Chapter 5 — The Awakening of Power
I woke to a quiet forest, but the quiet wasn't empty.
The mana around me throbbed with subtle patterns, the heartbeat of the world itself. My body—Spectral Sage in its initial form—had stabilized fully. Mist-like edges now felt purposeful, my semi-conceptual limbs moving with deliberate precision.
I flexed my form experimentally.
Not for strength. Not for dominance.
But to understand.
The Treant from earlier, lesser enemies, even the wind and shifting mana currents—they all had rules. And rules were data. My Cursed Sage AI began processing them automatically. Its voice no longer interrupted me constantly; it had learned discretion.
"Host analysis: Current skill structure approaching optimization threshold for early evolution."
"…Optimization threshold?" I asked aloud, though no one could hear.
"Clarification: Your existing skills have reached a level where further integration could trigger passive evolution, enabling stronger analytical capacity and adaptive abilities."
I didn't immediately respond. Instead, I felt my body, my mana, the latent curse attributes. Something subtle, almost imperceptible, had shifted overnight. My regeneration trait was more efficient. The curse affinity intertwined with Cursed Sage, feeding it new heuristic pathways.
A thought surfaced—why stop there?
The system had evolved. My daily sign-ins were now five, the probabilities for Ultimate Skills, Unique Skills, Legendary Items, and Extras were explicitly defined. But power alone wasn't enough; growth demanded learning and application.
[Daily Sign-In System — Day 5 Available.]
I focused. I didn't rush to sign in blindly.
Instead, I concentrated on combat simulation. Small monsters, weak predators—I observed, learned, and applied.
A small flying insect appeared, humming faintly with ambient mana. I struck—not aggressively—but as a test. My form passed through it partially. The residual energy disrupted its flow, incapacitating it without destroying its essence.
"Skill Evolution Trigger Detected."
Cursed Sage spoke.
"Host capability sufficient to evolve a skill node. Recommendation: Prioritize analytical core or curse integration."
I considered my options. Analytical core had been the foundation of all comprehension. But curse integration allowed me to twist the rules—disrupt, interfere, manipulate.
"…Let's do both," I decided.
[Skill Evolution Initiated: Analytical Core → Cursed Analytical Core]
[Integration: Curse Affinity (Minor) + Residual Curse]
Instantly, the world seemed sharper. I could interpret flow faster, detect anomalies in mana currents, even predict minor behavioral patterns of low- to mid-rank monsters. My body adjusted, every partial mist-limb and conceptual tendon weaving together more tightly.
Then Cursed Sage spoke—differently.
"Host, integration complete. I can now recommend adaptive strategies, not merely probabilities. Host cognition and physical form are now symbiotic with skill evolution."
"…Symbiotic, huh?" I muttered.
It wasn't just AI now. It was part of me, still advisory but also proactive in suggesting growth paths, sometimes even independent of my conscious thought.
---
I decided it was time to test the newly evolved skills in the wild.
The forest was alive with predators, some low-level, some intermediate. I didn't need to fight directly. With Cursed Sage, I calculated probabilities, manipulated mana flows subtly, and let curses and spatial control do the work. Trees shifted under my will to block ambushes. Small monsters hesitated as I passed.
Then I encountered my first serious challenge: a Forest Chimera, a beast larger than any I had fought indirectly. Its form shifted constantly—a lion's torso, wings like jagged shards of mana, serpentine tail lashing unpredictably. Its presence distorted everything around it, including my senses.
"Host, estimated kill probability without strategy: 7.3%."
I paused.
Not 0%. Not instant death—but still too risky.
"We're not fighting directly," I said to Cursed Sage.
"Acknowledged. Probability-adjusted strategy required."
I dispersed partially, becoming mist. I focused my residual curse. The Chimera reacted instantly, swiping blindly. I guided the curse to trail along its attacks, disrupting its muscle-mana flow without directly attacking its core. Every strike I dodged added minor analytical feedback to Cursed Sage, recalibrating its heuristics.
Minutes passed.
The Chimera's attacks slowed. Its form twitched unnaturally. I was not strong. I was adaptive.
[Skill Evolution Trigger Detected: Curse Affinity → Curse Manipulation (Active)]
A surge went through me. Cursed Sage became more pronounced. Not merely advisory, it began suggesting modifications to my own body, subtle structural shifts that increased my dodge efficiency and mana channeling.
The Chimera finally recoiled, confused and partially paralyzed by the curse-infused disruptions. It fled, leaving me in the clearing, breathing—or whatever the Proto-Spectral Entity equivalent of breathing was.
I realized I had just done something I hadn't before: applied skill evolution organically in combat.
