Chapter 362: Looming Trouble (1)

Talitha pushed the door wider as though expecting that this was only a prank—and her little sister was hiding behind the door. But the moment the door handle on the other side hits the wall, she realized that there was really no Abigail.

She stepped inside and looked around.

As expected, the floor inside the shower box was wet.

It was at least confirmed that she wasn’t hallucinating when she heard the water earlier.

Abigail did intend to shower, but she somehow disappeared in the next second.

"Does she have a new Legacy Imprint?" Talitha thought aloud.

Even though she didn’t quite understand a Supernal’s growth, she knew Abigail’s power well as she listened to Abigail rambling about it—when they were still on the surface. And she was quite sure that Abigail had no Legacy Imprint that allowed her to disappear like this.

Abigail’s clothes were also placed aside, which meant she really intended to shower.

Somehow, she changed her mind in the last second.

Just then, Talitha’s eyes noticed water trails made by wet feet.

She stepped aside and followed the trails with her eyes that led to outside the bathroom.

Caught by surprise by this, Talitha paused for a second before she blinked—and followed the wet trails outside. She found the wet trails leading out of the room and onto the corridor. "Did she run out? What possessed her to do that?"

Back in the secret chamber in Ixos, Kai opened his eyes.

He blinked a couple of times, pupils adjusting to the dim, wavering light of the cavern.

And then, he looked down at his right hand—the level-two mana ore was still clutched tightly in his palm, but it was dull now. A hollow shell of its former brilliance, almost entirely drained of its lifeblood.

It was the last level-two mana ore from the pile.

A slow smile curled across Kai’s lips.

He had severely underestimated his own mana absorption efficiency.

Unlike other Supernals, whose bodies couldn’t absorb the mana from a mana ore perfectly, he could. No wasted mana during the absorption process for him. His body was a greedy vessel that would absorb every ounce of mana with one hundred percent efficiency.

Nothing wasted at all.

It was an incredible and outright terrifying advantage.

Because of it, he had managed to create all the Connective Clusters his body needed based on the Body and Mana Synchrony manual. One connected directly to his brainstem, and the other four anchored perfectly to each of his limbs.

Branching roots spread across his insides, slowly reinforcing his body with mana.

Even the seniors hadn’t made all five Connective Clusters, but he already did.

Not to mention, he did it in a single day.

Kai had laid the true, immaculate foundation of the Body and Mana Synchrony.

Frankly, before he even started—he was already lowering his expectations so as to not get ahead of himself. He had expected to forge three Connective Clusters at most. Now, there are five of them inside him.

It was unbelievable.

Kai took a slow, deep breath—the feeling of new strength inside him was intoxicating.

His muscles were already responding to the mana and grew denser, his bones were heavier, and his senses were now—hyper-attuned. All he needed now was to mature these Connective Clusters by feeding them more mana.

According to the manual, the process couldn’t be rushed.

It was like raising a newborn.

Feed a baby well, and it would grow strong, but overfeed it, and the baby would get sick.

Kai would have to take it slow, allowing the Connective Clusters to blossom naturally.

Even now, with only the foundation laid—he felt like a completely different being. He flexed his fingers, feeling the raw, kinetic potential waiting to be unleashed. If a raw punch from him could hurt a Scourge-class Star Beast, then now, he might be able to severely hurt it or perhaps even kill it.

He was about to check his physical stats on the System to see the numerical result.

But he stopped when the chamber walls shook.

Pebbles dropped from the ceiling, forcing a frown to creep onto his face.

Kai snapped his head over his shoulder, eyes narrowing. He waved away the dust that got to him, and then stood up. The sheer force of the tremor had come from the other chamber, from where Bryan and Dorian were.

It seemed Bryan was getting close, or perhaps he had already become an Aspirant Supernal.

Excited, Kai didn’t hesitate.

He gathered his things with swift and fluid movements, putting the items Professor Hera had left behind into his pocket. And then, he reached out and absorbed the pile of null gems lying in the corner, feeding them to the House of Night, which swelled his usable exp significantly.

And only then did he head out of the small chamber and back to the main one.

Kai emerged on the other side and saw Dorian standing right behind Bryan, both of his hands pressed firmly against Bryan’s back. The posture alone showed that—Bryan was deep in the throes of a breakthrough.

He was sitting in a meditative position and seemed completely rigid.

His breathing was shallow, and sweat poured down his face.

Despite the mana ores, he still needed to wrestle against the barrier of his own potential.

Begging that his blood would be enough to push him into the Aspirant Supernal rank.

"What happened?" Kai asked, his voice echoing softly in the chamber. "What shook the walls?"

Dorian winced, a sheepish look crossing his face.

