The cold sensation of the water sent a soothing feeling through Kael’s body as he dove in. In his past life, he had taken so swimming lessons.
As for exposing himself to the little girl—he was a child now, and honestly, he didn’t care. His only concern at the mont was to test the true extent of his strength and gather information about the power dynamics of this world.
Another thing was the childishness of this body. It contradicted his personality, but Kael knew better than to fight it. The best course of action was to go with the flow. Eventually, it would stop, and he would fully synchronize with this childlike form.
He also needed to understand where he was heading and the size of this world.
The surface of the water rippled as it split apart, revealing Kael’s head. His wet hair clung to his face, accentuating his sharp features. The girl standing by a nearby tree watched in stunned silence.
"He’s going to be so handso..." she thought in shock as Kael walked out of the water.
"My clothes... even after washing them, they still stink," Kael muttered, standing naked as water dripped from his body onto the ground.
"I... I... I..." The girl stamred, quickly looking down.
Sigh... Kael vanished, reappearing atop a tree.
"Is she broken?" he wondered as he observed her reaction.
"I... I’ll go get so clothes for you to wear!" she blurted out before turning and dashing toward her village.
"She should hurry. This is a good opportunity to think about my next steps," Kael murmured.
Minutes later, Kael heard approaching footsteps. The girl soon reappeared, holding a set of clothes.
"Hey... I brought the clothes! Where are you?" she called out, looking around but unable to spot Kael.
"Drop them on the ground and turn around," Kael instructed. The girl hesitated for a mont before quickly following his command.
Kael changed swiftly, observing her reaction.
"Well, looks like you were the only one who was shy," he thought as he finished dressing.
He now wore a casual shirt and leather trousers. Unlike modern clothing, these garnts were unique, seemingly strong, and made of unfamiliar materials.
"Done," Kael said.
The girl turned around. "Haya... let’s go to the village then," she said, her voice slightly unsteady. She turned back and began walking, her mind racing with thoughts and her heart pounding.
Kael followed calmly, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings. He noticed insects, but they were so weak that he hadn’t even sensed them until he saw them with his eyes. Checking their stats...
Nothing.
Either they were so insignificant that his All Seer ability didn’t bother generating traits for them, or they simply had none.
After a few minutes, a towering gray wall ca into view. It was at least eight ters tall. Kael imdiately noticed a shift in the air—what had been dense and fulfilling was now thinner, less nourishing.
The change in scenery was striking. The dense forest gave way to an open expanse with flowing rivers, scattered bushes, and the massive wall standing as a defensive barrier. Even the scent in the air was different—less pure, more artificial.
"Welco to my ho... Wait, what’s your na?" The girl suddenly realized she didn’t even know Kael’s na.
"Kael," he replied simply.
The girl smiled. "I’m Ailey."
As they reached the gate, Ailey placed her palm on its surface. A chanical sound echoed as the massive structure slowly opened.
Kael watched calmly. Things are not always what they seem... he thought as he took in the sight beyond the gate.
A civilization.
Buildings, both high and small, spread across the landscape. Their architectural style leaned toward dieval, yet the materials used were unlike anything Kael had ever seen—even the wall itself was made from sothing unfamiliar.
"Good morning, Ailey!"
"Where did you run off to again?"
"Oh? Who’s that boy?"
"He’s cute... Do you like him?"
As soon as they entered, villagers—mostly won—greeted Ailey warmly while teasing her.
Ailey’s face burned with embarrassnt as she frowned. "Sisters! Not like that!" she huffed, her puffed cheeks making her look even cuter. The won burst into laughter.
"Follow ," Ailey said hurriedly, eager to escape the teasing. Kael followed.
"Good morning," he greeted as they passed.
"Good morning, handso young man," the ladies responded with giggles.
The village layout intrigued Kael. There were no paved roads, but the organized structure was impressive. He spotted farrs, blacksmiths, and even soldiers clad in unique armor.
Everything was new to him.
Another thing stood out—everyone seed to know Ailey. She greeted nearly everyone they passed. That ant one of two things: either she was an exceptionally kind and friendly girl, or she was the daughter of soone important.
Kael leaned toward the latter.
Finally, they arrived at a large mansion, its surface gleaming under the sunlight.
"Dad is inside. He wants to et you... Let’s go," Ailey said with a smile. Kael nodded and followed her inside.
As soon as they entered, Kael’s gaze sharpened.
