"So, this village, Astoria," Kai began, feigning a thoughtful, memory-addled tone.
"And the people we saw today. Is this… everyone? On this whole planet?"
Elara, ever the gentle soul, nodded. "For the most part, yes, brother. This is our home. Why do you ask?"
Lina, the sharp-eyed assistant, chimed in with precise figures. "The current registered population of this planet, Caelus, is one thousand, two hundred and four individuals, my Lord. All residing here in Astoria."
Kai's fork clattered onto his plate. "Twelve hundred people? That's it?"
"It is a fine community, my Lord," Roric grunted, tearing into a loaf of bread. "Strong folk."
"I'm not saying they aren't," Kai replied, trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice. "But what about the other planet? The green one, Veridia Prime?"
"Ah, yes," Elara said. "There is a small mining settlement there. Mostly for iron ore and glowing crystals for the palace. There are perhaps eighty or ninety souls stationed there."
Kai leaned back in his chair, the sheer scale of his predicament washing over him.
His entire galactic empire consisted of two villages. Two.
The high school he'd dropped out of had more people than his whole kingdom.
He did some quick, rough calculations in his head, based on the size of the planet he'd seen from the balcony.
Even if we terraformed this whole world, filled every continent… we'd be lucky to support a million people. Maybe two.
A million people. On Earth, that was a mid-sized city.
Here, it was the absolute maximum potential of an entire planet.
The "F-Rank Development Potential" from the system screen suddenly made a lot more sense.
They were starting from less than zero.
He looked at the earnest faces around him.
Elara's gentle support, Lina's quiet competence, Roric's unshakeable loyalty.
They were good people. They were his people.
And they were all stuck in this cosmic backwater, content with their Level 1 lives because they knew nothing else.
He couldn't leave them like this. He wouldn't.
"When I was unconscious," Kai said slowly, choosing his words with care. "After the energy flare… I saw things. Glimpses. Fragments of memories, maybe. I think the flare showed me something."
The others stopped eating, their full attention on him.
"I saw Veridia Prime," he continued, his gaze becoming distant, as if peering into a memory. "But I saw it from below the surface. Deep underground, there was a light. A structure. A spire."
"A spire?" Elara asked, confused. "The miners have never reported anything of the sort."
"It's hidden," Kai said, leaning forward, the excitement in his voice genuine. "And it's powerful. I could feel it, even in the vision. An ancient energy, dormant, just waiting. I believe it's the key. Something that can help us, make us stronger."
Roric slammed a fist on the table, making the plates jump. A wide, eager grin split his bearded face. "Power? Buried treasure? Now you're talking! When do we leave?"
"We must be cautious, my Lord," Lina interjected, her expression pragmatic. "Your health is still paramount. And we know nothing of this… spire. It could be dangerous."
"Everything worth doing is a little dangerous, Lina," Kai countered with a smile. "Think about it. We are a small people in a vast, empty universe. Do we content ourselves with what we have, or do we reach for something more? This is our chance. A gift."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Tomorrow at dawn, we're taking a shuttle to Veridia Prime. We are going to find that spire."
His declaration hung in the air, filled with a certainty that left no room for argument.
Elara looked at him with renewed awe, Roric with fiery excitement, and even Lina gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
For the first time, Kai felt like a leader.
Later that night, long after the others had retired, Kai found himself drawn to the palace's training ground.
It was a simple, open-air courtyard paved with stone, with weapon racks and sturdy-looking training dummies lining the walls.
He needed to know what being "Level 3" actually meant.
Was it just a number, or did it come with tangible power?
He walked to the center of the courtyard, the twin moons of Caelus casting a pale, ethereal light.
He took a deep breath, settling into a basic fighting stance he'd seen in movies.
He felt… normal. No surge of energy, no glowing aura.
He faced a thick wooden post used for striking practice. It was as thick as his waist, solid and unyielding.
"Okay, let's see."
He threw a simple, straightforward punch, putting his weight behind it just like he would have in his old life.
CRACK!
The sound was sharp and loud in the silent night.
Kai stared, his eyes wide.
His fist had sunk a good two inches into the solid wood, splintering it outwards.
A tingling, pins-and-needles sensation ran up his arm, but there was no pain. None at all.
"Whoa," he breathed.
A punch like that from his old body would have resulted in a collection of shattered knuckles and a trip to the emergency room.
He tried again, this time a quick jab.
THWACK!
Another dent appeared in the wood.
He threw a kick, and a large chunk of the post flew off, skittering across the stone floor.
He began to move, a blur of motion, striking the post from all angles.
With each hit, his confidence grew.
This wasn't just a little bit of extra strength.
He felt faster, more balanced. His stamina felt limitless.
He wasn't a superhero from the comics, but compared to a normal person…
He grabbed a heavy training sword from a rack. It was a massive slab of iron, and in his old life, he would have struggled to even lift it properly.
Now, it felt as light and manageable as a kitchen knife. He swung it, and the air whistled.
He wasn't a trained swordsman, but he had raw power.
He was, by his own estimation, at least five times stronger than he used to be.
Five times stronger than any normal, healthy man.
He stood panting slightly, not from exhaustion, but from sheer adrenaline. He looked at his hands, then at the mangled training post.
For the first time since waking up in this strange new world, a genuine, triumphant grin spread across his face.
Being the strongest in a galaxy of Level 1s had seemed like a joke.
But now, he understood.
This strength wasn't a punchline. It was a tool. It was the crowbar he would use to pry open the future.
And tomorrow, on Veridia Prime, he was going to find the lock.