Kael did not hesitate this time, he tapped the manual.
The moment his finger made contact with the manual the world seemed to be collapsed. It did not feel like shattered not exploded.
It felt like it collapsed inward folding into a single point of impossible density.
Kael's vision went white and then once again it went black and then something else entirely.
He was no longer standing in the ruined city.
He was no longer inside the tower.
He was no longer inside some space.
He was standing before a page, it seems its the page of the manual.
The page was not made of paper and emitting some light and seems to have scripture with definitions written on it.
Lines of symbol hovered before him constantly rewriting themselves. They were not words, not runes, not characters from any known script. Each symbol carried meaning directly bypassing language entirely and imprinting itself into his awareness.
Kael staggered and his knees buckled but yet he did not fall.
Because he felt something familiar holding him and held him.
Like its someone is not holding him physically but something is holding him to not fall.
But suddenly---
You are permitted to read.
The sensation struck him like a hammer.
Kael's breath caught hearing this voice out of nowhere.
"..This where is the voice coming from is it from the manual?"
The first line of the scripture revealed itself.
The scripture did not seem to be text but its showing as truth.
[Boundary Scripture of the Unfinished World]
This is not a cultivation method
This is not a weapon
This is not a power to be wielded.
This is a correction protocol for worlds that failed to define themselves.
Kaels mind was shocked hearing this truth.
A pressure slammed into his skull threatening to tear it apart. He felt as if something ancient and vast was peering directly into him not only evaluating his strength and talent but whether he was allowed to exist.
Heaven refines
Planet stabilizes.
Life adapts.
But when definition breaks.....
Suddenly the symbols started to twist and the page cut itself.
Someone must draw the line.
Kael's heart thundered.
This felt very wrong no actually this was beyond wrong.
What I have seen in movies, web-novels, manga's they taught completely different like cultivation manuals refined qi, martial scriptures trained bodies and Dao texts aligned one with heaven.
But this, this did not teach how to ascend. It taught how to decide what ascension even meant.
His hands trembled.
"This doesn't exist, there is nothing like this in the tower, in the forum and feels like not in any world. What is this Author cooking creating a complete different martial technique out of nowhere and I should somehow keep up with it"
The scripture partially responded instantly.
Correct
A shock-wave tore through him.
Kael's consciousness was dragged deeper.
Then he saw a body, it felt very familiar, yes he knows who's body is this.
This is himself but the aura felt from this body is completely different and strong.
Standing inside a circle that did not exist a moment ago.
Lines formed around his lookalike and they were not drawn or erased, they just seemed to acknowledged.
Correction begins with the self.
Before you define the world you must define what you are.
Pain exploded through Kael's muscles.
His bones screamed.
His breath turned ragged as something rewrote the way his body understood motion.
It felt like not only his body strengthening but also clarifying.
Every moment he had ever made replayed before his eyes, his every inefficient step, every unnecessary force, every wasted action.
And then they were removed.
Unknowingly his posture shifted, his stance changed, his breathing stabilized.
Without realizing it Kael had entered a foundation stance.
It looked very simple, balanced and absolute.
The system which was silent until now finally reacted.
[Achievement Detected: First Step into a Path Without Precedent]
[Condition: Initiated Cultivation without reference to existing Heavens]
[Comprehension on the Boundary scripture increased by 24%]
Kael barely registered it.
The scripture continued.
The body is not trained, it is aligned.
Energy started to flow, mana flowed into his body and also the qi refined in his body, it started to change his body.
It moved through Kael's limbs, tracing invisible boundaries, correcting micro misalignment's that no technique could ever touch.
His senses sharpened, the world became quiet and clear.
[New Status Achieved]
[Secondary Class Acquired: Beginner Martial Artist]
Kael's eyes widened.
"...A secondary class, how is this possible?".
As known a person can only acquire only one class and grow with it to the ultimate, but I never heard of anyone having secondary class.
[You have achieved a Secondary Class earlier than any recorded entity]
[Reward Granted: Martial Foundation Stabilization]
Before Kael could even react the manual flared and the page tore itself apart.
Symbols collided and the concepts overlapped.
Something inside Kaels status panel began to shake violently.
[Class Conflict Detected]
[Warning] [Warning]
[Primary Class: Delimiter]
[Secondary Class: Beginner Martial Artist]
[Conceptual Overlap Detected]
[Conflict Level: Very High]
Kael's blood ran cold because it is true a person can have only once class and now he sees a conflict having two classes.
The system did not wait.
[Forced Resolution Initiated]
The scripture spoke again.
Classes are just frameworks.
You are not.
The two classes collided.
Delimiter- Authority, definition, correction.
Martial artist- Body, Discipline, Internal alignment.
They should not merge.
They could not merge.
And yet....
The scripture forced them together.
Kael screamed as his class framework shattered and along with his body is paining because of the forced merge of the two colliding classes.
The classes continued to collide and merge forcefully and then reassembled into something new.
Something that did not exist.
[System Emergency Override Failed]
[New Class Created]
The text appeared slowly as if the system itself was afraid to display it.
[Class: Martial Delimiter Boundary Sovereign]
[Rank: Undefined]
[Status: Unrecorded]
[Description: A being who does not cultivate power but stabilizes existence through embodied authority]
The tower went silent. The tower was itself in shock.
Kael's entire status panel rewrote itself.
[Talent Evolution Detected]
[Line Drawer (F-) -> SSS Rank]
[New Talent: Absolute Boundary Definition (Authority)]
[Description: You may define where existence is permitted to continue. Once acknowledged all entities, material, energy, conceptual must obey]
[Status: Talent can grow to the upper ranks]
Kael's breath stopped.
Before he could process another system message popped up.
[Eraser (F-) -> SSS Rank]
[New Talent: Erase Existence (Authority)]
[Description: You may remove defined existence from all recognized layers. What is erased cannot be recalled, restored or reinterpreted]
[Status: Talent can grow to the upper ranks]
His vision swam but the system was not done.
[Tap (F-) -> SSS Rank]
[New Skill: Truth Appraisal (Authority)]
[Description: All Falsehoods collapse under contact. No disguise, illusion or deception may remain intact]
[Status: Talent can grow to the upper ranks]
Kael laughed a broken disbelieving sound.
"This is insane...."
Its still not finished.
[Delimited Edge -> SSS Rank]
[Description Updated: A manifestation of Final Authority. Cuts not flesh, not matter, but continuation itself]
[Status: Talent can grow to the upper ranks]
One final line appeared.
[Skill Adjustment]
[All Authority Talents and Skills have become Passive]
[Delimited Edge Remains Active]
Kael froze "All my talents and Skills other than Delimited Edge became passive, this is insane and not only that all are SSS Rank which matched the Delimiter class but now my current class is Undefined and it shows that All the ranks can still grow till where I seriously don't know. What just happened? Kael calm down yourself come onnnnnn".
That realization hit harder than everything else.
This wasn't power he turned on.
This was existence he carried.
The manual trembled.
Then suddenly he heard a voice which was not loud, not very distant but feels very familiar which was very warm to hear and steady.
You finally heard it properly.
Kael's breath hitched.
His vision blurred "No....".
The Voice spoke again.
You were always close. You just needed to stop cutting long enough to listen.
Kael clutched the manual to his chest.
Emotion crashed into him like a wave he could no longer hold back.
"M....Master.....?".
The manual pulsed like soft and alive.
Do not cry yet, we are not finished correcting the world.
Kael's throat tightened.
"MASTERRRR..."
The ruined city trembled.
The Tower remained silent.
The master and disciple reunited once again.