"So you're a Controller?"
The young man's voice no longer carried the same arrogance it had moments ago.
The instant the translucent shield blocked his attack, the atmosphere within the alley changed. The two friends I had struck earlier immediately moved back to his side, abandoning any intention of attacking me alone. Soon, all four of them stood together with their attention fixed on me and the barrier standing between us.
I noticed their eyes repeatedly studying me, carefully observing every movement and every detail they could find. It was obvious what they were trying to do. They were attempting to gauge my strength and determine my control level before deciding how to proceed.
Unfortunately for them, they would not find the answer they were looking for. Several moments passed as they continued observing me, yet none of their expressions changed. The reason was simple... they could not sense an energy core from me.
Normally, Controllers could roughly estimate another Controller's strength by sensing the energy core within their body. However, no matter how carefully they examined me, they found nothing.
As a result, they were unable to determine whether I was a low-level Controller like themselves or someone far stronger.
Although the four of them enjoyed throwing their weight around and bullying people weaker than themselves, they were not complete fools. The moment they realized they were facing another Controller, their attitudes changed noticeably. The arrogance and carelessness that had been present earlier were replaced by caution as they began treating the situation more seriously.
The young man narrowed his eyes and studied me for a moment before deciding to attack again. Without saying a word, he punched forward. A powerful shockwave immediately erupted from the air in front of his fist and surged through the alley toward me.
Boom!
The attack slammed directly into the shield standing before me. Ripples slightly spread across its surface from the impact, but the barrier itself remained firmly in place.
Seeing that his ability alone was not enough, the larger young man beside him stepped forward. Energy surged through his arm as a layer of stone rapidly spread across his fist, encasing it completely, then he attacked.
Bang!
His stone-covered fist crashed into the shield with tremendous force. The impact echoed throughout the narrow alley and even caused small fragments of dust to fall from the nearby walls. Yet despite the combined force behind the attack, the shield did not budge. It remained exactly where it was, completely intact.
Meanwhile, the remaining two young men stayed where they were, neither of them making a move to attack. Their eyes remained fixed on the translucent barrier standing between us as they carefully observed the results of their friends' attacks.
The young man with the Shockwave ability continued staring at the translucent shield, his eyes narrowing as he carefully considered everything that had happened so far. His attacks had failed to produce any meaningful result, and even the stone-covered punch from his companion had done nothing more than create a few ripples across the shield's surface. Despite the force behind their attacks, the barrier remained completely intact.
Gradually, a look of realization appeared on his face.
"He looks like a Shield Controller. If that's the case, then we just need to break his shield first."
The other three seemed to agree with the assessment. After all, ever since revealing my ability, I had done nothing except remain behind the translucent barrier. From their perspective, it probably looked as though the shield was both my primary means of defense and the source of my confidence. If they could destroy it, then the fight would likely become much easier.
Without hesitation, the others nodded. A moment later, energy began surging from all four of them simultaneously as they prepared to attack together, fully intending to overwhelm the shield through sheer force.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the young man's fist and surged through the alley before crashing directly into the translucent shield. Almost at the same time, the larger young man stepped in from the side, stone rapidly spreading across his fist before he drove it into the barrier with all his strength. The combined impacts sent ripples spreading across the shield's surface, causing waves of energy to travel across the translucent barrier.
Before the ripples could settle, another young man made his move. Wind gathered around his legs, and his figure suddenly accelerated forward with explosive speed. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the distance between us and slammed into the shield, adding his own force to the assault. The alley echoed continuously with impacts as the three attempted to overwhelm the barrier through sheer power.
At the same time, the final young man finally revealed his ability. His body blurred as he moved, leaving behind several afterimages throughout the alley. One figure became two, then three, before a fourth appeared a moment later. The afterimages moved in unpredictable patterns around the shield, constantly shifting positions and making it difficult to determine which figure was real. A knife flashed repeatedly through the darkness as attacks came from different angles in rapid succession, striking the shield again and again while the other three continued their assault.
Shockwaves crashed against the barrier, stone-covered fists hammered into it, speed-enhanced attacks struck from the front, and knife attacks rained down from every direction. Despite the relentless barrage, the translucent shield remained firmly in place, enduring every attack without showing any sign of breaking.
I remained standing calmly behind the translucent shield, watching their attacks unfold with little interest. The four of them were clearly attacking with everything they had. Every strike carried genuine force, and none of them appeared to be holding back. However, from the moment this fight began, defeating them had never been my immediate objective.
I already knew they were Controllers. What I wanted to know were their abilities. So instead of rushing forward, I simply stood behind the shield and observed. The young man possessed a Shockwave ability, the larger one could reinforce his fists with stone, another used wind to enhance his speed, and the last relied on several afterimages to confuse his opponents.
The relentless assault continued for several more moments. Shockwaves repeatedly crashed into the translucent shield while stone-covered fists struck it with enough force to send vibrations through the alley. Speed-enhanced attacks followed one after another, and knife strikes flashed from different directions as the afterimages continuously shifted around the barrier. Yet despite all of their efforts, nothing changed. The shield remained standing.
Gradually, the four young men began slowing down before finally stopping altogether. Their breathing had become heavier than before, and the confidence they had shown at the start of the fight was nowhere to be seen. Instead, their faces were filled with caution and uncertainty as they stared at the untouched barrier standing between us.
The young man with the Shockwave ability narrowed his eyes and studied the shield for several moments. His expression grew increasingly grim as he considered the situation.
Finally, he spoke, "I don't think he's a low-level Controller."
One of his friends immediately nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."
The others exchanged uneasy glances. A moment later, one of them hesitantly voiced the conclusion they had all begun reaching.
"Moderate level... maybe?"
Nobody disagreed. In fact, judging by their expressions, they had all arrived at the same answer.
Behind the shield, a cold smile slowly formed on my face... their conclusion was correct.
I had always believed that the strange experience within that endless void had merely refined my energy and improved my control over it. At the time, I had been too focused on the immediate changes to realize what had actually occurred.
While my consciousness had wandered through that mysterious void, the energy core within my forehead had undergone a perfect refinement. As a result, my energy became denser, more refined, and easier to control than before. Although I hadn't understood it at the time, that transformation had quietly pushed me to the very peak of the low-level Controller stage.
During the weeks that followed, I continued cultivating whenever I had the opportunity while traveling toward Astravia. Then, shortly before reaching Astravia, another change occurred.
A tiny black dot appeared at my left temple. At first glance, it looked insignificant, especially when compared to the primary black dot within my forehead. However, I immediately understood what it represented. For most Controllers, energy cores formed in a straight path from the lower abdomen toward the head as they advanced through the stages of cultivation. Mine, however, had never followed that pattern. My first energy core had formed within my forehead, and now the second had appeared near my left temple.
The appearance of that second black dot marked my advancement into the moderate-level Controller stage. Without realizing it, I had already crossed the boundary between low-level and moderate-level Controller.