A deafening boom shattered the silence.

  Lance was launched like a rogue kinetic shell, hurling over two hundred meters through the air before slamming violently into a distant hillside.

  Solid rock crumbled instantly. The impact carved out a crater over ten meters wide—a strike carrying a kinetic force likely exceeding a hundred tons. Under that terrifying momentum, Lance's body, already charred black by the lightning strike, disintegrated into a blur of ruined flesh and gore.

  If he were a standard Awakened, that level of devastating force would have turned him into dust, killing him beyond any hope of revival.

  But then, the nightmare began.

  Inside the deep crater, the pile of charred remains began to writhe violently. Countless fleshy fibers wove together in the empty air, knitting bone and muscle with frantic speed. A fresh, new hand burst from the earth, clawing deeply into the ground. Like a demon crawling back from the deepest pit of hell, Lance slowly stood up.

  His skin was crystalline, possessing the sheen of white jade. The horrific injuries from moments ago had vanished without a trace.

  Though his beast-hide combat suit was now total scrap, Lance had no time to worry about modesty.

  "Without the Undying God-Body, I’d have been toast—literally."

  Lance glanced into the distance, his heart still hammering against his ribs. The giant egg, having been bathed in thunder, now pulsed with a deep, abyssal light. It looked like a black hole, devouring every photon around it.

  A wave of intense starvation washed over him. Lance felt weaker than he ever had in his life. The physical reconstruction was complete, but his internal energy reserves had been squeezed dry. The Alchemy Potions he had stored were completely exhausted.

  System Alert: Alchemy Potion energy reserve consumed: 9,850 days.

  Warning: Source Mana reserves dropped by 90%! Current Balance: 0 days!

  Scan Complete: Total body damage repaired.

  System Alert: Evolutionary Compensation triggered from Near-Death Loop. Constitution (CON) +100! Current CON: 212!

  Congratulations: Your Rank has advanced to Silver Tier, Rank 2!

  Three consecutive notifications exploded in his mind, causing Lance's pupils to constrict.

  It had drained his entire reserve in a split second! If the damage had been just a fraction heavier, he wouldn't have even lived long enough to trigger the Evolutionary Compensation.

  "Fate didn't want me dead. And that payout? Totally worth it."

  Lance inhaled sharply, activating the Titanium War Art to siphon Aether Particles from the surrounding air to restore his stamina. However, without the boost from Alchemy Potions, this purely physical recovery method was agonizingly slow. It would take at least three or four hours to return to peak condition.

  "In this world, even with an Undying God-Body, I can't get cocky."

  He kept a wary eye on the energy-guzzling egg hundreds of meters away, mocking himself internally. Those protagonists in ancient texts who courted death daily yet never died? They probably had some kind of causality-level luck or plot armor. He clearly didn't have that luxury.

  System Alert: Life Blueprint Exploits Reconstruction Program complete! Your Contract Beast is hatching.

  Estimated Hatching Time: < 5 Hours.

  "Huh? No stats on the reconstructed species?"

  Lance paused. It seemed he would have to wait for the hatching process to finish before knowing what kind of monster the giant egg had evolved into after the Reconstruction Program.

  "It was originally a descendant of the Silverlight Tyrant. After the System's reconstruction, theoretically, it should evolve into a top-tier Dragon-bloodline Void Beast." Expectation filled Lance's eyes. Dragon-type Void Beasts were synonymous with physical dominance.

  "Wait. Since Alchemy Potions are refined from high-tier beast meat, shouldn't eating high-energy beast meat directly speed up my energy conversion?"

  A lightbulb went off in his head. Lance bolted toward the carcass of the Void Raptor not far away. He ripped off a bloody chunk of raw meat with his bare hands, then skillfully used his Battle Aura to strike wood against stone, igniting a massive bonfire in the middle of the wilderness.

  He didn't care if the fire attracted monsters. Director Raymond had made it clear: the highest threat level in this zone was Tier 3, with Tier 4 existences being virtually non-existent. With his current Constitution (CON) and the Undying God-Body, unless he ran into a Gold Rank powerhouse capable of atomizing him instantly, he was practically immortal.

  Besides, the gravitational pressure radiating from the giant egg had already scared off all the low-level predators.

  "No idea how long this wait will be."

  Lance skewered several steaks—each larger than his own torso—on thick branches and roasted them over the roaring flames. The firelight was stark against the black night, like a lonely island in a sea of darkness.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Twenty minutes later, the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

  "Tsk. As expected of a peak Tier 2 Void Beast. The energy density is insane."

  Lance took a massive bite. Rich juices mixed with violent biological energy exploded in his mouth.

  "Perfect!"

  He began to eat voraciously. Miraculously, as soon as the high-energy meat hit his stomach, the Undying God-Body's innate metabolic system converted it into a pure stream of energy. He felt absolutely no bloating or fullness.

  After finishing one steak, his stamina had recovered to ninety percent.

  He buried his head in the food, devouring three more steaks. Not only did his stamina return to its peak, but the User Status Panel also showed a new change.

  System Alert: External energy source detected. Energy Storage: 30 Days.

  "So, this is the hidden passive of the Undying God-Body—Cellular Energyization. It doesn't just devour flesh to heal injuries; it solidifies and stores the excess energy."

  Lance smirked. He was basically a human-shaped, self-charging battery!

  He didn't stop there. He swept through the remaining dozen giant steaks. By the time he had picked the Void Raptor leader clean, his energy reserve had climbed to over seven hundred days.

  However, he also discovered a drawback: the energy converted from primitive eating was far less pure than refined Alchemy Potions. In the heat of combat, using this energy to repair blood and injuries would be a hundred times slower than using potions.

