Chapter Ten (Part I) — The First Barrage
> [Status Update]
Pure Beast Blood: Stable (Sealed)
Accessible Power: 0.01%
Threat Classification: Unregistered
I glanced at the system panel—more out of habit than expectation.
Then it refreshed.
> [Status Update]
Pure Beast Blood: Stable (Sealed)
Accessible Power: 0.1%
Threat Classification: Unregistered
A tenfold increase.
Small.
Insignificant to monsters.
But to me—
It was proof.
The seal had not loosened—but it had listened.
I felt it immediately.
Not an explosion of strength—but refinement. My muscles responded faster. My senses aligned more cleanly. Energy flowed where before it hesitated.
Control.
All of it earned.
All of it carved slowly through years of pressure, repetition, and near-death trials inside the system's space.
My brother.
His friends.
Their relentless training.
I felt a deep, quiet gratitude settle in my chest.
Then—
I snapped out of it.
My pupils narrowed.
The world sharpened.
Air displacement.
Ground vibration.
Intent.
Azharyon.
Charging.
Not recklessly.
Like a bull that knew exactly where to strike.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Each step cracked the stone beneath his feet as his massive frame tore through the gravity field, aura rolling off him in controlled waves.
The first barrage came fast.
I moved.
Side-step.
Pivot.
Low slide.
His fist missed my head by a breath—pressure alone ripping a shockwave through the chamber.
Stone shattered behind me.
I twisted, flipped, landed lightly.
Too lightly.
He noticed.
Azharyon smiled.
Just slightly.
He was holding back.
Testing.
Measuring.
Seeing how far I'd grown.
"Good," he said, already turning for another charge. "Then let's see where your limit starts."
His aura rose another notch.
The gravity pressed harder.
My blood pulsed once.
Contained.
Watching.
Learning.
And I realized—
This wasn't a lesson anymore.
It was a threshold.
And I had just stepped onto it.