Chapter 46: Resonance Reversal

A hundred and forty-five thousand points, gone in the span of a few short moments. Considering what he’d had to survive just to earn that number in the first place, there was something almost painful about watching it all drain away so fast. But that was the price of power, plain and simple. Fifty thousand points remained to work with, and the real question now was exactly where to put them.

With fifty thousand left, he could upgrade two of his affinities outright, or push either his summoning spell or True Earth Resonance further. And then there was SinfulMane — the spell that had, quite literally, saved his life not long ago, granting him an edge that let him punch well above his actual weight class.

Potent enough to reduce a Lyndwyrm, fourth-realm beast or not, into a desiccated husk within moments. He couldn’t help but wonder what the next stage of that spell might look like, especially paired with a fresh boost to his Darkness affinity. Still, he had to choose carefully, based on what would actually serve him best with a war now bearing down on the horizon.

After turning it over for several more minutes, Kren settled on a decision. True Earth Resonance needed the upgrade first, without question. Its first two stages had done plenty for his senses and defense, but offered nothing meaningful on the offensive side. The third stage, though — if the system’s original description held true — would let him take every vibration he sensed, resonate it, and channel that directly into his strikes. Paired properly with his summoning spell, it could transform him from a single-target fighter into something capable of handling multiple enemies at once. Still, SinfulMane tempted him fiercely. Pretending otherwise would be a lie.

All of his current arts and spells carried serious long-term potential, and there was always the chance he’d learn more down the line regardless. No real reason to chase an immediate payoff on an ability he couldn’t fully wield or push to its actual limit yet. Kren still needed real, extensive training with what he already had — his familiarity with most of it remained painfully thin, given how little time had actually passed since he’d first learned any of it. That, more than raw potential, was what he chose to prioritize.

[25,000 Points Used! Your Art, True Earth Resonance, Has Reached High Grade. Third Stage Unlocked — Resonance Reversal. You Can Now Empower Your Strikes, Arts, and Spells with Vibrations Gathered Through Earth Resonance!]

The instant it landed, the constant low hum sitting at the back of his mind from the art finally leveled out, settling into something steadier. It felt less like background noise now and more like a switch he could consciously flip on or off at will, even as his overall awareness remained just as sharp as before. With his improved physical attributes and cultivation backing it up, the art finally felt properly reined in — his body strong enough now to actually hold the full weight of what it offered. He could channel that same resonance straight into enhancing his own physical capabilities on command. Not that he particularly wanted conflict, so that he could have a reason to test it out soon. But, the anticipation of finally putting it to real use buzzed under his skin with a fever pitch.

The remaining points left him genuinely stuck, though. He hadn’t yet needed to lean on the knowledge side of his stat sheet, so upgrading that felt premature. He could push one of his affinities instead — Earth, maybe, to properly match the art that now sat as the highest grade ability in his entire arsenal.

But he had no real idea what waited ahead of him next. Better, probably, to keep a reserve of points banked for whatever came. That settled it for him in the end. He sighed, and pulled up his status page one final time to take stock.

LEVEL 0 (50%) — SOVEREIGN BEAST SYSTEM STATUS:

Name: Kren N’kora Blackmane

Cultivation: First Awakening — High Grade (100,000 SP)

Bloodline: Black Lion — High Grade (500,000 SP)

Inner Beast: Royal Black Lion

ATTRIBUTES: First Awakening

• Physique: Peak Grade (25,000 SP)

• Mind: Peak Grade (25,000 SP)

• Aura: Ascension Grade (50,000 SP)

KNOWLEDGE:

• Military Arts: Mid Grade (5,000 SP)

• Agricultural Arts: Mid Grade (5,000 SP)

• Crafting Arts: Mid Grade (5,000 SP)

• Commerce Arts: Mid Grade (5,000 SP)

• Medical Arts: Mid Grade (5,000 SP)

• Love Making: Mid Grade (5,000 SP)

AFFINITIES

• Wind: Mid Grade (25,000 SP)

• Earth: Mid Grade (25,000 SP)

• Darkness: Mid Grade (25,000 SP)

TECHNIQUES

• Aura Arts:

I. True Earth Resonance — High Grade (50,000 SP)

• Aura Spells:

I. Summoning: Spirits of the Wind (North, East, South, West) — Mid Grade (25,000 SP)

II. Sinful Mane: Greed Moon — Low Grade (10,000 SP)

BLOODLINE TRAITS

• Pride Bond: Dormant (0/5)

• Feline Sovereignty: Active

• Beast Tongue: Active

• Royal Beast: Active

SOVEREIGN POINTS: 25,500

Kren looked down at his own hand and found himself clenching and unclenching his fist slowly, almost unconsciously, several times over. He could feel every single change settled into his body now, distinct and humming just beneath the surface, and the sensation left him unexpectedly giddy.

His entire body felt like a vessel for potential he hadn’t even begun to fully realize or make use of yet. He genuinely had no idea where his own current ceiling actually sat anymore, and some quiet part of him couldn’t help but wonder, not for the first time, exactly where this system had come from. How something could possibly hold this much power, and to hand it out so freely, and still have more left to give.

A knock at the door pulled him out of his own head. "Yes?" Kren called back, and the sound of his own voice caught him off guard — deeper now, richer, carrying a baritone weight that hadn’t been there before. It seemed advancing his cultivation and bloodline together had reshaped more than he’d accounted for. There was a faint rumble threaded underneath it too, one he recognized immediately as TrueEarthResonance bleeding subtly into his voice itself, vibration riding every word he spoke.

"Your Majesty, everyone’s gathered and waiting on you. And honestly, I’m not sure how much longer Fima can hold herself back before she finally decapitates Jomin." Toa’s voice carried through the door, and Kren found himself smiling as he crossed the room toward it.

Looked like it was time to properly claim the Storm Eagle tribe.

And apparently, a wife too.