"My mistake," he admitted—keeping his hands steady on Bryan’s back. "I’m still not familiar with the mana-transfer technique. I tried to push too much at once, and my mana just erupted outward. Slammed right into the stone."

Kai smiled inwardly, shaking his head.

But he was glad that it wasn’t anything bad.

He stepped closer and narrowed his eyes, probing Bryan with his senses.

Since Bryan was defenseless right now, he could see past the flesh and bone, fixing deep into Bryan’s internal mana flow. The blood vessels were already enlarged, thrumming with a very dense, volatile ocean of mana.

Just a little more, and they would ignite, fully transforming into Awakened Blood Vessels.

It would make Bryan’s breakthrough to the Aspirant Supernal rank.

Kai turned back toward the dark tunnel, wanting to continue what he was doing. Since things were fine, there was no need for him to linger. "Call for me once he’s done." He said over his shoulder. "We need to return soon, before sunrise."

"It’s all up to Bryan," Dorian said. "Even if we’re late, use your Red Prince card.

A chuckle slipped past Kai’s lips as he waved his hand behind his head.

He stepped into the tunnel, the darkness swallowing him.

But then his steps faltered.

Kai stopped abruptly. A frown creased his face, pulling his brows together. He stood there for a heartbeat, two—before slowly walking back out and looking up toward the entrance of the secret chamber.

Seeing him coming out again, Dorian tilted his head, confused.

"What’s wrong?" He asked.

Kai didn’t answer.

His eyes were fixated on the opening above. There—creeping into the entrance like a probing black tongue was a tendril of darkness. It wasn’t a shadow cast by the rocks. It was something alive, something only he could see.

It was the night reaching out for him.

Unlike in the House of Night, the night in the waking world was focused on him.

No Children of the Night here, so he had its full attention at all times.

Kai blinked, and his eyes turned abyssal black—the white disappeared completely. The night was trying to tell him something. It was a silent warning—that trouble was approaching. One that he needed to pay attention to.

What is going on? I don’t sense anyone nearby. Nothing wrong in the air at all.

Even though he sensed nothing, he wasn’t going to question the night.

He spun around with a sudden urgency.

"I have to go," He said in a restrained voice. "Keep doing what you’re doing."

Kai rushed toward the entrance without hesitation.

"Wait!" Dorian called out with the same urgency. He didn’t understand what made Kai act like this. It was too sudden. "Are you leaving Ixos? What about us? How do we get back if you take Feeny with you?"

"I don’t know!" Kai replied without turning around. "If I left—then I’ll send someone to fetch you later. Don’t worry. Just focus on Bryan’s breakthrough!"

Kai stepped out of the secret passage and into the heavy snow.

The cold hit him instantly, a biting, vicious chill that gnawed at his exposed skin.

He looked around frantically; his eyes piercing the blinding white curtain—searching for the night. There—to his right, the darkness was pulling away. A retreating black tendril that was beckoning him to follow.

Naturally, he quickly made chase—not forgetting to activate his mantle’s fire affinity.

It protected him perfectly from the cold.

As expected, the tendril was heading out of Ixos—seemingly back toward the academy.

Is something going on in the academy? What could possibly happen?

He pressed his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply.

A loud, echoing croak answered almost instantly, and Feeny burst through the snow clouds, her dark wings beating hard against the storm. She landed with a heavy thud, and Kai wasted no time.

He mounted her, tapping his heel against her flank, and the two launched skyward.

Both shot into the horizon like a black arrow.

Once he picked up the pace, the tendril of night also picked up its pace, keeping the lead.

Along the way, a thousand terrible possibilities crossed his mind. Had the Chancellor finally discovered his connection to Professor Hera? Had the AAA uncovered his ties—to the Fallen Faction? Heck, had his unauthorized trip to Ixos triggered some hidden magical flag, alerting the academy to his secret cache of mana ores?

He didn’t know which one it was, but the dread coiled in his stomach like a cold snake.

Soon, his mind snapped back to reality as Feeny banked sharply and began her descent.

They had reached the academy.

Kai had been dwelling inside his mind, contemplating the bad possibilities that could happen, and hours passed without him realizing. All he remembered across the way was the blur of heavy snow and the retreating black tendril.

Somehow, he already arrived—it felt like only a minute for him.

Under them was the Aerial Stable, lanterns swinging wildly in the heavy snow.

Feeny touched down on the frost-covered cloud; her talons clicking against the floor.

Kai slid off her back and landed hard.

He looked around, searching for the night, but he couldn’t find it.

Just then, something emerged from the shadows of the stable. No—it was a person.

A person was already standing there, perfectly still, waiting for him.