Kaelen stirred awake from his evolutionary sleep, his body still humming with power from the transformation. His muscles felt lighter yet stronger, his magicules coursing like an endless tide through his veins. As he sat up, a translucent panel materialized before his eyes.
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[ Evolution complete: Host has ascended into Aetherborn ]
[ Perk unlocked: Status Window Enabled ]
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Kaelen blinked, rubbing his eyes. "Status window? How do I open that…?"
"Status window," he said aloud.
At once, a larger, blue-hued holographic window unfurled in front of him.
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[ Host Name: Kaelen Caelthron
Race: Aetherborn
Class: Undefined
Age: 11 ]
[ Unique Skills ]
Founder
Primordial Ingestion
Eyes of Eternal Dragon
Otherworldly System
Chosen One
Annilarch
Dragon Form v1
Ideal Blacksmith
Masked Existence
Duality
Starved
Phoenix Flame
Devouring Flame
Aether Rejuvenation
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Kaelen whistled softly. "Damn… that's a lot of Unique Skills. Didn't expect to gain this much so fast." He chuckled, leaning back. "Then again, Rimuru's road to power was even quicker than this, so I guess it's nothing in comparison."
But before he could dwell further, the panel flickered again.
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[ Host has reached the required existence threshold to undergo Class Selection Trial ]
[ Proceed? Y/N ]
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"Class selection…?" Kaelen tilted his head. "System, what's there to gain?"
[ Host can acquire skills, items, insights, and permanent boosts. ]
"And what about time? I can't exactly vanish from camp for days."
[ The Trial takes place in another dimension. One month inside equals one hour in the outside world. ]
"…I see. Alright then—proceed."
The floor beneath his feet lit up with intricate runes, forming a radiant magic circle. His body was engulfed in light, and the next instant, he was somewhere else.
A vast, endless expanse stretched out around him, its surface like a shallow sea that rippled under every step. In the distance, a colossal tower pierced the heavens, its peak hidden beyond sight.
But what drew his focus weren't the tower's majesty—it was the Wraiths.
Dozens… no, hundreds of them, their twisted forms writhing in the mist five kilometers away, their hollow eyes snapping toward him the moment he appeared.
Kaelen's jaw tightened. His aura flared, brilliant and sharp—the Heroic Aura, resonating like a beacon. The swarm shrieked and charged, flooding the expanse.
"Perfect. Come to me."
Kaelen raised his hands, conjuring a constellation of Photon Bullets. Not ten, not twenty—but fifty at once, each sphere infused with holy light. With a wave, the bullets screamed forward, carving radiant arcs through the air. Every impact erased Wraiths in a dazzling explosion of golden brilliance, and Kaelen's Primordial Ingestion drank in their dissipating souls.
The system chimed in his mind.
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[ Hero Egg Progress: 50 / 100,000 ]
[ Demon Lord Seed Progress: 50 / 100,000 ]
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Kaelen frowned mid-cast. "A progress bar? Hero Egg… Demon Lord Seed…? I thought you couldn't have both at once."
He exhaled sharply. "So Hero Egg requires something like defeating evil entities or somekind of catalyst… but Demon Lord Seed needs souls. "
The battle raged. Kaelen fired off hundreds of Photon Bullets, weaving holy energy into each. Explosions lit the space like miniature suns as Wraith after Wraith was erased, yet more poured forth endlessly. He fought relentlessly, ice spears piercing, fire lances exploding, holy chains binding.
Two hundred down. Three hundred. His breathing steadied, his body moving like a machine of destruction.
Another notification chimed.
[ Skills Acquired:
Dark Mist (Generates cursed fog that drains stamina and obscures vision)
Wail of Resentment (Psychic shriek disrupts concentration, shatters weak barriers) ]
Kaelen smirked. "Not bad."
Then—
A chill colder than death itself washed over him.
The water-like surface beneath his feet stilled. His skin prickled, every instinct screaming danger.
[ Boss Creation in Progress… ]
[ Boss Generated: Grim Reaper ]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
A scythe slash of pure death-energy cleaved the air behind him. Kaelen dodged on reflex, the strike cutting a rift through the watery floor where he had stood. He spun around—and froze.
A tall, cloaked figure emerged, its form shrouded in shifting shadows. Its face was nothing but void, save for two crimson points of light. In its skeletal hands gleamed the Scythe of Eternity, its violet-crystal blade pulsing with condensed death-energy.
The Reaper raised its weapon, sending wave after wave of death-slashes at him.
Kaelen didn't even attempt to parry. His gut screamed the truth: a single clean hit means death.
"Founder?"
The voice echoed in his soul. "Warning: Death energy laces the strikes. A direct blow will kill you, instantly or delayed. And that scythe… do not let it touch you. "
"Got it."
Photon Bullets roared from Kaelen's hands, dozens upon dozens, each glowing with holy wrath. The Grim Reaper weaved through them with fluid grace, its scythe deflecting blasts, others bursting against invisible wards.
"Tch." Kaelen spread his arms wide. "Let's see you block this."
One thousand Photon Bullets materialized around him like a miniature galaxy. They converged in a single salvo, a radiant storm that engulfed the battlefield.
For a moment, Kaelen thought it worked—until the Reaper spread its arms. Shadows twisted, forming a legion of Wraiths and Specters to shield it. They screamed as they were annihilated, but the Reaper endured, staggering under the explosions yet refusing to fall.
Kaelen pressed harder. . Icechains scattered, lightning cracked, firestorms exploded, but the Reaper's scythe swept them aside like dust.
Then—time itself broke.
The world slowed. Every photon bullet froze in mid-air. Even the waves beneath his feet halted, forming glassy ripples. The Reaper's aura flared, and it strode forward in a domain of stopped time.
Kaelen's body locked—but his consciousness endured.
Founder's voice rang. " Master, by your contract with the Great Spirit of Time, you wield authority over temporal domains. This "Time Stop" is low-grade—you can resist it."
Kaelen smirked, his body glowing in an iridescent silver-blue. "Perfect."
With a burst of force, he moved, his body breaking the shackles of frozen time. He conjured an ice platform, launching himself high above, creating distance. Photon Bullets manifested—but froze again as they entered the Reaper's domain.
"Tch. Guess it's blade-to-blade then."
Dragon Form v1 flared across his body, silver scales shimmering. Lightning surged through his veins. Godspeed ignited.
In his hand, he forged a weapon with Founder's Creation Authority—a sleek black katana, modeled after Ichigo's bankai blade, its edge humming with light and holy energy.
He clashed with the Reaper. Scythe met katana, sparks of death and divinity igniting the frozen battlefield. He wove Photon Bullets into the clash, surrounding the Reaper—but they too froze in the domain.
Kaelen pulled a shard from his Dimensional Storage—a fragment of Ivarage's magicule essence. He hurled it into the Reaper's domain.
The moment it touched, the entire frozen world shattered like broken glass.
And all the stored Photon Bullets detonated—hundreds of suns exploding at once around the Reaper.
BOOOOM.
The Grim Reaper was swallowed by holy fire and chaos.
System windows flared:
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[ Congratulations. Boss of the Outer Zone Defeated. ]
[ Rewards Acquired:
Branch of the World Tree
Unique Skill: Last Stand (Revive once per day upon death)
Extra Skill: Death Aura Manifestation (A cold silver-black aura that freezes weaker beings in fear) ]
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Kaelen landed, his blade dispersing into light. His chest heaved, sweat dripping down his brow—but his grin was feral.
"…Not gonna lie… that was worth it." He glanced toward the towering spire ahead. "Alright then. Let's see what's waiting inside."
With that, Kaelen turned, stepping toward the endless tower.