No hatred! No anger!
But it still wouldn't stop them.
When Ken was absorbing those memories, he knew this world was beyond his comprehension.
It didn't praise talent.
It envied them. It captured them. It killed them.
Balance!
A strange word for a world where strength was everything.
Balance was forged, and anyone who had the potential to break that balance must die.
He didn't understand why the world descended into such madness.
He only knew that it started after the disappearance of the Emperors.
So, when the Second Elder mentioned them, there was no trace of anger or hatred in his eyes.
He had fully adapted to this world, at least, in this aspect.
These assassinations helped.
"Seeing your reaction, I believe you are ready to face this world. But what you need to know is their weakness. And, that's why I am here."
The Second Elder nodded his head with satisfaction upon seeing his reaction and spoke.
Ken's eyes sharpened when he heard that. Because he wasn't aware of any weakness these people had.
"Second Elder, what weakness could these people possibly have?"
"Fear, child! Fear!"
The Second Elder sighed and continued.
"They fear change. They fear chaos. They fear that incident. Fear is the only way out for you."
"Believe me, child. We can't protect you. If we could, we wouldn't have given up on you so early."
"So, you have to protect yourself. All we can do is protect your parents. You have to leave, Ken. Leave this city, leave this country, become a hunter."
His eyes sharpened as he spoke.
"Sharpen your Will, become an assassin that can kill anyone, become a poison whose antidotes can't be found, become fear itself, Ken."
"Only when you can frighten those people, can you return to your family."
Hearing his words, Ken released a deep breath. His hands shook.
He was afraid.
Leaving his family behind.
Leaving this city. Going out of this country.
It would be suicide.
With his strength, this family had been an umbrella for him.
But now, this umbrella was taken off. He couldn't possibly forcefully stay here.
He understood the Grant Family's intention.
He had accepted their surname.
From that moment onward, he and his children would use the Grant surname.
Even his parents changed their surnames.
Not to mention his condition, just his name written on their lineage tree meant they could be wiped out if they didn't remain vigilant.
The only thing protecting them would be that same word.
Balance!
"How long can I stay?" Ken opened his mouth and asked.
Seeing this, the Second Elder sighed a breath of relief.
Ken's situation was the most problematic situation they had ever faced.
He was by far the greatest talent born in this world.
His talent, his ability, surpassed the very limits of this world.
But with such talent came danger.
They could protect themselves from the other two families and the City Lord, but they couldn't do the same with powers outside this city.
If they were wolves in this city, they would be nothing but house cats outside the city.
Because of this, they couldn't possibly keep Ken with them.
By letting Ken leave, it would also divert others' attention away from them.
Was it fair for Ken?
No!
But was his talent fair to others?
No!
'You reap what you sow.'
It was a saying that had circulated for thousands of years, but this time, he truly understood how deep this meant.
It was his talent that made Ken grow faster than others.
But it was also this talent that attracted those vultures.
The Second Elder calmed his heart and spoke.
"Two weeks! That's all the time you can get in this city."
"It's enough."
Ken replied.
Although this news was out of his expectations, he could still digest it.
He had a plan.
Maybe leaving this city would be perfect for him.
Survival would be hard, but he had made a promise for revenge.
He wouldn't let those people go so easily.
He had one life.
He had no hatred towards them.
But they wanted to kill him.
Just because he existed.
"So, tell me, what help can we give you?" The Second Elder spoke.
Ken suddenly became thoughtful.
Having a capital before starting a business would make things much better.
At least, he needed some resources.
He must reach Bronze Warlock Rank, then he would need to run some experiments with his ability.
"Resources, Spells, and a trustworthy person. Just one, talented enough and loyal enough."
Ken replied.
Hearing that, the second elder nodded without hesitation.
"I will send you the copies for most of the spells within the fifth rank. To reach Bronze Warlock Rank, you need to merge four vortexes in your Mana Space."
"The best resources would be Fire Dragon Blood, Night Elf Blood, and Thousand-Year-Old Blood Rose Petals."
Hearing that, Ken's eyes twitched.
"Second Elder, do we even have Fire Dragon Blood? And, is it even necessary? Isn't the next step simply to merge those four vortexes?"
The Second Elder scolded him.
"Idiot! What do you think is the path of magic practitioners?"
"Mana!"
"Exactly! Mana is the result of spiritual energy produced by our soul and natural energy that exists within the atmosphere, merging into one."
"When we absorb it into our body, merge it with spiritual energy, we can produce mana and store it within Mana Space."
"But Mana itself has qualities. These qualities help us transform, become something more than weaklings with magic power."
"What do you think is the difference between Bronze Warlock and Warlock Apprentice?"
Hearing this question, Ken froze and replied.
"Is it body and soul?"
The Second Elder looked surprised at how correct Ken was. He nodded his head and said.
"Exactly! The body is the most important part of Bronze, Silver, and Gold ranks. Now, tell me why?"
This time, Ken became a bit more excited as he replied.
"Is it because of spells?"
"Hmm! You have learned your lessons well. Spells are a combination of our understanding of Universal Laws and Mana's Power."
"Universal Laws are the runes attached to the magic spells. In simple terms, they are like televisions. But Mana is like electricity."
"Without electricity, it is impossible to use television. Without mana, it is impossible to use universal law."
"But all Mana has its origin with the Universe. Our soul and natural energy have been blessed by the universe."
"So, when you use spells, you are asking for permission from the universe. But this permission is one-sided."
"Being one-sided has one big disadvantage. You are tapping into the true power of the universe, which has a lot of weight."
"If you can't bear the weight, your soul will collapse, your mana will flood your body and destroy it."
Hearing this for the first time, Ken took a deep breath, trying to calm his fragile heart.
Just the fact that he was being hunted was enough for him.
'No wonder I felt so bad when I used that move. Creating a Machine Gun like that should be at least Rank Two or three spell.'
'Because my ability allows me to manifest my thoughts, I was able to create it using the knowledge of the basic materials.'
'But it seems like I need to be very careful with my next moves.'
Seeing his expression, the Second Elder nodded.
Although he wasn't sure how Ken's worked, he knew it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Seeing the previous corpse, he also realized how easily Ken killed his enemy. Those wounds were sharp and precise and fast.
"So, before you reach Bronze Rank, you need to temper your body. Since you already have the best talent, why not use the best resource we can provide?"
"Fire Dragon Blood will strengthen your body to its extreme limit for that rank. Night Elf Blood will strengthen your soul and mental fortitude."
"As for Thousand-Year-Old Blood Rose Petals, they are useful to make your Mana pure. After all, mana is the combination of two different energies."
"One energy is formed out of your thoughts, experiences, and even emotions. The other energy is even more impure because of its presence in the atmosphere."
"So, your current mana is quite impure. The petals of Blood Rose will keep purifying your mana until it becomes at least 99.99% pure."
"The pure mana is easier to control, more potent with spells, and has greater boosting qualities."
"You should be especially familiar with the last effect."
Hearing that, Ken couldn't help but smile. He knew the Second Elder was joking to lighten up his mood.
But it was true.
The previous Ken couldn't figure out the properties, or rather elements for the creation of material.
His powers didn't require mechanisms. It required ingredients and knowledge of his creation.
To produce fire, it required a hydrogen atom as fuel and an oxygen atom to burn. As for heat, he didn't need an ingredient to create it
Because it was a phenomenon, he could just imagine it.
So, when these three components were combined, only then could he produce fire.
Similar atoms were required for water.
Hydrogen and oxygen!
But deep down, he knew those elements weren't the key. It was something else, but he didn't know.