The Fastest Evolution of the Unrivaled Slime: My Rejected Skill was a Cheat for Super Efficient Leveling, So I Trained 100 Times Faster to Become the World’s Strongest

182. Zanent’s Furious Assault [Side – Glen]

“Huh… W-Wait, Zanent-sama!? W-What are you—AAAGGGHHHHHHHH!!”

Zanent straddled the seaweed-haired man and began pummeling his face repeatedly.

The man let out bloodcurdling screams, but Zanent didn’t stop. This sudden, inexplicable onslaught left me paralyzed with fear.

“Wait! Stop! Ow, ow, ow!! What did I do wrong!? Please, tell me!!”

“Hmm? What are you talking about? This is love.”

“L-Love!?”

“That’s right. Are you rejecting my love? Impossible! True love lies beyond the pain!”

Shouting this, Zanent delivered a final, powerful blow to the seaweed-haired man and exhaled heavily.

The man was completely unconscious by then—understandable, considering he’d taken a thousand hits.

Any normal person would have lost their mind.

“…My skill is : my attack power grows with every punch.”

Zanent stood up, rotating his shoulders, and cast a glance at the fallen man.

“He served as a warm-up for my skill. In other words, he received the Fist of Love. And through love, I grow stronger.”

“…That just sounds like you’re justifying violence.”

“Silence. You took something precious from me. My brother, Matthew.”

At that moment, Zanent’s shoulders began trembling. Then, he roared.

“YOUUUU!! HOW DARE YOU KILL MY BROTHER!!”

“What is wrong with this guy… Is he out of his mind…?”

“My brother was much smarter than me! But he was far too frail! That’s why he died! This world is survival of the fittest!”

Zanent wiped his tears with his arm and fixed his sharp gaze on me. His overwhelming aura made me catch my breath.

“But you, the one who killed Matthew, I’ll never forgive! I’ll channel my love into vengeance and crush you with my fists!!”

In the next instant—Zanent vanished.

A giant like him disappearing? Impossible. I quickly scanned my surroundings. And then it hit me.

“Too slow. I’m amazed you made it this far.”

Zanent’s voice came from—behind me.

“What!?”

By the time I turned, it was too late. His fist was already hurtling toward my torso.

“!!”

If that hits me, I’m dead! Instinctively, I shoved my arm between his fist and my body.

’s effect hardened my arm, blocking the attack just in time.

The impact sent me flying into the wall.

“D-Damn… What is this guy…!?”

Even with ’s defense, my arm bore the mark of his punch, sizzling and emitting smoke.

That one strike hurled me across this vast room and into the wall. This wasn’t human strength—it was beyond reason.

“…Hmm. That’s impressively tough. It’s the first time something didn’t shatter after a thousand punches.”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one surprised—Zanent stared at his fist.

“I thought you were just a slow kid. But I’ll adjust my view: I’ll kill you with all I’ve got and offer it as a tribute to my brother!”

“Fine. In that case, I’ll go all out too!”

I pushed off the wall and charged at Zanent.

“!!”

Activating my skill, I felt a searing heat well up inside me, as if my heart were burning.

“Oh? So that’s your skill? This is getting exciting!”

Zanent launched his fists at me, and I retaliated with my own punches.

When our fists collided, the room shook with a deafening noise and tremors.

lasted five minutes. Activating it consecutively brought excruciating pain.

I had to finish this fight now.

But no matter how much I struck, I couldn’t find an opening in Zanent’s defenses!

“Is that all you’ve got? You’ve gotten a little faster, but it’s still far from enough!!”

Zanent grinned fiercely, his relentless attacks growing even stronger with his skill.

Fact was, in both power and speed, I was outmatched. How did he push his body to these limits!?

I felt my footing give way—I was being forced back.

Could not surpass him?

“That’s 1,500 punches! My fists are unstoppable now!!”

As our flurry of blows clashed, my anxiety grew.

At this rate… I’ll lose more than my life. Sarah will die too!

How do I turn this around!? I can’t bear to lose something precious again!

“RAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Zanent’s punches accelerated, and I lost my stance.

“Damn it—!”

“This ends now, Golem!!”

Zanent pressed his advantage, swatting away my counterattacks like they were nothing.

“This world is survival of the fittest!!”

Every one of my attacks was deflected, leaving me helpless.

“And you’ve lost to my fists!!”

His body blow landed squarely, slamming me into the ground and forming a massive crater.

“Blame your own weakness for this!!”

As my body rebounded off the floor, Zanent caught me midair and delivered a devastating blow.

I was flung against the wall again, collapsing to the ground.

It’s over. I can’t win.

The gap between us is too wide. Worse, his power keeps increasing.

Five minutes had passed, and had worn off. I had no way to turn this around.

All I could do was wait for death. It was frustrating, but I had no choice. My luck had run out.

“Stop! Don’t kill Glen!”

Standing before me was Sarah. I barely opened my eyes to see her blocking Zanent with outstretched arms.

“Sa…rah. R-Run…”

“I won’t run! We’re family, remember!?”

“F-Family…?”

“That’s right! We’re going to eat delicious food and see amazing places together!”

She grabbed my hand, tears streaming down her face.

Why is she standing up to Zanent? She must be terrified…

She should leave me and run. Why risk herself for me…?

…I see. It’s because we’re family. I’ve become precious to her too.

Sarah isn’t weak. She’s fighting to protect what matters to her.

If she can do that, then I can’t give up either.

“Huh…? What’s that light…?”

Zanent’s voice broke the silence.

I looked down to see a single ray of light emanating from where Sarah and I were holding hands.