Morning light spilled across Kaelen's room, soft and gold, cutting through the silence that followed his return from the Trial of Velzard. He lay there for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling — his thoughts not on the comfort of his bed, nor even on the fact that he had survived… but on her. The image of Velzard — proud, cold, unyielding — burned itself into his memory more vividly than any battle scar.
He finally rose, muscles tensing beneath skin that felt unfamiliar. The air felt lighter, his every breath deeper, his senses sharper — almost too sharp. When he stepped into the bathroom and stripped away his nightshirt, the reflection staring back from the mirror made him pause.
The boy was gone.
What stood there was something becoming. His physique had changed — compact but defined, lines of muscle etched subtly across his torso, his frame balanced between grace and power. His skin gleamed faintly under the light, almost unnaturally smooth, and his face… it had sharpened. His jaw more chiseled, his cheekbones more refined.
But it was his eyes that stole the breath from him — crystalline sapphire-blue with faint shimmering gold lines tracing through them, like lightning caught within a gem.
Kaelen sighed quietly."Guess... there's no going back now."
The hot water cascaded down, washing away the last remnants of battle grime and exhaustion. Steam curled through the air as he closed his eyes, his mind still echoing with the system's voice from the day before — Transcendence… Class Evolution Achieved… You have surpassed mortal bounds.
After his shower, Kaelen dressed casually and stepped into the dining hall. Breakfast passed normally — Sophia fussed over him as usual, Lyra asked questions about his training, and Allaric teased him for "sleeping all day again." But Kaelen's thoughts were elsewhere.
He needed to speak to Emperor Rudra.
He finished eating and requested a carriage to the Imperial Palace. While he waited, he stood near the mansion's steps, the cool breeze brushing against his silver hair. Moments later, a maid approached with a polite bow.
"Young master, the carriage is ready to take you to the palace."
Kaelen nodded lightly. "Thanks. I'll head out now."
As the carriage wheels began to turn, Founder's familiar voice resonated in his mind — calm, yet with a strange undertone of anticipation.
"Master, it is recommended that you somehow absorb the Scorch Dragon Velgrynd's magicules or aura."
Kaelen blinked, tilting his head."Huh? Why Velgrynd's magicules? What would I even need those for?"
Founder replied, as composed as always."If you absorb Velgrynd's magicules, you will have the magicules of three True Dragons within your dimensional storage."
"Three?" Kaelen frowned. "Wait—Velzard's I can understand, since we fought her copy. But I haven't met Veldora yet… and Veldanava's long gone."
"That is true, Master. However, I already extracted and refined Velzard's magicules from your battle. As for the second source…" Founder's voice paused briefly, almost as if hesitating. "It's Veldanava's himself."
Kaelen leaned back against the seat, brows furrowing. "Explain."
"I am a skill born from a fragment of Veldanava's essence," Founder continued. "Through my own energy signature, I extracted a portion of that power and condensed it into Veldanava's magicules."
Kaelen nodded slowly, understanding dawning. "Makes sense… so if I gather Velgrynd's next, I'll technically have three dragons' magicules stored. But what's the point of collecting them?"
Founder went silent for a moment, then simply said, "…Secret."
Kaelen stared out the carriage window, expression flat.😐
"Of course," he muttered under his breath. "Classic Founder."
He sighed, letting the thought go, and focused inward again. His mind turned toward the system. Maybe it was time to test something.
"Founder, copy Otherworldly System and Chosen One, then merge them with Limit Breaker."
"Order confirmed," came Founder's reply almost immediately. "Copying skills… merging sequences… success. New unique skill acquired — Transcendence."
Kaelen's eyes flickered with light. "System, show details of Transcendence."
A familiar blue window unfolded before his eyes.
[Unique Skill: Transcendence]Effect Overview:A divine-level authority over growth and evolution. The host can surpass all natural limits by gathering and converting Evolution Points (Evo Points / EPv). Unlike ordinary progression, Transcendence refines skills, races, and even destinies into higher forms.
Abilities:
Evo Absorption: Gain Evo Points upon defeating opponents or consuming skills. Higher beings and rarer skills yield exponentially more points.
Skill Assimilation: Consume any skill (normal → unique → ultimate).
Evolution Catalyst: Spend Evo Points to evolve skills, races, or items. Trigger hybrid awakenings, unlock hidden forms, or awaken legendary wills.
Limitless Growth: Removes all caps on stats, affinities, and resistances.
Evolution Invocation: Spend Evo Points to forcibly evolve allies or contracted beings, creating custom evolutions beyond natural limits.
Kaelen stared at the holographic text, speechless."This is… broken…"
Excitement sparked in his chest. The possibilities were endless. He could evolve anything — his race, his skills, even his weapons. He grinned, already thinking of experiments.
He scrolled through his list of abilities, checking how much Evo Points each would need to evolve. His enthusiasm dimmed a little as the costs appeared.
