Aka climbed down and began digging into the ground, continuing until he either found stone—or confirmed there was none worth using. No proper stone-like material surfaced at all. Since he had no idea how much time had passed, he quickly abandoned the idea of traveling to the nearest village to obtain stone and build an Altar. Instead, he decided to use the best thing he already had: the upper surface of the cube itself, treating it as an Altar.
With that settled, he turned his attention to the Prayer he would offer.
The ability Aka desired, in its simplest form, was mental manipulation. However, no matter how great a price he was willing to pay, without a proper Altar and a refined Prayer, risking everything on such a powerful ability was far too dangerous. Accepting this, he entered meditation, forcing his mind to its limits in search of a similar—but safer—alternative.
Several reasonable options came to mind.
The first resembled idea seeding. While speaking to someone, the other party would unconsciously accept Aka's ideas, treating them as their own and defending them as such. The flaw was obvious: Aka would not be able to control how they acted on those ideas. For example, if he suggested that someone should be killed, even if Aka meant poisoning, the person might instead explode in sudden rage and attack with nothing more than a kitchen knife.
Another idea was closer to the art of influence itself. Anyone who spoke with Aka would naturally be affected by him, and prolonged exposure could lead to deep attachment—enough to call them his disciple. The downside, however, was fatal to the concept: the effect would not be selective. If Aka chose this ability, then eventually even 29 would become his disciple. That was something Aka would never allow, so he discarded the idea without hesitation.
A third option involved memory manipulation. As the name implied, memories related to Aka would continuously change. Yet Aka had no idea how such an ability could be controlled. The uncertainty alone was enough for him to abandon the thought, leaving him frustrated.
In the end, Aka stopped forcing himself to overthink.
From the very beginning, the lack of a proper Altar and a precise Prayer meant that requesting a highly versatile ability—no matter the offering—was simply too risky. What he needed was something narrow, structured, and conditional. With that realization, he finally arrived at a workable concept.
By channeling his Physical Energy into his throat while speaking, his words would directly enter the listener's mind, feeling as though they were their own thoughts. Moreover, the longer and more structured the conversation conducted this way, the more attached the listener would become to Aka—eventually reaching a state where they might even consent to becoming his servant.
Satisfied that this ability would serve him well, Aka stopped refining the concept and began designing his Prayer.
He had been told that Prayers depended solely on spoken words, but Aka was skeptical. In his view, thoughts had to play a role as well—though he had no idea how or to what extent.
He drafted several versions of the Prayer but avoided speaking them aloud. Using the cube as an Altar without any offering, voicing them prematurely might demand a far greater price than he was willing to pay.
After combining and refining his ideas, he completed the Prayer:
"Beloved gods, exalted architects, sole owners of this world—I beg you to answer the plea of this humble servant.Allow my Physical Energy to flow into my throat,and grant my voice the power to influence others.I pray that this influence may accumulate,and that in the end they may aid your servant without condition or hesitation.O great gods, I beg you—do not withhold your grace from one who shows you due reverence."
Seeing nothing more to refine, Aka climbed down and carried each monster corpse up one by one, placing them upon the Altar. He deliberately left the blades and the serpent's body below.
Without wasting any time, he began his Third Ritual.
Kneeling atop the cube, Aka clasped his hands, lowered his head, raised his arms toward the sky, and shouted his Prayer. Then he waited.
In less than a moment, the corpses vanished, dissolving into tiny lights that flickered and disappeared into the air. Immediately afterward, countless multicolored motes emerged and flowed into Aka's body. Even as it happened, he did not move, waiting calmly for the process to finish.
When a familiar warmth spread through him, Aka finally allowed his sweat-soaked body and anxiety-twisted mind to sleep.
Upon waking, he wasted no time.
Abilities.
Before him appeared the familiar white silhouette of his body, overlaid with text.
Age – 20Strength – 16Endurance – 20Speed – 20Awareness – 10Spiritual Power – 0Physical Energy – 40Potential – 5
His existing abilities—Immoral, Player, Practical, Absorption, and Diligent—remained unchanged. Two new abilities had been added.
InfluenceYou possess the ability to influence people.
Voice AmplificationYour Physical Energy can be channeled into your voice through your throat.
After reviewing them, Aka once again realized just how crucial a Prayer truly was. He may not have known the exact words needed to obtain his ideal ability—but this was more than sufficient. Especially since Voice Amplification seemed far more interesting than he had expected.
He closed the Ability Window with a blink and tested it immediately.
Channeling Physical Energy into his lungs, throat, and every muscle and organ involved in producing sound, Aka shouted with all his might. The force nearly knocked him off the cube—but instead of fear, excitement surged through him.
He focused again and shouted once more, this time directing his voice toward the layers of leaves below.
Three out of ten thick, overlapping dark-green layers shattered.
He felt a brief flicker of disappointment, having expected more, but it didn't last. Jumping down, he moved farther away, positioned himself atop the leaves, aimed at a more distant spot, and shouted again.
Bingo.
All ten layers were obliterated, leaving a clear opening. Aka was thoroughly satisfied.
