"What are you thinking about?"
Selene noticed Ethan was deep in thought, his head lowered. Considering the tremors that had just occurred, she guessed Ethan was hatching some kind of plan.
"I've been thinking, now is the best chance to deal with this thing."
The Tyrant was Umbrella's most mature and stable product so far, possessing incredible physical strength and durability. Standard light weapon attacks barely caused it any damage.
To deal with a Tyrant when your weapons aren't powerful enough, you have to aim for its weak points. Like the Licker, its weak points were the head and heart.
The Tyrant had a certain level of intelligence and a decent reaction speed, making it difficult to attack its head. It would dodge or use its hands to block and protect that area. As for its heart…
In its normal state, the Tyrant wore a restraint coat resembling a military overcoat. This garment kept the Tyrant in a more stable condition and also increased its defense.
The heart, being a weak point, couldn't be attacked while it wore that "military coat." To land a hit, you'd either have to completely destroy the coat or enrage the Tyrant, forcing it to shed its restraints in exchange for greater speed and power.
Of course, that was the case under normal circumstances. If Leon and the others had to rely on their 9mm handguns and shotguns, they would have to deal with the Tyrant this way.
Ethan, naturally, had no need to go through such trouble. What he had been thinking about earlier wasn't how to escape, but whether he should eliminate the Tyrant right here and now.
"What's wrong?"
After Ethan remained quiet for a while, the others noticed his odd behavior. Just then, the ground seemed to tremble slightly, as if something heavy was stomping repeatedly on the floor.
"Looks like I don't need to hesitate anymore."
This wasn't a game where you only encountered bosses in set locations. After being air-dropped, the Tyrant would automatically begin seeking out targets. Considering Umbrella's intent to test its weapons, it was likely that all living things were within its attack range.
Ethan wasn't sure if the Tyrant had radar or some sort of tracking system, but this thing certainly had a knack for finding people. It always managed to track its targets.
This time was no different. Not long after the air drop, Ethan had only zoned out in the hall for a short while before the Tyrant began to approach.
"Everyone, step back."
Ethan was one step away from saying, "Clear the way, I'm about to show off." Unfortunately, before he could say something so classic, the relatively small wooden door was kicked open, and a tall, muscular figure squeezed out from the narrow doorway.
"What kind of monster is that?"
The Tyrant's bluish-gray skin clearly showed it was no human. Combined with its imposing height of over two meters, Robert Kendo, Leon, and the others were visibly shaken. Even Claire, who had been holding up strong, was stunned.
"Should we run?"
Running seemed like the sensible choice, but before Leon could shout, "You go first, I'll cover you," he saw Ethan already charging toward the monster.
"Come back, Ethan!"
He thought Ethan was rushing out to buy them time. But Leon, as a justice-driven police officer, could not accept hiding behind a "civilian."
It should've been the other way around. That was his responsibility.
He wanted to fire his weapon to draw the Tyrant's attention, but the distance was too far, and Ethan was in the way. Leon didn't dare shoot for fear of accidentally hitting him. He could only watch anxiously as Ethan charged toward the monster.
"No!"
When the Tyrant raised its thick right arm, ready to smash its face-basin-sized fist down onto Ethan's head, Claire, seemingly able to foresee the tragedy about to unfold, cried out instinctively. At the same time, she pulled Sherry close, shielding her eyes from the impending scene.
Bang!
But the expected outcome didn't happen. Although the Tyrant's massive fist came down, just before it struck Ethan, it stopped completely—because Ethan had caught the blow squarely with his left hand.
The sight was shocking. No one believed the Tyrant's punch was for show. The loud impact sound and the cracks spreading across the floor proved that no one should've been able to withstand such an attack.
"I must be hallucinating."
Leon felt his brain short-circuit. Everything that had happened today was already beyond belief. Viruses and bio-weapons could at least be explained by science. But what was with Ethan? How could a seemingly ordinary person catch such a terrifying punch?
Was he secretly a robot?
