Sora stood in the middle of the forest, his breathing steady, the air around him thick with mana. The early m sunlight filtered through the trees, casting shifting patterns of light on the grouh him. He had been tinuously eling all his Martial Titan skills since he'd read the skills description, flooding his muscles and bones with mana, reinf them as much as possible. He could feel the subtle shifts within his body—his bones hardening, his muscles being denser and more respo it wasn't enough. He wanted more.

  He absorbed mana at a crazed rate, pulling from the abundant ambient energy around him, pressing it within his body to speed up the f process. It was something most pyers couldn't do, not at the pace he ushing. But his innate skill, his [Mana Evolution], had evolved his mana trol and quality to a level where abs and refining mana was sed nature. Every breath, every beat of his heart, was in sync with the energy swirling inside him.

  An hour passed like this—Sora's body stantly abs and refining mana, driving the [Bone f] and [Muscle f] skills to their limits. His bones felt strohan steel, and his muscles buzzed with newfound strength and resilience. Yet, after an hour of relentless effort, something ged.

  He stopped, feeling a sudden bloo matter how much he tried to push the mana further, to guide it into his bones and muscles, his body simply refused to absorb more. It was as if he'd hit some kind of invisible barrier. He attempted to force it for a moment longer, but his body's resistance remaieadfast.

  Sora took a deep breath, stepping bad letting the tension ease from his frame. "I've hit a limit," he muttered to himself. His mind raced with questions. Limits?

  'This is iing. How do i break this limit now ?' he thought to himself

  Sora had a lingering curiosity about the nature of these limits. He dismissed the questions for now and shifted his attention to something else—the energy he had been accumuting.

  He closed his eyes and focused inward, feeling for the pool of Titan Energy he had been refining. The dense energy swirled within him, stored and waiting for the moment he would . However, just like with his muscles and bohere . He couldn't add more. The energy was at its peak.

  "So, it's time..." he whispered to himself, excitement building. He had been stag and refining this energy for this exaent—to break through the first of his body's limits. This would take him beyond the current cap his body had imposed, opening the door to eveer strength.

  Sora stood and braced himself, pulling the Titan Energy from deep within his dantian and cirg it throughout his body. The instant the energy moved, a searing pain shot through him, like molten va c through his veins. His muscles tensed and his bones felt as if they were crag uhe immense pressure. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his body trembled.

  He ched his fists, feeling the energy smming into his bones and muscles, trying to break through the invisible barrier that had held him back. It wasn't just the pain—it was the sheer force of the energy pushing against his physical limits, straining his body to the point where it felt like it might tear apart at any moment.

  "This is... intense," he gritted through ched teeth.

  Sora felt the pain intensify, his vision blurring for a moment. But his body held firm, thanks to the foundation he had built. He couldn't help but think about how much more dangerous this would have been if he hadn't already tempered his body with the training gear every time he could.

  He was used to equipping the gear because he knew his body would g behind if he didn't train it as his level grew. Since his leveling speed rose to such extreme speeds, the settings of his training gear was already pushed to the extreme.

  Even with the guidance of the css, there was no guarantee of success in breaking through these kinds of limits. A failure could result in crippling injury, or worse—death.

  But Sora had something else w in his favor: his talent in mana manipution.

  Csses acted as guides, eling a pyer's mana in specific ways, but someoh exceptional trol over mana could take those skills further. Sora's [Mana Evolution],had sharpened his mana sense and trol to a high degree. It meant he could apply the skills more precisely and effitly than others. This increased his odds of success.

  As the Titan Energy surged through his body, Sora adjusted its flow, using his superior mana trol to guide it more carefully.

  He trated on the energy attag the limiters in his bones and muscles, visualizing it breaking down the barriers piece by piece.

  Slowly but surely, the pain began to subside—not because it was lessening, but because his body ting, adjusting to the immense pressure.

  Minutes passed, though it felt like hours. Then, suddenly, he felt a shift. A crack. The limit within his body shattered, releasing a flood of energy that rushed through him like a tidal wave.

  His bones and muscles seemed to expand and tract at once, adapting to their new potential. The pain vanished, repced by a sense of overwhelming strength.

  Sora let out a slow breath, his entire body buzzing with newfound power. "That... was amazing," he muttered, g and ung his fists.

  His muscles felt denser, stronger, more alive. Even his bones felt different—more solid, more resilient. He flexed his arm experimentally, marveling at the fluid power now c through him.

  He had do. He had broken through his limit for the first time.

  Sora sat back down on the ground, letting the adrenaline drain from his body. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his limbs felt heavy, but there was no mistaking it—he was signifitly stronger now.

  His muscles felt tighter, stronger, and more responsive. His bones, once ag with the pressure of the [Bone f], now felt like they could withstand immense force. The ambient mana that surrounded him was no longer resisting—it was flowing naturally into his body, fueling him.

  Hiyoko, perched fortably on his shoulder, chirped softly, its head tilted curiously as it watched Sora. The little bird's feathers fluffed up as if sensing the ge in Sora's aura. It hopped slightly, nudging Sora's neck with its beak.

  Sora chuckled, gently rubbing Hiyoko's tiny head with a finger. "You're just as curious as I am, huh?" he said with a grin. "Let's see what I do now."

  He didn't want to test his newfound power with mana or skills just yet—he wao rely purely on his physical strength, to see how far this new css had taken him. He could already feel the differehe weight of power in his muscles and bones. But the only real way to measure it was through bat.

