Two years. That's how long Solace had spent relentlessly forging himself into something far beyond the broken consort he once was. Every dawn, he awakened to pain—and used it. Every dusk found him stronger, sharper, more attuned to the whispers of power within him.
Inside that rugged cave, solitude became his ally. Cold stone beneath him, night wind swirling overhead, Solace trained with a fervor that bordered on obsession. His recursion—not merely healing but adaptation—turned agonizing injuries into lessons. Limbs that should have broken healed stronger. Each blow carved resilience into his muscles; each failed technique taught him how to perfect the next.
Mornings brought sword drills, nights—silent stealth training. He seized every nuance of battle: timing, breath, flow. His blade became an extension of his will, moving with the precision of fate.
But the true catalysts were the Gacha assimilations. Four unique items reshaped him—permanently—and opened capacities he'd scarcely dreamed possible.
-Elixir of Celestial Clarity
Effect: Clears mental fog and restores even the most damaged mana pathways.
-Phantom Blossom
Effect: Grants intangible form—able to phase slightly through physical matter.
-Random Affinity Stone
Drawn from the cosmos, this iridescent gem changed each person who consumed it. For Solace, it revealed a new affinity—Lightning. His blood now carried the spark and crackle of storms. Electricity pulsed through his hands when he summoned it, and speed—and reflexes—surged in moments of crisis.
-Eclipse Core
A dark orb infused with lunar and solar energies, merging light and shadow. Easily the most powerful of all assimilations. Grants mastery over both light and dark energies.
These were meant to be temporary buffs—however now, they were woven into him, changing the very fabric of his essence. He assimilated each Gacha item into his blood and in return he permanently received the effects.
When he finally paused to assess himself, the results were undeniable:
[Status Screen]
Name: Solace
Age: 23/50,000
Race: Aethernal (Phoenix Bloodline Assimilated)
Level: 500
Affinities: Fire, Space, Shadow, Lightning, Light, Darkness
Skills
Abyssal Eye of Infinity
Swap (Spatial Displacement)
Shadow step
Event Horizon
Abyssal Echo
Thousandfold Severance
Imperial Phoenix Bloom
He'd ascended past human frailties. Every wound healed. Every elemental power accessible. His mind, once filled with doubts—"Level 200 isn't enough"—now sparkled with the clarity of a peak cultivator.
Launching into the sky, Solace soared over the ravaged lands. Seven years of war had left the Human Kingdoms battered but unbroken. Cities lay in ruins yet flags still stood. Resistance groups fought on. The dragons had driven them back, but human spirit remained unextinguished.
Princess Seraphine remained missing—her whereabouts unknown. Solace felt tears of anger and longing tug at him—but he could not revisit the past for sentiment. The war raged on around him, but he was ready to strike a decisive blow.
As he flew, the system's voice pulled him back from reflection.
[Your assimilation is complete. Your form is now optimized. The world has shifted—human casualties high, but resistance persists. The dragons are confident. They underestimate you.]
Solace hovered mid-air, wind tousling his hair. "Confidence is for the ignorant," he murmured. "I've waited. Now, the tides are shifting."
His hand brushed the sky, and electricity sparked at his fingertips.
[Ding! New Assassination Hit]
Target: Eldest Dragon Prince
Level: 500
Race: Fire Dragon
Mission: Eliminate the Eldest Dragon Prince. Full execution required.
Reward: 1,000,000 Mana Stones | 3 Gacha Rolls
Solace stared across battle-dimmed landscapes, the weight of the mission settling in.
"So, destiny calls. I will answer."
Electricity crackled around him as he dipped into a dive toward the horizon, eyes alight with purpose.