What was even more unbelievable was what came next. The Tyrant tried to pull its arm back but was firmly locked in Ethan's grip, completely unable to break free.
Then, Ethan twisted his body, using the momentum to execute a clean over-the-shoulder throw.
CRASH!
Looking at the large pit smashed into the ground and the debris scattered everywhere, Leon felt that if it had been him taking that hit, not a single bone in his body would have remained intact.
In reality, everyone else was thinking the same—except for Selene. Ethan, on the other hand, wasn't concerned with any of that. He was still assessing his own strength.
"It seems... my strength is a bit greater than I originally estimated."
He had rushed in and chosen to engage the Tyrant in hand-to-hand combat to test his own physical condition.
Ever since he strengthened his body, he had been training diligently. He knew he had surpassed human limits, but he wasn't sure by how much.
He had once thought he was still a long way from Captain America's level. Looking at it now, that estimate seemed fairly accurate.
When Captain America had just been enhanced, he could lift a heavy motorcycle with three people on it above his head. Later, perhaps through training, his hidden potential had been fully unlocked. At that point, Captain America could even pull down a helicopter trying to take off.
Ethan had just caught the Tyrant's attack and casually thrown it over his shoulder. Compared to that, it wasn't anything too crazy. After all, this thing couldn't even crush Leon, an ordinary human (?), with a single swipe.
Ignoring the stares from the others—who now looked at him like he was the real monster—Ethan noticed the Tyrant, though not seriously harmed, was beginning to climb out of the pit. He immediately rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick, sending it sprawling back down.
Then he stepped on the Tyrant's body and began punching its head repeatedly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each punch landed with a dull, heavy thud. The sound alone made it clear how forceful the strikes were. But despite that, the attacks seemed to do nothing more than tickle the Tyrant, unable to deal any real damage.
"It seems my strength, while far beyond normal, still isn't enough to deal effective damage to a bio-weapon of this level."
After testing for a while, Ethan gained a clearer understanding of his current condition.
Physical attributes like strength and agility might show noticeable improvement, but without real combat, it was difficult to gauge how far one had advanced. After confirming his limits, Ethan decided not to waste time anymore.
He jumped off the Tyrant, which was already recovering. Letting out a furious roar, the monster rose once again. Several parts of its restraint coat flew off, indicating it was ready to enter a berserk state—shedding its restraints to unleash its full power and tear Ethan apart.
Unfortunately, Ethan wouldn't give it that chance. This wasn't a boxing ring where fair duels were expected. While the Tyrant was still roaring and raging, Ethan had already begun gathering his magic power.
"There's no magical energy to draw on in this world. It really is a magic-less world."
That didn't mean magic couldn't be used. As long as a mage had their own magic power or carried magic-infused items, they could still cast spells.
However, once consumed, magic couldn't be replenished here. The rate at which one's own magic power recovered depended entirely on the individual mage's strength.
Ethan's chosen path of training allowed him, if he reached the later stages, to become a self-generating source of magic power. This made it the most suitable path for a mage who traveled between different worlds.
This form of training had another advantage. Since the magic was generated purely by his spirit, the casting and control were far superior to ordinary mages. Using magic became like using his own limbs—practically instinctual. Complex incantations or casting gestures could be omitted. Even spells he hadn't fully mastered could be cast with just a bit more time.
Magic quickly gathered in Ethan's outstretched hand, and under his control, it transformed into a blazing ball of fire. Once fully formed, the orange-red fireball flew straight into the Tyrant's face, exploding with intense heat. The monster's head and neck were blown to pieces, and its massive body collapsed to the ground.
As the Tyrant fell, the police station lobby descended into a dead silence. Ethan walked over for a quick look, collected some samples, then turned back to see Leon and the others staring at him with even stranger expressions than before.
"Let me reintroduce myself." Seeing the odd looks from Leon and Claire, and Sherry's wide, curious eyes, Ethan spread his hands. "I'm Ethan, a passing mage."
(To be continued.)
***
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