Chapter 4: Opening the Space-Time Gate!
There were many private farms in the Lighthouse Country (USA). The day after placing the order, a healthy and live Belgian Blue bull was delivered from a nearby farm.
Looking at the muscular beast in front of him, one bulkier than a professional bodybuilder. It exuded a terrifying aura of pressure, though it was just standing still. In terms of size alone, this Belgian Blue was about 30% larger than an average beef cattle, with an extremely high muscle content, far beyond its peers. Its endurance and strength were both remarkable. Naturally, the price was also much higher than that of ordinary beef cattle.
Rhodes reached out and placed his hand on the bull.
“This is the first time I’m making an exchange with a live creature. Not sure if it’ll work.”
A burst of light radiated from his palm. The Belgian Blue bull began to dissolve, first its flesh to bones, then its organs, and eventually, its soul was offered. The entire process was over in an instant, without any pain.
As the bull was exchanged, Rhodes immediately felt a powerful force surging into his body from thin air. With every breath, his strength increased. After a few minutes, the explosive growth of strength finally stabilized.
Rhodes opened his eyes and slowly clenched his fists. He felt his power had increased to an outrageous level.
“My clothes… they’re smaller now.”
He looked down at his pants, which had become noticeably shorter. Rhodes had already been over 1.8 meters tall. After trading the bull, his height had shot up to over 1.9 meters. Even by Lighthouse Country standards, that was impressive.
Rhodes took off his shirt and walked into the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror—
His chiseled facial features and rugged lines were visible. His physique now had perfect proportions: broad shoulders, narrow waist, and every inch of his body radiated raw power. A thick aura of testosterone surrounded him, as if defining what a real man should be. The bit of fat on his abdomen had now turned into clearly defined abs—like he had been working out in the gym for over a decade. His body was packed with well-developed, rock-solid muscles, like a bull, lean and powerful. Just looking at him evoked an oppressive sense of strength.
Rhodes rubbed his chin, suddenly feeling like a character out of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Jotaro Kujo.
Just from exchanging the Belgian Blue, not only did he gain a powerful physique, but he also awakened a special ability:
As he silently activated the ability, his body trembled. The next second, it felt like an air pump was inflating his blood vessels—blood surged violently. His heartbeat thundered like war drums, growing faster and louder. Looking into the mirror, Rhodes saw bloodshot eyes, and his skin gradually turned red. His muscles swelled like balloons. In the blink of an eye, his height shot up to about two meters.
But in exchange, his rationality started to fade, replaced by an uncontrollable, beast-like fury. Eventually, his bloated body returned to its original form. Rhodes gasped for breath, aching all over. In just those few minutes, he felt like half his stamina was already gone.
While in Berserk mode, his physical abilities increased exponentially, his strength and defense rose to two or even three times their normal state. In return, though, his reasoning became severely impaired, and his stamina consumption skyrocketed. After using Berserk, there was also a 30-minute period of buffer.
Despite the drawbacks, it was a powerful trump card that could turn the tide in critical moments. However, with his current strength, he could only maintain the Berserk state for up to ten minutes before burning out completely. So, this ability could only be used strategically.
“With my current power, I should be able to explore the other side of the space-time gate.”
Feeling the growth in strength, Rhodes’s confidence soared. Though he didn’t know what awaited beyond the gate, he was confident that even if there was danger, he could come back alive. Still, to be safe, he decided to prepare thoroughly.
In the Lighthouse Country, firearms are mostly legal, though purchasing them requires a permit and a firearm license. Rhodes just happened to have both.
He drove to a gun store and bought one of every kind of gun: pistols, shotguns, automatic rifles, sniper rifles. He also purchased several boxes of ammunition of various calibers, a machete, combat knives, tactical clothing, and tossed everything into his personal storage space.
After all, there was no legal limit on the number of guns he could own. However, after purchasing, he still needed to register them with the authorities.
Rhodes also wanted to stockpile grenades, but unfortunately, those were military-grade items and couldn’t be bought through normal means, so he had to give up on that idea.
After spending half a day, he packed everything he might need into his storage. Then, he took a nap to fully recover his energy.
Rhodes called his teacher and asked for a three-day leave. After confirming everything was in order, he took a deep breath and opened the space-time gate.
As the gate opened, a semi-ethereal spatial rift appeared before him. Holding a double-barreled shotgun, Rhodes slowly stepped into the space-time gate.