The incredibly cute-looking puppy suddenly stood on two legs like a human, its face hideous, its teeth turned outward far enough to expose its gums.
The killing intent pouring out of it even gave it something of the look of the "hellhound" Lin Feng had summoned.
Its arm swelled and expanded continuously, veins and muscles piling together until it was as tall as a grown man.
"Koro, attack."
Seryu's expression was cold, as though she were treating Lin Feng as an evildoer who had to be purged.
But Seryu knew her limits. If Koro really was about to hurt Lin Feng, it would stop immediately at her command.
Both Seryu and Sheele understood that they could not so much as harm a hair on Lin Feng's head without going all out.
The dog-shaped robot's arm had swollen to an outrageous size, almost as wide as a metal-bodied car.
As that bizarrely thick arm hurtled toward him, Lin Feng had no intention of taking it head-on. Alucard's blood-red energy already filled the soles of his feet.
He would never have known without jumping. Only when he leaped did Lin Feng discover that his legs were far more agile than before.
Back when he had been hunting Danger Beasts, Lin Feng's [Experience] points had only been around 3 to 4. After this period of training with the Imperial Guard, however, his points had risen above 7.
Having gone so long without actual combat, Lin Feng had not expected such a tremendous breakthrough in his physical abilities. A light leap carried him nearly two stories high, easily evading Koro's exaggerated punch.
"It's not over yet!"
Just as Lin Feng was about to land, a flash of killing intent crossed Seryu's eyes, making her completely unlike her usual lively, adorable self.
"Koro, right fist!"
As he was about to land, Lin Feng saw out of the corner of his eye the muscles in Koro's left arm transfer into its right like an inflating balloon. That right arm was now astonishingly large, like a truck.
And that truck was about to smash into him.
Still in midair, Lin Feng had nowhere to dodge. Unwilling to reveal his vampire powers to everyone, he could only withstand it with his body.
In an instant, boundless blood energy surged into Lin Feng's body.
The [Alucard Template System] was converting all its energy into power within Lin Feng's body. At that moment, he felt that his flesh was incomparably tough, as though he truly could withstand this truck head-on.
"Hurry, stop! Otherwise, Lin Feng will definitely...!"
Seeing that Lin Feng could not dodge in time, Sheele called out anxiously to Seryu.
But it was too late.
The truck-sized fist slammed heavily into Lin Feng.
Yet only Koro knew that what its fist struck seemed not to be a human, but a slab of hard metal.
"Koro, stop attacking!"
The muscle-packed fist knocked Lin Feng to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Then Koro's muscular arm returned to its original form.
Seeing this, Seryu deeply regretted not stopping in time. Her cold, ruthless expression gave way to her usual kindness and gentleness.
"How could this... It's all my fault. We have to hurry and get Lin Feng treated..."
"Treated for what?"
Once the dust had cleared, Lin Feng stood up from the ground, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and spoke with a look of delight.
"Lin Feng, you're all right... I was worried sick!"
"I'm sorry... You aren't hurt, are you? It's all my fault for not stopping in time..."
"What injuries? Look, I'm perfectly fine."
Lin Feng hopped a few more times on the spot to reassure Sheele and Seryu.
"How could you take a hit like that without a scratch? Lin Feng, do you have some special fighting technique?"
"Not really. That punch just went off target. Otherwise, I might have been hurt too."
Only after Lin Feng explained did the two of them relax.
But that was not what Lin Feng was thinking.
Though his body was incredibly tough, he had just temporarily exhausted all the power of the [Alucard] system to gain that moment of muscular resilience.
In other words, when he was hit just now, he had no way of activating special skills such as "Form Transformation" or "Level Zero: River of Death."
If another enemy had appeared behind him and accurately shattered his heart, that would have been somewhat troublesome too.
[Level Zero: River of Death] skill description: Summons enemies killed by the host, Lin Feng, to fight for him as familiar servants. Current summon limit: 4. Upgrading increases the summon limit. At maximum level, all familiars can be released to form an army of the dead. [Vampire Physique] skill description: Unless his heart is shattered, the host, Lin Feng, can regenerate his body indefinitely. If his heart is shattered, the host, Lin Feng, can consume stored undead familiars to revive.
Lin Feng seemingly could revive and regenerate indefinitely, but if he released all his familiars through [Level Zero: River of Death], he would no longer be able to activate this revival skill.
I never expected this Teigu to be so powerful...
In truth, Lin Feng had felt the sheer power of a "Teigu" deep in his heart.
This battle against the "Hundred-Handed Giant" had been more difficult than any fight Lin Feng had ever experienced.
And there were actually more than forty other Teigu in this world as powerful as this "Hundred-Handed Giant"!
It seemed he had no choice but to strengthen his template. The unexpected could strike at any time.
The afternoon's training battles soon ended.
Although Lin Feng still had not had his fill of training, Seryu was so afraid of another mishap involving the Teigu Hundred-Handed Giant that she did not let him take part in the remaining battles.
Helpless, Lin Feng could only increase his experience points by holding a horse stance.
The lingering sunset clouds veiled the sun as it sank toward the western hills.
Although spring was approaching, it still grew dark so quickly.
Next, it was time to find Ogre.
"Captain Ogre said he had something to discuss with me alone. I'll be right back."
"Captain Ogre? Didn't he take the day off?"
"Yes, so I'm guessing it's something personal."
Lin Feng's conversation with several Imperial Guard members caught the attention of Seryu nearby.
Something personal? Teacher Ogre has personal matters to discuss, but he's going to Lin Feng instead of me?
The more Seryu thought about what Lin Feng had just said, the more jealous she felt.
It was not that she envied Ogre's favoritism toward Lin Feng. After all, everyone had seen Lin Feng's strength.
But she was an Imperial Guard member whom Teacher Ogre had personally trained. Yet all those years of closeness could not compare to Lin Feng, who had joined only a few months ago.
She could have understood if it were official business, but if it was personal, of course Seryu would feel slighted.
"I can do it too... If it's a mission Lin Feng can complete, even if I have to work twice as hard, I can surely see it through, right?"
Thinking of the fighting power Koro, the Hundred-Armed Giant, had just unleashed, Seryu felt that she was no longer the girl she had once been.
She followed behind Lin Feng, intending to go with him to find Ogre.