Two beings stood guard, imdiately drawing his attention. Their presence made him raise an eyebrow.
They were at the Evolved Realm—just like the Tikhopper he had seen earlier. However, these two were at the middle level.
From his observations so far, every realm of strength seed to have four sublevels:
Low → Middle → High → Peak.
"Your father said you should et him at the arena," one of the guards inford them.
Ailey nodded with a smile and pushed open a door.
Inside the house, strange symbols and artifacts decorated the halls. Finally, they arrived at a vast open training area.
Ailey and Kael saw a middle-aged man practicing with a massive sword, at least two ters long.
A giant sword indeed.
"Dad, I brought Kael!" Ailey said sweetly.
The man stopped mid-swing, turning to look at them.
Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He’s buffed.
Muscles threatened to burst from the man’s form, his sheer presence radiating strength.
"Young man, who are you?" the man asked, his voice firm.
At that mont, a terrifying aura descended upon Kael. It wasn’t directed at Ailey, but she still felt her body tremble with fear, instinctively taking a step back.
"Dad...!" Ailey called out in concern, but her father rely glanced at her.
Kael remained unfazed. Calmly, he activated his ability.
All Seer.
Na: ???
Rank: Evolved (Peak)
Concept: None (Shard 14/100 of Strength Shard)
Ability: Howl of Strength – Multiplies overall strength by five tis.
Kael’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly, he analyzed the information.
This man... was strong.
But still, he was just like the Tikhopper... and would break if Kael attacked him.
Kael wondered how he could stop this battle without killing the man.
"Don’t make repeat myself. Who are you?" the man asked. He could feel a terrifying aura radiating from Kael, making his expression turn serious.
"Kael... I’m at the Awakener Realm. You know what that ans, right?" Kael asked lightly as he observed the man keenly.
The man’s weapon slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the ground as he instinctively backed away in fright.
"You... you’re an Awakener?" the man stamred in shock.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Dad, are you okay?" Ailey rushed to her father’s side and hugged him.
"Maybe... Ailey, go outside. Let talk with Kael," the man said, still shaken.
Ailey nodded, hesitating for a mont as she stared at Kael before walking out.
"Let’s cut the long story short. I’m just passing through, and as you know, I’ve just awakened... and got transported here. I need information," Kael demanded.
The man gulped before nodding. "Yes... right away."
Taking a deep breath, he began explaining.
"It’s like this. In the Realm of War, there are multiple lands spread across its vast territory, but the entire realm is divided into subsections—each more terrifying than the last. Right now, you are in the Low Lands. This is where the strongest beings are at the Evolved Realm. Those beyond this realm rely pass through on their way to the Middle Lands.
"As an Awakener, you are a terrifying force. The ranks go as follows:
1. Elite Beings
2. Commander-Level Beings
3. Legendary Beings
4. Evolved Beings
5. Awakeners
"The difference is that Awakeners already possess Concepts, aning they have transcended into a higher existence. By now, you should have noticed how sturdy the ground is—that’s the nature of the Realm of War. To destroy the land itself, one must be at the Demigod Realm, which grants the power to destroy entire clusters of stars.
"After the Awakener Realm cos the Demigod Realm, and beyond that is the God Realm. That is all I know," the man concluded.
Kael pondered deeply.
Simply put, he was at the very beginning of becoming a terrifying existence. Then he recalled sothing—only a few beings had reached the Awakener Realm because they already possessed Concepts. Others had to start from the Elite Realm, gradually collecting Shards at the Evolved Realm. Once they accumulated one hundred shards, they would form an Orb of Concept.
"But how do they collect shards?" Kael wondered.
"How do you collect shards?" he asked, puzzled.
The man answered, "It’s like this... Using your ability naturally grants you Shards, though in very small amounts—less than one per use. You would have to use it repeatedly over a long period. However, every ability use affects a being differently. So beco weak, so drained, while others can use their abilities multiple tis without strain.
"But the most effective way to gain Shards is by killing beings related to your Concept. However, you can only have one Concept..." the man explained before trailing off as he noticed Kael’s expressionless face.
He couldn’t tell what Kael was thinking, but at that mont, Kael was stunned.
Others were only ant to have one Concept, yet he had three.
Wasn’t he an anomaly?
And not just that—he was lucky. If terrifying beings had realized a single entity possessed three Concepts, rather than three separate beings holding them, things would have beco much more... interesting.
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