R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 6 (in editing)

R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 6 (in editing) (c7 tomorrow)

Warmth, energy, strength, power, confidence, rage, determination, a flurry of feelings and emotions soared through Micheal's soul as he blinked. White energy flashed in the deepest part of his eyes, the glowing Sky Tier Ki gleaming like clouds in the sky.

“Ah.” He exhaled as he blinked several more times, slowly regaining his sense of awareness as he sat up.

‘Status.’ He temporarily shut away his surroundings as he focused inward on himself.

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— - Status — -

Name: Micheal Care

Points: 621,885

Race: Human

Age: 18

Physique: Heartflame Physique - 3 Star

Soul Quality: 3 Star

Strength - 308 -> 402

Endurance - 227 -> 261

Recovery - 135 -> 136

Soul - 52 -> 58

Abilities - (6/7)

Life Orb Master

Ki Cultivator (Earth Tier - Peak -> Sky Tier - Early)

Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)

Impact Release

Ceaseless Mind

Temporal Bubble

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‘My Strength stat is 400! My Soul stat is 58!’ Micheal couldn’t help but to smile when he saw that. His Strength stat had grown enormously and finally reached one of the goals he had for it on the Second Layer, in addition to his Soul stat making fantastic progress.

400 points in Strength, the combined strength of 40 adult humans packed into one, was the baseline for the Lord Tier of Ki Cultivation. Micheal’s Directed Cultivation eschewing the growth of Recovery for Strength was showing its fruits.

‘400 Strength and a Soul stat of 58… if its me, that’s more than enough to kill most Supreme Warriors.’ Micheal’s eyes flashed with a hint of excitement.

The only exceptions to that would be, potentially, the Sect Masters of the Six Great Byren Sects and definitely the Lord Protector of the Farians. The Orkals had no Supreme Warrior and were likely enslaved by this point, while the Rakkonians’ Wizardy was powerful but inherently slow, inhibiting them.

As for humans…

‘Of the Four Barons that are humanity’s strongest, Baron Rex and Baron Fortuna are the only ones that might stand a chance against me.’ Micheal cooly analyzed the situation.

Baron Rex was a figure that grew rapidly in strength over time, while Baron Fortuna was a human that obtained a Legendary Artifact from the Soul King’s Inheritance. Either one of them could have reached a sufficient level of strength by now, especially after 2 more weeks had gone by. Fortuna shouldn’t have gotten his Legendary Artifact yet, but this timeline was so far shifted from the first, Micheal wasn’t willing to bet against it.

‘400 Strength won’t be enough. I need more.’ His eyes flashed coldly.

He could not be complacent, nor could he forget his true targets.

The Six Lords and the Beasts of Providence.

The most powerful beings on the Second Layer were the Six Lords that stood behind the Six Great Sects. All six of them stood at the absolute Peak Stage of the Lord Tier of Ki Cultivation in addition to being experienced Masters.

The Beasts of Providence had a hidden army of experts and an unknown number of powerful warriors backing them, as well as the Beast King that Micheal knew almost nothing about.

The Six Lords were actively experimenting on humans, while the Beasts of Providence were the Vile King’s secret weapon.

If the Second Layer was to become a safe haven for humanity, neither group could be allowed to exist.

Abruptly, something interrupted Micheal’s train of thought.

A new sensation spread throughout his mind, a faint, odd ‘tugging’ sensation that pulled him in a direction off to his right.

Micheal’s eyes widened slightly but then quickly returned to normal after he recognized what it was.

It was what came to be known as one’s ‘Calling.’

After arriving on the Second Layer, humans encountered a ‘waiting period’ as their Souls fully integrated with the new world. For two weeks, even if they were killed, no one would get any Points for their death.

After the waiting period finished, gradually, within a few days or weeks, people began to feel their own respective ‘Calling.’ Something that ‘called’ them to a specific spot on the Second Layer.