Climbing back up the ladder, he sat down and attempted to speak normally while using minimal energy. No matter what he tried, his voice still came out far louder than intended.
That was likely something that could be refined with practice—but Aka had no time for that.
Descending from the cube and through the leaves, he reached the river and washed away the blood and grime from a full day's work. The washing itself was quick, but for some reason, his entire body tingled while he stood in the water.
There was no time to dwell on it.
He retraced his steps out of the forest, but with each stride, he felt slower. Once outside, he collapsed beneath a large apple tree and summoned his Abilities again to examine his body.
It appeared he had picked up some kind of toxin from the river. It didn't seem particularly strong, so there was no immediate need to create an antidote. Even so, he continued toward the palace at a slow pace.
Three days later, he arrived.
By then, the toxin had spread further. Aka informed the steward, told no one else, and went straight to his workshop. Mixing weakening herbs with various flowers, he brewed a remedy. After drinking it, he sat down and entered meditation.
Five hours later, the toxin was completely expelled from his body.
He informed the steward of his recovery and then went to the training grounds to meet Chen and Kang. Both were visibly shocked—there had been more than two weeks left before his return, and neither could understand why he had come back early.
Aka said little. After exchanging greetings and wishing them success, the steward arrived and escorted him to meet the Lord.
The moment Aka noticed their surprise, a plan formed.
And when he began speaking with the Lord, he put it into motion.
Testing Influence here was risky—but undeniably effective.
Lord Wang: "Welcome, Master Aka. What is the reason for your early return?"
Aka: "Lord Wang, I came as quickly as I could because there is something I must report."
Lord Wang: "Speak."
Aka: "I do not know where it happened, but I was most likely poisoned by someone. I could not find an antidote nearby, so I used the last of my strength to return here and treat myself."
Lord Wang: "Why would anyone want you dead?"
Aka: "I do not believe they intended to kill me. The poison did not seem lethal. However, at some point, I would have lost the strength to even walk. I believe their plan was to abduct me once I reached that state and then use me to threaten you. When I realized this and found no antidote nearby, I stopped searching and came here immediately. Still… I do not understand why they never showed themselves."
Lord Wang: "I see. Master Aka, I cannot share much with you, but rest assured—I am also aware that our family is under threat. Since you were forced to return early because of dangers tied to us, I would like to grant you an additional month of leave, if that suits you. Do you accept?"
Aka: "Thank you, Lord Wang. Truly, thank you."
Lord Wang: "You may go. And if you harbor even the slightest suspicion again, do not hesitate to inform me."
Aka left the room and returned to his workshop with calm, measured steps. To any observer, he appeared as composed and dignified as ever—but inside, he was barely containing himself.
Influence and Voice Amplification were working exactly as he had hoped. The fact that they had affected even Lord Wang himself was undeniable proof of just how terrifying his potential truly was.
Leaving his workshop, Aka headed back to the training grounds. He asked Kang to excuse himself and spoke privately with Chen, making no effort to restrain his abilities.
Chen: "Greetings again, Master."
Aka: "Greetings, Chen. We could not speak earlier, and I wished to check on you before leaving."
Chen: "I understand, Master. I wish you health and success on your return. As for me, things are going well. I have fought two people so far and defeated both without difficulty. One of them managed to draw blood from my nose, though—so I keep him in a different category."
Aka: "I see. I wish you continued success, Chen. Do not allow anything to hinder your progress—but be cautious. Even a minor poison can leave you bedridden for years."
Chen: "I know, Master. But if anyone attempts such a thing, they should be prepared to face the consequences. I do not hesitate when it comes to killing."
Aka: "Good. You are truly revealing your potential, my disciple. In any case, I will not be here for another month. Continue winning, and do not neglect your training while I am gone."
Chen: "Thank you for your guidance, Master. I hope your journey yields good results as well."
Satisfied with the outcome of his test on Chen, Aka then approached Kang and repeated the experiment.
Kang: "Greetings, Master Aka. Welcome back."
Aka: "Greetings, Master Kang. I wanted to ask—has anything unusual happened to Chen recently?"
Kang: "No, Master Aka. What made you think that?"
Aka: "I cannot say much. Just make sure you keep a close eye on Chen."
Kang: "Now that you mention it… I have had similar thoughts. After your disciple fought a candidate heir, he slept for an entire night straight. Do you think that could be a warning sign?"
Aka: "Honestly, I do not know, Instructor Kang. But remain vigilant. If anything happens—even if I am not here—inform the Palace Lord immediately through the steward. He will take it into account. I will be leaving now."
Kang: "I wish you success on your journey, Master Aka."
After the conversation ended, Aka left the palace and headed toward the cube. Anyone who saw him at that moment would have thought him mad—for perhaps the first time since opening his eyes to this world, he was laughing hysterically, shouting into the open air.
Yes.The ability he had obtained was far more effective than he had ever intended.
And Aka saw no reason not to use it to its fullest.
If you've read or taken a look, thank you so much. If you have any thoughts — good or bad — please leave a comment. I'll probably see and reply right away. Thanks again, and I wish you a great day.