"Extract."
Brandon placed his hand on the corpse of the mutated lion. A mysterious energy began to swirl around it, flowing through its body until, at last, the massive beast shriveled like a discarded pelt. Every last ounce of its energy gathered in Brandon's palm, condensing into a single blood-red orb.
Within the shimmering orb, faint patterns resembling the mutated lion's runes were visible.
"This bead contains all of the mutated lion's energy. Absorbing it is like consuming the entire corpse and perfectly digesting it. If someone with a lion-based ability were to use it, maybe they could even awaken a new power."
That was Brandon's latest ability—a way to extract the essence of mutated creatures. Why did the energy always become a bead? Well, he just thought beads looked cooler; he could have made it a cube if he wanted. As for when this ability had awakened… perhaps it was always a part of his Nature Authority. The Authority never presented his powers as a simple list of names. He had to discover them himself, one by one, through experimentation and intuition.
The ability to extract power had only come to him after his spatial ring filled up in the nature reserve. He'd thought to himself, "Wouldn't it be convenient if I could just gather all that energy into something portable?" So he tried, and it worked.
Ask him how it worked, and he'd just shrug—there wasn't really a scientific explanation. It was more instinct than anything else.
How did the saying go? As long as he could imagine it, he could develop all sorts of powerful techniques.
Brandon tucked away the blood bead and turned his gaze toward the trees. "You've been watching for a while now. Isn't it time you showed yourself?"
A tall woman stepped from the shadows, her navy uniform crisp, blue hair cascading down her shoulders. Her poise radiated icy self-assurance.
"If I didn't know better," Brandon thought, "I'd say she was cosplaying Esdeath from Akame ga Kill." The resemblance was uncanny—not just the look, but the chilling aura of her abilities. Unlike Yue Frost's gentle ice, Chris Frost's power was true absolute zero; from the moment she awakened, she'd possessed overwhelming strength. She was on Firewing's level—one of the nation's top talents.
"I don't remember Firewing mentioning you'd be here, Chris," Brandon said, keeping his voice calm.
"She didn't know. I didn't tell her," Chris replied, arms folded, a hint of a smile on her lips. "When I heard you'd taken this mission, I had to see it for myself. After all, everyone's curious about you—'Child of Nature,' nearly conceptual mastery over natural forces… The moment you awakened, you soared above us all, untouchable. Not just me, but Skyler Quinn, Charles Longfellow, Ethan Yates—we've all wanted to test ourselves against you."
"If Firewing hadn't repeatedly stressed how wide the gap is—how you completely outclass her, making a fight pointless—there would have been more challenges by now."
Brandon cut her off before she could get rolling. "If that's all, I'll be going now. I've finished my mission. I'm not really in the mood for idle chat."
"Why not a little spar?" Chris asked, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes. "I want to see how far apart we really are."
He regarded her coolly. "Save that line for when you're actually able to use your powers in front of me."
She blinked, not quite understanding, then, on a hunch, tried to summon her ability. She could sense it—she knew it was there—but no matter how she reached, she couldn't use it. It was as if an invisible wall stood between her and her powers.
Not until Brandon had fully walked away did she feel the link return.
"…He can even suppress other people's abilities?" Chris muttered, a mix of disbelief and grudging admiration. "This world actually produced someone with a power that's just… beyond reason. And that blood bead he made from the lion…"
She shook her head. "No wonder Firewing talks about him the way she does. It's not exaggerated at all."
Still, no matter the odds, she had no intention of giving up. Brandon's head start was massive—ten times, a hundred times beyond what others could reach—but the stronger you were, the thicker your bottleneck became. As everyone continued to evolve, that gap would shrink, little by little.
The world's spiritual awakening was global, after all, and no one planned to let a single person forever lead the way.
Chris was strong—Brandon knew that well. Maybe she wasn't yet on par with Admiral Aokiji from One Piece, the one who could freeze whole seas, but within the scope of this mountain forest, Chris at full power could easily turn the world to ice. Her power kept growing; it was only a matter of time before she matched the legends.
But even so, Brandon had no interest in fighting her—or anyone else, for that matter. Especially not humans.
A duel was only meaningful if both sides stood on roughly equal ground; even a small difference could make for a worthwhile challenge. But he was just too far ahead. Some people might never reach where he stood, no matter how hard they tried.
A fight like that? It was pointless.
And here on Earth, his abilities drew strength from everywhere—nature itself supported him. Unless his opponent wielded an Authority like his, there was simply no point.
His true rivals weren't on this planet at all. They were out there, in other worlds: the shinobi of Konoha, pirates of the Grand Line, Ultramen, even the powerhouses from universes like Dragon Ball, Perfect World, or the primordial chaos of distant legends.
Not that he had the strength to challenge them—yet. No one from those worlds had joined the chat group, at least for now.
But the future was unwritten. One day, perhaps, it would happen.
He looked forward to that day—a new era, brimming with possibility.
Until then, he'd keep training, expanding his capacity, getting stronger every day.
For most people, training was dull and repetitive. For Brandon, it was simply exercise—sometimes tiring, never tedious. While his body worked, his mind wandered freely in the chat group.
[Chat Group:]
The Undefeated East: "So, we get one free lottery draw, right?"
Ordinary Group Admin: "Yep! Newcomer bonus, courtesy of the group. Don't expect anything amazing—the odds are rough. After that, it's a thousand points per spin. My advice? Save your points for later, when there are more members and the prize pool's bigger."
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