  "Ordinary beast meat works as an emergency reserve, but for true high-efficiency repair, I still need to get my hands on high-grade Alchemy Potions." Lance wiped the grease from his mouth and finally stopped eating.

  Lance's eyes glinted sharp.

  He knew the score. If he could get his hands on high-tier—or even Legendary—Alchemy Potions and boost them via the System's War Art Reconstruction, his combat sustain and regeneration speed would become downright disgusting.

  Calming his mind, Lance slipped back into meditation, running the Titanium War Art at full throttle.

  System Alert: Constitution (CON) +1!

  System Alert: Constitution (CON) +1!

  ...

  With his rank advancement, the cultivation boost from the Elemental Saint Body had doubled. Now, he gained 3 points of Constitution in just twenty minutes. That calculated out to a massive 9 points per hour.

  If he kept up this high-intensity meditation—no eating, drinking, or sleeping—he could skyrocket his stats by over 210 points in a single day. That was practically skipping two minor realms of power.

  By around 1:00 AM, Lance's Constitution had climbed to 248.

  He mentally commanded the pale blue UI to open:

  User Status Panel

  Name: Lance

  Reconstruction Quota: 3/3 (Daily quota refreshed)

  Current Rank: Silver Tier, Rank 2

  Constitution (CON): 248 (1 CON = 300kg Explosive Force)

  Soul: 5

  Traits:

  Undying God-Body (SSS-Rank): Max CON +300%, Soul Resilience +300%.

  Elemental Saint Body (SS-Rank): Aether Affinity +3000, Cultivation Speed +3000.

  Titanium War Body (C-Rank): Move Speed +300%, Defense +500%.

  War Arts:

  Titanium War Art (Rank-4, Perfect): Cultivation Rate +300%.

  Titanium Collapse Fist (Rank-4, Perfect): Physical Destruction +400%.

  Lance eyed the reset Reconstruction Quota. Just as he was about to close the panel, a crisp cracking sound snapped near his ear.

  Crrrack—!

  The sound echoed like thunder in his skull. Lance whipped his head around. The massive, dark egg was fracturing, a web of spider-cracks spreading across its surface with visible speed!

  BOOM!!!

  With an earth-shattering explosion, countless shards of black shell blasted outward, carried by a violent Aether Particle storm.

  ROAR—!!!

  A dragon's cry, seemingly from an ancient abyss, pierced the void. Lance watched in shock as a black, three-headed dragon rose from the ruins. It stood twenty meters tall, its wingspan stretching over forty meters wide.

  Roar! Roar! Roar!

  The three colossal heads howled at the sky in unison. A terrifying bloodline pressure swept across the wilderness in a shockwave. Within a thousand miles, every creature—carnivore or herbivore—collapsed in terror, trembling under an aura that rivaled a Planetary Energy Anomaly.

  System Announcement: Congratulations Host on obtaining SSS-Rank Contract Beast—Infernal Cerberus-Dragon!

  Rank: Gold Tier - Low

  Loyalty: 100% (Force-bound by System Reconstruction Program)

  Lance couldn't help but grin at the notification.

  "Born at Gold Rank? That two-hundred-million-credit exploit potential is terrifying. SSS-Rank talent plus absolute loyalty? It’s the perfect war machine."

  A Gold Tier - Low beast could easily tear apart a human Gold Rank warrior. Even a high-stage Gold Rank expert wouldn't last more than a few rounds against such pure bloodline suppression.

  Roar—!

  The three-headed dragon spotted Lance. Its crimson eyes flashed with excitement. The massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Then, acting like a puppy seeing its master, it began wagging a tail large enough to shatter mountains.

  Despite being seven stories tall and looking absolutely nightmare-inducing, its eyes held a goofy, innocent look completely at odds with its size. It was clearly still a baby.

  "You've got presence. Since you're pitch black, I'll call you 'Noir'." Lance decided on the spot.

  Groan...

  Noir's middle head made a pathetic face, as if protesting his master's terrible naming sense. Lance ignored him.

  However, looking at the mountain-sized creature, Lance frowned.

  "Your potential is perfect, but you're too big. Taking you back to the Federation Interstellar Marketplace or the city would attract attention from Duke-level Consortiums. You'll have to stay in the wilderness until I get my own Private Interstellar Spaceship."

  Roar!

  Noir panicked.

  Humm—!

  Thick black mist erupted from his pores, enveloping his massive frame. Lance watched in shock as the mist compressed rapidly.

  Seconds later, the fog cleared. A tiny three-headed dragon, no bigger than a fist, sat obediently on the ground.

  "You came with Form Mimicry? The genetic reconstruction really covered everything!"

  Lance's Eyes widened. He scooped little Noir into his palm.

  Awoo!

  The little guy rolled around excitedly in Lance's hand. Ignoring the three heads, he looked just like a slightly unique black lizard.

  "Since you can shrink, you can come with me."

  Lance smiled, placing Noir on his shoulder.

  He checked his User Status Panel. The Reconstruction Quota had reset, but he had nothing urgent to fix. With half a day left in the Federal Unified Exam, he decided to move. Noir had cleared all threats within twenty kilometers, so he needed a new hunting ground.

  However, less than ten minutes after Lance left the basin, a behemoth silently arrived.

  It was a giant wolf wreathed in ghostly blue flames, over thirty meters long. The ground scorched beneath its paws. This was the true overlord of this wilderness—a Gold Rank Void Beast, the Blaze Demon Wolf.

  Roar—!

  Sniffing the lingering aura of a True Dragon bloodline, the Blaze Demon Wolf's violent, slit pupils flashed with extreme greed.

  It felt it. The sweet scent of a dragon whelp. If it could devour that hatchling, it could break its genetic shackles and evolve into something far more terrifying.

  Boom!

  It shattered the earth beneath it, turning into a fiery red blur as it frantically tracked Lance's trail.