Time, within The Cradle, became a fluid and malleable resource. The first century passed not in a blur, but in a series of profound, grinding epochs, each dedicated to a singular pillar of Astra's ascension.
His life fell into a tripartite rhythm, a cycle repeated ten thousand times:
I. The Study of Fundamentals
He began with the Data Crystal. Its contents were not mere information; they were revelations that rewired his understanding of reality. It taught him that energy was not just a force to be projected, but a substance to be woven. He learned the principles of Cosmic Energy Manipulation—how to draw power not just from his own reserves or the environment, but from the quantum foam of spacetime itself. It was a slow, painstaking process, like learning to breathe in a new element.
He practiced for decades, sitting cross-legged before the crystalline pedestal, the [Circlet of the Architect] amplifying his perception. He learned to create not just Ki blasts, but stable, self-sustaining Energy Constructs—a shield that would hold its form for days, a blade of pure force that never dulled. His [Stellar Forge] absorbed this knowledge voraciously, its understanding of material synthesis deepening from the molecular to the sub-atomic.
II. The Crucible of the Forge
The Gravity Forge became the heart of the Ouroboros. He no longer used it in short, brutal bursts. He lived in it. He started at a constant 50x gravity, making every movement, every breath, a training exercise. He ate, slept, and studied under its relentless pressure.
His body adapted. His [Dense-Body Constitution] evolved, his cells becoming not just dense, but incredibly efficient at energy storage and conversion. His Power Level, once a metric of brute force, now became a measure of refined, controlled potential.
· Year 10: Power Level breaks 5,000. He masters the creation of permanent Energy Constructs.
· Year 25: Power Level reaches 10,000. He can manipulate the Gravity Forge's field with his mind, creating complex, shifting pressure zones to challenge his Void Fist footwork.
· Year 50: Power Level stabilizes at 15,000. He endures 100x gravity as his new baseline. The [Stellar Forge] achieves a breakthrough, allowing him to disassemble and reassemble the ship's internal components at a thought, purely through energy manipulation.
III. The Glimmer of Creation
The World-Seed was his ultimate exam. He could not germinate it yet—the energy requirement was staggering, akin to detonating a star—but he could study its template. The [Circlet] allowed him to dive into its encoded blueprint, a perfect, self-contained ecosystem. He saw how every life form, from the largest predator to the smallest microbe, was part of a perfectly balanced energy cycle.
He began small experiments. Using refined materials from the Ouroboros and energy drawn from The Cradle's ambient field, he used the [Stellar Forge] to create a simple, one-cubic-meter biosphere. He populated it with algae and a single species of insect from the Seed's template. For ten years, he nurtured it, adjusted the energy flows, and watched it thrive and die, learning the intimate dance of creation and entropy.
At the end of the first century, Astra was no longer the boy who had fled Planet Vegeta.
He stood before the pedestal, his form radiating a calm, immense power. His [Appraisal] of himself was now a testament to a century of work.
[User: Astra]
[Race: Named Saiyan (Otherworlder)]
[Power Level: 18,500]
[Magicule Capacity: 25,000/25,000]
[Unique Skills: Limit-Breaker, Stellar Forge (Expert)]
[Extra Skills: Void Fist (Master), Cosmic Energy Manipulation (Adept), Biosphere Engineering (Novice)]
[Traits: Dense-Body Constitution (Lv. 3), Gravity Resistance (Lv. 5), Architect's Mind]
He had surpassed King Vegeta. He had become a master of energies both physical and cosmic. He had touched the face of creation itself.
But looking at the dormant World-Seed, he felt no pride, only a profound sense of scale. He had spent a century becoming a god by the standards of his old world, and he was still only a novice gardener in the eyes of The Cradle.
The first century was complete. He had built his foundation. The next would be for building something greater. It was time to stop just learning and start truly building. The path ahead was no longer just about personal power; it was about wielding that power to perform an act of genesis. The quiet student was ready to become the architect.