug addict was only focused on the high which he felt.

The transformation completed.

He had become an artificial demon.

The time: 85 seconds.

Filled to the brim with confidence and power, he felt as if he was a glass which was overflowing, yet the one pouring did not stop.

They continued pouring and the fluid continued to flow, splattering on the table, and then onto the ground.

'It's time to finish off this monster within the time limit and show him that I am truly far stronger than him.....'

However, looking up, the monster tapped on a small pin which had a gem embedded into it that hung from his chest.

And in that instant, both the monster and every other person in the room disappeared from the sight of Slith.

Not only did they disappear from his sight, but their presences completely vanished without a trace.

They were gone as if they had never been there in the first place.

Slith grimaced as he tried to comprehend what had just happened, and it finally came into his mind what had occurred.

Slith was unsure whether to be delighted or disgusted with the result.

'That thing.... it just ran away from me, didn't it?'

---