Once you reached that spot… you were able to leave the Second Layer and move on to the Third. Everyone was ‘Called’ to a different spot, some distant, some close by. The sensation was easy enough to ignore, leading to many people that stayed on the Second Layer and refused to go up, scared of what lay beyond.

“Oh? Are you already done?” A voice interrupted Micheal’s thoughts.

Micheal blinked as he looked to the side of his bed, where Gregor was calmly sitting. The Lord Protector was smiling at Micheal with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“Yes. How long was I out?” Micheal asked back as he rubbed his eyes. He frowned immediately after as his hand shot up, the vast increase in his stats throwing off his senses.

“…less than 5 minutes. Are all human breakthrough this fast?!” Gregor rumbled as he crossed his arms, shaking his head in bemusement. When Farians went through their own growth periods, where their Bloodlines evolved, it was a drawn-out process that usually lasted an hour or two.

“No, I’m a bit of a special case.” Micheal answered with a smile. He had already gone through multiple Heart Trials. Even if the content of the Trials changed, his willpower to overcome them was immense.

“How’s your condition? You seem more lively.” The Farian’s eyes never left Micheal’s body as he looked at him with interest.

Micheal stretched his arms out before cracking his neck and shrugging.

“Within expectations. At the least, there’s no point in staying in bed too much longer. I should be good to go by tomorrow.” Micheal’s eyes flicked towards one of the open-air windows in the room he was in. There was a curtain blocking out the outside, but he could still make out that it was evening, drawing towards nighttime. If he stayed the night, he could use that time to adjust to his stronger body.

“Perfect! The Tribe Leaders will be pleased. They’re already convening tomorrow to see the Rakkonian ambassador off. You can come then!” Gregor clapped Micheal on the shoulder and grinned broadly down at him.

“I know you’ve been through a lot, so I’ll leave you to rest for now. If you need anything, there are attendants stationed outside to help you. Before I go, though…” Gregor took a step back, his grin replaced with a serious look as he stared at Micheal.

He then began to bow, his broad shoulders falling level with his waist in a smooth, formal movement.

“From the bottom of my heart, as both the Lord Protector of the Farian Tribes and as a man, thank you. I will never forget what you have done for us.”

Micheal blinked, taken aback. Being thanked like this from a literal legend was something he had never experienced.

Gregor didn’t give Micheal time to reply as he waved him off with a smile and began leaving the room.

“Get some rest, my new friend. If you feel up for it before you leave, come find me for a spar!” The Lord Protector guffawed as he left Micheal’s room.

Micheal stared at the door in amusement, shaking his head slightly.

‘What an interesting Farian.’ An honorable one, too, a rare enough thing to see for someone in power among any race.

After a few moments, Micheal shook his head a second time as he began looking over his Status again. He might as well finish checking everything out before starting some light exercises. Lying in bed for 2 weeks wouldn’t cause him any real harm, but his muscles felt stiff.

‘Wait, I have more than 600,000 Points?! Ah, I also have a new Physique. The Heartflame Physique. Let me check that first.’ Micheal felt ecstatic. Apart from the 2 weeks he lost, everything else seemed to be going his way right now.

‘Heartflame, 3 Stars, neat, neat. A Physique that contains a hint of the essence of a…’ Micheal’s hands trembled as he stared at the floating blue screen, his mind filled with disbelief.

‘WHAT?!’ Micheal slowly read every line of the blue screen, three times over, before letting out a rare, full-bellied laugh.

“Now that is something I didn’t expect to get. A Physique connected to a creature out of legend, second only to Dragons…”

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—- Heartflame Physique - 3 Stars —-

A Physique that contains a hint of the essence of a Phoenix. From life unto death and death unto life. This 3 Star Heartflame Physique vastly enhances the host's ability to absorb latent energy in the air. Excess energy will be absorbed into and empower the flesh. Greatly enhances resistance to curses, mental attacks, and spiritual attacks.

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Mythological birds of blazing fire that wrought terrible destruction, death-defying monsters that could never truly be killed, giants that dared to fight for rulership of the sky...

The Phoenix.

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