[Founder → 1,000,000,000 EPv][Primordial Ingestion → 750,000,000 EPv][All-Seeing Eye: Eternal Dragon → 500,000,000 EPv]
He groaned."Figures… nothing comes cheap when it's god-tier stuff."
Still, one name caught his eye — Napalm Burst.
A low-tier extra skill, but it had potential. He tapped it. The cost read 150 Evo Points. And conveniently, he had a useless skill lying around — Beast Tamer's Bond.
"System, sacrifice Unique Skill: Beast Tamer's Bond."
[Order confirmed. Sacrificing Unique Skill: Beast Tamer's Bond… Earned 150 Evo Points.]
Kaelen smirked. "Nice. Alright… evolve Napalm Burst using those points."
[Skill Evolution Sequence Initiated]
[Activating Unique Skill: Transcendence][Evolution Catalyst: 150 Evo Points Consumed][Target Skill: Extra Skill – Napalm Burst][Integrating traces of Phoenix Flame and Devouring Flame...][Analyzing Fire Conceptual Signatures...][Evolution Successful.]
Unique Skill: Infernal Dragonburst
Effect Overview:An evolved flame art born from pure elemental mastery and divine authority. Infernal Dragonburst manifests fire imbued with draconic will — flames that adapt, consume, and purify.
Abilities:
Draconic Flame Manifestation — Summon sentient, dragon-shaped infernos that follow User's intent.
Devouring Combustion — Flames devour other energy sources and grow stronger.
Phoenix Reignition — Embers persist after detonation; can be absorbed to heal or reignite.
Oxygen Burnout Zone — Suppresses mana flow and breathing in affected area.
Transcendent Resonance — Infinite scaling potential; rare chance to manifest Crimson Nova Form.
Special Move:Dragonstar Beam — Condense all flame magicules into a miniature star, then release it as a beam capable of melting conceptual defenses.
[Evolution Complete — Power Level: High Unique]
Kaelen exhaled softly, a smile tugging at his lips."Yeah… that's a damn fine upgrade."
The carriage halted. A knock followed."Young master, we have arrived at the palace."
Kaelen stepped out, the marble steps of the Imperial Court gleaming under the midday sun. He walked the long corridor to the throne hall, the heavy doors parting as he approached.
Emperor Rudra sat at his throne, regal and calm, while beside him stood Velgrynd — her presence radiant, her crimson hair flowing like fire.
Kaelen bowed respectfully. Rudra nodded, his gaze sharp but faintly amused."You remember our conversation during the Orc Disaster attack?"
Velgrynd tilted her head slightly, confusion in her eyes as she was not present that day. Kaelen nodded once.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Rudra leaned forward slightly. "If such a situation truly occurred — what would you do?"
Kaelen's lips curved faintly. "Well, if that situation ever came to pass… I might join a Demon Lord to defeat you. Or… wait for two thousand years for someone else to."
The words struck like lightning. Velgrynd's aura exploded in fury."The audacity! You should be executed, even if you are His Highness's apprentice!"
But Kaelen didn't flinch. He simply stood there — calm, steady, eyes glinting faintly as his body absorbed the overwhelming aura instead of breaking under it. Rudra's eyes flicked with faint amusement; he noticed exactly what Kaelen was doing, but said nothing.
"Calm down, Velgrynd," Rudra said firmly. "His answer is correct. As long as he doesn't become that red-head's pawn , it's acceptable."
Velgrynd hesitated, her aura retracting, though her glare lingered."But Your Highness—"
"I said enough."
Velgrynd bowed reluctantly. Rudra turned back to Kaelen."Kaelen, I will be assigning you missions soon. Before that, I need you to visit the Dwelling of Spirits. Form a new contract — ideally with a Great Spirit."
Kaelen hesitated. "But Master… I already have a contract. To be precise, with the Great Holy Spirit of Time."
The words silenced the hall. Both Rudra and Velgrynd looked utterly stunned.
Rudra cleared his throat. "Ahem. I see… well, even so, visit Ramiris. If you gain her blessings you may get the Hero's egg. Take your group — you'll leave in one week. Until then, I will personally train you in swordsmanship."
Kaelen bowed deeply. "As you command, Master."
Rudra smiled faintly. "Good. Inform your companions of this order and prepare."
As Kaelen turned to leave, he mentally spoke to Founder."Got enough of Velgrynd's magicules?"
"Yes, Master," Founder replied. "Her aura residue was successfully assimilated."
Kaelen smirked slightly. "Good. That means… only Veldora remains."
He left the palace and visited Selianne's home next, bringing small gifts as courtesy. Her parents were surprised but supportive when Kaelen explained the mission. Selianne, curious and a bit anxious, agreed to accompany him without hesitation.
Later, Kaelen returned home, explaining everything to his family. His parents and siblings — after some worried questions from his mother — finally accepted it.
That night, Kaelen leaned against his window frame, looking at the starry sky.
He smiled."The path ahead's going to be wild…"