  "Let's find something big," he muttered, feeling a thrill of anticipation. Hiyoko chirped softly from his shoulder, the little bird sensing the shift in Sora's mood.

  He activated his [Monster radar], sing the area for something challenging. He wasn't looking for an easy fight. His level might have been 38, but with the raw strength of the Martial Titan css, he needed something that would push him to the limit. A level 45 beast caught his attention. It wasn't an easy target; before this css, fighting something like that would've been impossible.

  Perfect.

  The target was a Grathorn, a hulking creature resembling a rhinoceros, but twice the size and covered in jagged, stone-like armor. Its head was adorned with two massive horns, which it used to gore and charge at enemies. It was known for its overwhelming physical strength and endurance—a beast that relied on brute force, just like Sora wao.

  As he made his way toward the Grathorn, Sora deliberately blocked off his mana flow. No mana would reinforce his body, no skills would assist him—except for Titan Regeion, which he kept active to heal any damage his body took. This was going to be a pure test of strength.

  When the Grathorn spotted him, it let out a deep, rumbling growl. Its massive hooves dug into the ground as it lowered its head, ready to charge. Sora ched his fists, feeling his bones and muscles tense, and braced for the impact.

  The Grathorn barreled toward him with a deafening roar, its enormous weight and speed making the ground tremble beh it. Sora stood his ground, waiting until the st possible sed. Just as the beast's horns were about to impale him, he leaped to the side, barely dodging the attack.

  The Grathorn skidded to a halt, turning quickly to face Sain. He dashed forward, pnting his feet firmly and throwing a punch with all his strength into the side of the creature. His fist ected with the creature's stone-like armor, and a shockwave ran up his arm from the impact. It hurt. A lot.

  But the Grathor it too. It staggered slightly, the force of Sora's punch disrupting its bance, but it quickly recovered. Before Sora could move out of the way, the beast swung its massive head, smming into Sora with one of its horns. The blow sent him flying, crashing into the ground several meters away.

  Sroaned, pain shooting through his side. He felt something crack—a rib, maybe more. His body screamed in agony, but Titan Regeion kicked in, and he could feel his bones already starting to knit themselves back together.

  The Grathorn charged again. Sritted his teeth, standing up despite the pain. His body ached, but he wasn't do. He dodged another charge, feeling the wind whip past him as the beast's horns missed him by inches. He retaliated with another punch, this time aiming for the beast's legs. The blow was solid, and the Grathorn stumbled, letting out a pained roar.

  But Sora wasn't fast enough. The Grathorn shed out with its front leg, catg Sora square in the chest and sending him tumbling again. This time, he felt the unmistakable craore bones breaking—his forearm, maybe a couple more ribs. He gasped, struggling to breathe as his body writhed in pain. Blood dripped from his mouth, but he refused to stop.

  Titan Regeion worked tirelessly, slowly repairing the damage, but it wasn't immediate. He still felt every break, every bruise, but he pushed through the pain. Sora khat this fight was more than a test of strength—it was about endurance, about how much his body could take.

  The Grathorn, clearly wounded but far from defeated, charged at him again. This time, Sora stood his ground. He knew he couldn't keep dodging forever. As the beast lunged, Sora pnted his feet and thrust both hands out, catg the Grathorn's horns with all his might.

  The impact was brutal. Sora's arms screamed in pain, his bohreatening to shatter uhe pressure. But he held firm, digging his heels into the dirt, using every ounce of strength his newly tempered muscles and bones could provide. The Grathorn pushed against him, trying to force him back, but Srunted and pushed back with equal force.

  For a moment, it was a deadlock—man versus beast, both straining against the other with raw, unfiltered power. Sora's muscles burned, his bones ached, but he kept pushing. Slowly, inch by inch, he began to force the Grathorn back.

  With a roar of defiance, Sora twisted the beast's head to the side, throwing it off bahe Grathorn stumbled, and Sora seized the opportunity. He charged forward, driving his fist into the beast's unprotected side, targeting the softer tissue between its armored ptes. This time, the impact was different. The Grathorn howled in pain, its massive body colpsing to the ground.

  Sora stood over the beast, breathing heavily, blood trig from the ers of his mouth. His entire body was battered and bruised, and he could feel the sharp sting of broken bones mending themselves. But he had do. He had taken down a level 45 beast with nothing but his raw physical strength.

  He fell to one knee, exhausted, but victorious.

  Titan Regeion worked overtime, healing the worst of his injuries. His ribs were already starting to feel less painful, and his muscles, torn and overstrained from the fight, were slowly repairing themselves. Hiyoko fluttered down from a nearby tree, nding softly on his shoulder.

  "Not bad, huh?" Sora muttered, wing as his body tio heal.

  Hiyoko chirped, seemingly impressed with Sora's performahough the little bird's eyes showed for its master's injuries.

  Sora wiped the sweat from his brow, gng down at the fallen Grathorn. It was dead. But he khat the fight would have been much easier if he had used his mana. He had held it back, testing only his body—the strength of his bohe power of his muscles.

  If he had amplified his body with mana, if he had used his items, his skills, he could've probably fought a level 52 or 53 beast. But that wasn't the point of today's test.

  Today was about the Martial Titan css. And today, Sora had proven that his body alone was a on of immense power.