Chapter 80: — Awakening (4)

In truth…

Even Emily had never witnessed an awakening like this in her entire life.

The longest awakening she had ever seen had lasted just under twenty minutes.

Generally speaking, the longer a person could remain connected to the Awakening Crystal, the greater their natural affinity for mana.

But if that was truly the case…

Just what kind of monster was her grandson?

Even Emily didn’t know what to think anymore.

The three Royal Court elders exchanged uneasy glances.

“There must be something wrong with the crystal.”

“It probably developed a fault after the previous awakenings.”

It was the only explanation they could come up with.

After all…

An awakening lasting over thirty minutes simply shouldn’t have been possible.

Normally, the elders’ responsibility during the ceremony was straightforward.

They continuously monitored every child’s mana flow, ensuring nothing went wrong during the awakening.

If a child’s mind or body reached its limit, they would immediately sever the connection with the crystal before any permanent damage could occur.

Yet Kael’s case left them completely helpless.

The crystal showed no signs of malfunction.

Kael’s mana remained perfectly stable.

His breathing was calm.

His expression was peaceful.

There wasn’t even the slightest indication of pain or strain.

Most importantly…

If they forcibly severed his consciousness from the crystal without knowing what was happening…

They could permanently cripple his mind or destroy his mana pathways.

None of them were willing to take that risk.

In the end…

They left the decision entirely to Emily.

She was both the Kingdom’s Archmage…

And Kael’s grandmother.

If anyone could judge the situation correctly…

It was her.

—

Just then…

BOOM!

An enormous surge of mana erupted from Kael’s body.

A brilliant emerald shockwave exploded outward in every direction, expanding like a gigantic hemisphere.

The spectators cried out in alarm.

The three elders reacted instantly.

Without hesitation, they rushed toward the remaining participants, erecting powerful barriers around the children.

Emily, however…

Never moved.

One hand remained firmly on Kael’s back.

She refused to break their connection.

Moments later…

The wave subsided.

Everyone hurriedly looked around.

No one had been injured.

However…

The entire town square had changed.

Countless emerald vines, flowering creepers, and lush plants had burst forth from every crack in the stone pavement.

In only a few seconds…

The square resembled an ancient forest.

—

Meanwhile…

Kael remained completely unaware of everything happening outside.

His consciousness continued racing upward through the colossal mana tree.

After the initial slow ascent…

His speed had increased dramatically.

He shot upward through the endless trunk with incredible momentum.

An unimaginably dense pressure of mana descended upon him from every direction.

Yet instead of crushing him…

His body endured it.

Everything around him seemed focused on testing his concentration.

The higher he climbed…

The heavier the pressure became.

Every passing moment made maintaining his focus increasingly difficult.

Even so…

Kael gritted his teeth and continued climbing.

—

Outside…

Another phenomenon occurred.

The emerald plants covering the square suddenly trembled.

A moment later…

The direction of mana flow completely reversed.

Instead of surging outward…

The surrounding mana rushed back toward Kael’s body.

The enormous hemispherical wave rapidly contracted.

As every strand of mana returned to him…

The lush vegetation instantly withered.

Flowers wilted.

Leaves turned brown.

The vines crumbled into dust.

Within seconds…

Everything had died.

The crowd stared in stunned silence.

Then—

BOOM!

Another emerald shockwave burst from Kael’s body.

The dead vegetation instantly sprang back to life.

Flowers bloomed once more.

Fresh leaves unfurled.

New vines spread across the ground.

Life…

Death…

Life again.

The entire square repeatedly cycled between flourishing vitality and complete decay.

Each pulse of mana transformed the surroundings once more.

No one had ever witnessed such an unbelievable spectacle.

Not even Emily.

Her usually calm eyes now contained unmistakable shock.

—

Deep within Kael’s consciousness…

The reason remained completely unknown to him.

The colossal mana tree was attempting to pour an immense quantity of life mana into his body, seeking to awaken its full potential.

However…

The mysterious seal suppressing Kael’s mana reserves rejected the influx every single time.

Unable to enter his sealed mana core…

The excess mana erupted violently from his body before being drawn back in, only to be repelled once again.

This endless cycle repeated over and over.

Although the seal prevented the mana from increasing his reserves…

It could not stop the mana from tempering his body.

Each surge refined his physique.

It cleansed his mana pathways.

It purged countless impurities hidden within his flesh.

With every cycle…

His body became increasingly compatible with mana itself.

His innate sensitivity to magical energy rose dramatically.

His ability to perceive, absorb, and manipulate mana evolved with each passing moment.

Without realizing it…

Kael was undergoing a transformation unlike anything the world had ever witnessed.

The strange cycle continued.

Life.

Death.

Life again.

At first, every pulse of mana caused the crowd to gasp in alarm.

But after witnessing it dozens of times…

Everyone gradually became accustomed to the unbelievable spectacle.

An entire hour passed.

Inside his consciousness…

Kael finally reached his limit.

The immense pressure pressing down upon him had become unbearable.

His concentration faltered.

The moment his focus broke…

His consciousness was expelled from the colossal mana tree.

—

Kael slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw…

Was green.

Everywhere.

The entire town square had been completely overrun by lush vegetation.

Vines wrapped around pillars.

Flowers bloomed between the cracks in the stone floor.

Countless medicinal herbs carpeted the ground, releasing a refreshing fragrance into the air.

It looked less like a ceremonial plaza…

…and more like an ancient forest.

“…”

Kael blinked.

What… happened?

He slowly turned around.

Emily was still standing behind him, one hand resting gently against his back.

Her expression remained as calm and elegant as ever.

Only the thin sheen of perspiration covering her neck and forehead betrayed that maintaining their connection for an entire hour had required considerable effort.

Behind her…

The three Royal Court elders looked considerably worse.

Their breathing was uneven, and beads of sweat dripped from their brows.

Although they hadn’t directly maintained the awakening, they had continuously protected everyone present from the repeated mana eruptions.

Further behind…

Many of the nobles had unconsciously retreated several dozen meters from the platform.

No one wanted to stand too close to whatever had just happened.

Kael slowly lowered his gaze toward the crystal.

It glowed brilliantly.

Two sets of stars appeared upon its surface.

Mana Reserves: ★★★★☆

Cultivation: ★★★★☆

Kael’s pupils shrank slightly.

Four stars…

His Mana Reserves had reached the same level as Jake’s.

What frightened him wasn’t the score itself.

It was the implication.

He knew better than anyone that the overwhelming majority of his mana remained sealed.

Even under those conditions…

He had still received four stars.

If the seal hadn’t existed…

Kael decided he didn’t want to know.

There were some questions better left unanswered.

His attention quickly shifted to the sea of plants surrounding him.

A helpless smile appeared on his face.

Well…

There’s no hiding this anymore.

He couldn’t have made a more dramatic entrance even if he had planned it himself.

Still…

There was nothing he could have done.

He had simply followed the Dragoness’ instructions and concentrated as long as possible.

The rest…

Had been completely beyond his control.

Taking a slow breath, Kael decided to leave the situation in Emily’s capable hands.

If anyone could explain away this spectacle…

It was his grandmother.