The blade stopped just a few millimeters from Kaelen's neck.
His breath hitched. He had stumbled while dodging, and every barrier he cast had been shredded apart—Chloe's sword pierced through them like they were thin sheets of glass. The cold steel hovered against his skin, close enough that he felt its killing intent.
Chloe's voice was low, controlled, and dangerous.
"How do you know that name?"
Kaelen raised both hands slowly."Wait—wait—wait… I can explain! I know the future. I'm… kind of from the future. And I know you regressed here."
The moment the word regressed left his mouth, Chloe's aura sharpened. Her guard shot up, and a subtle, suffocating killing intent leaked from her.
"How," she asked, "are you from the future? And why is it that in every regression I've lived through… I have never once seen or heard of you?"
Kaelen internally panicked. I should have thought this through… Jesus Christ, Kaelen, come on.
Out loud, he forced a grin."Well… maybe it's because I made a contract with a Spirit of Time. So I guess, when the spirit bonded with me, I received the memories of previous timelines?"
Chloe didn't respond immediately. Behind the expressionless mask, he couldn't read her, and the silence only made the tension worse.
At last, she asked,
"Then what do you want from me?"
This time, Kaelen didn't hesitate.
"I want you to train me. Swordsmanship, abilities, magic—everything."
Chloe finally lowered her blade slightly."And why would I bother doing that?"
"Because," he answered calmly, "I'll become an invaluable ally to you all in the future."
Her silence stretched.A time-based ability user was valuable—far too valuable to dismiss casually. And Kaelen knew she was calculating. Measuring him. Weighing his words.
Against foes like Michael or Feldway , time abilities weren't ideal… but with growth, he could become something far more.
After a long, deliberate pause, Chloe spoke.
"Fine. I'll take you in. But try anything funny, and I'll cut you down on the spot."
Kaelen let out a sharp breath of relief."Please, what do you take me for?"
Before she could reply, Chloe changed the subject.
"You're from the Empire, right? Yet you say you want to help Rimuru. In the future, he becomes the Empire's enemy. Are you already betraying your nation?"
Her guard rose again.This was the true test. Whether he was someone she could trust—someone she could rely on.
Kaelen answered without flinching.
"I'm not fighting the Empire in the truest sense. My master is Emperor Rudra Nam Ul Nasca. He shares Rimuru's ideals and is the greatest ruler this world ever sees. But… his Ultimate Skill, Justice King Michael, takes control of his body after shattering his soul. In the future, it's Michael who fights Rimuru—not Rudra. In fact… my master himself sides with Rimuru."
A small, bittersweet chuckle escaped him.
Something in Chloe's aura softened.Her guard lowered, and though he couldn't see her expression, he felt the warmth behind it. She reached out and gently ruffled his hair—like an older sister comforting a younger sibling.
They talked casually as they walked, the earlier tension fading with each step, until they reached the inn where Kaelen was staying.
"It's already night," Chloe said. "Stay here for today. I'll pick you up tomorrow."
She left with a nod.
As Kaelen stepped into the tavern, a soft ding echoed through his mind and a translucent screen appeared.
[Quest Completed]
[Reward Granted]
He headed up to his room and opened his status window. At the bottom was a new option:
[Upgrade System]
Curious, he tapped it.
[System Upgrade]
[Upgrade Requirements: Skill — Ideal BlacksmithSkill
—Degenerate]
[Upgrade System by Sacrificing These Skills?]
[Y / N]
Kaelen scratched his cheek.
"I barely used Ideal Blacksmith anyway… and Degenerate is basically synthesis and separation. Founder already integrated those into itself, so I won't be losing anything important."
Founder's calm voice echoed in his mind.
"Upgrading seems like the best choice, Master."
With that confirmation, Kaelen pressed YES.
[Commencing Upgrade… Sacrificing Skills]
[System Upgrade in Progress]
[System Disabled for 6 Hours]
"Six hours, huh… well, by morning it should be done. No point staying awake."
He flopped onto the bed and fell asleep quickly.
Morning
Sunlight spilled across Kaelen's face, making him instinctively scrunch up and groan. The heat eventually forced him awake. He stretched, washed up, and headed downstairs to eat.
As he took his seat, he checked the newly updated system.The biggest change:
Pure Synthesis — a function allowing the combination of skills, weapons, armor, equipment, and more.
Not bad at all.
Chloe arrived and sat across from him.
"So," she said, "are you ready for your training?"
Kaelen didn't look up from his food."Yeah. This is going to be interesting."
A new window appeared immediately.
[New Quest: Complete Training with Chloe]
[Description: The time-traveling Hero Chloe has accepted your request for training.]
[Rewards:• Skill Rune (Non-Host)
• Skill Rune (Host)
• Skill Upgrade Rune]
[Hint: Rewards scale based on completion rate.]
Kaelen accepted without hesitation.
Completion rate, huh… interesting.
After finishing their meal, the two headed toward the training grounds—where both training and sparring awaited him.
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the upload till end of march will be inconsistent cause alot of exams are happening right now.sorry