I laughed internally.
Cursed Sage remarked:
"Host, analytical assessment: 92.7% survival improvement demonstrated. Skill efficiency now measurable."
"…92.7%, huh? Nice."
---
The next day, I signed in—five times, as the system had upgraded.
Sign-In 1: Minor Ultimate Skill — Adaptive Mana Channeling
Sign-In 2: Unique Skill — Spectral Flow Mastery
Sign-In 3: Unique Item — Curse-Infused Crystal Shard
Sign-In 4: Legendary Item — Primordial Rune of Containment
Sign-In 5: Extra Skill — Environmental Integration Lv.1
Cursed Sage analyzed probabilities, noting that the system had performed within its expected distributions. But this was the first day where evolution and system rewards synergized. The items and skills weren't just power—they were tools for more efficient growth.
I felt my existence stretch forward—not into godhood—but into something more tangible. My Spectral Sage form had matured slightly. I could now manipulate small mana currents in the environment without effort, detect subtle curse patterns, and passively reinforce my physical form with the curse-mana integration.
---
(Third-Person POV)
Elsewhere, Rimuru Tempest absorbed mana from the forest, unaware of the anomaly forming nearby.
The world continued to progress along the timeline written by fate, but unknown threads were emerging—threads that would eventually intersect, collide, or overwrite predetermined outcomes.
---
Back to me.
I decided to experiment with racial evolution triggers.
Cursed Sage analyzed:
"Host, sufficient data accumulated to evaluate potential first-tier evolution: Spectral Sage → Cursed Spectral Sage."
I studied my reflection in a small pool of mana-concentrated water. My form shimmered, and I could sense potential transformations—not merely power increases, but conceptual shifts:
Limbs could become partially incorporeal, enabling phase-through attacks
Mana manipulation could extend further, subtly altering the flow of weaker lifeforms
Curse integration could now affect not only enemies but the environment
I had grown—not because someone gave me power, but because I applied it intelligently, guided by Cursed Sage and the system.
"Do it," I whispered.
[First Race Evolution Initiated: Spectral Sage → Cursed Spectral Sage]
My form condensed, contracted, expanded, twisted. Pain accompanied it, but not like before—this was more like stretching muscles that had never been used. My curse integration flared, reinforcing analytical pathways.
When it ended, I was changed.
Sharper. Denser. More cohesive.
Cursed Sage spoke in its deep, artificial voice:
"Host, evolution complete. All systems calibrated to new form. Analytical efficiency increased by 18.4%. Curse integration increased by 12.7%. Mana flow manipulation capacity increased by 14.6%."
I flexed, barely noticing the residual glow of cursed mana surrounding me.
I was no longer just a weak anomaly.
But I was still tiny in comparison to world-class threats.
And that was perfect.
---
I spent the following days testing the synergy between race evolution, skill evolution, and system rewards.
Cursed Sage became more assertive. Not commanding me, but proactively calculating probability trees, suggesting experimental uses of my curse-mana integration, and pointing out subtle threats in the environment before I perceived them.
For the first time, I realized something crucial:
The system and Cursed Sage weren't just tools—they were a force multiplier.
One that would eventually allow me to surpass even entities like Veldanava—not immediately, but inevitably.
The world itself could not predict what I would become.
Not because I was inherently strong.
But because I had freedom, guidance, and infinite potential, all operating together in perfect synergy.
---
By the end of this period, I could confidently move through the forest without alerting predators beyond minor curiosity. I could manipulate small curses, channel mana to augment my physical form, and process analytical feedback faster than the creatures around me could act.
I could survive.
And more importantly, I could learn exponentially faster than the world expected.
---
Status — End of Chapter 5
Name: Unnamed
Race: Cursed Spectral Sage (Evolved from Spectral Sage)
Existence Type: Semi-Conceptual Monster
Core Attributes
Mana Capacity: Low → Medium
Structural Stability: High
Growth Potential: Infinite (Unbounded Growth Vector)
Skills
Unique Skill: Cursed Sage (Evolved)
Analytical support (Advanced)
Curse-based inference (Advanced)
Advisory AI (Now proactive and semi-autonomous)
Ultimate Skill: Adaptive Mana Channeling
Unique Skills: Spectral Flow Mastery, Presence Dilution (Evolved)
Traits: Minor Regeneration (Upgraded), Curse Affinity → Curse Manipulation (Active)
Extra Skills: Environmental Integration Lv.2
System
Daily Sign-In System: 5 per day
Reward Probabilities:
Ultimate Skills: 25%
Unique Skills: 35%
Unique Items: 20%
Legendary Items or above: 10%
Common/Extra Skills: 10%
Threat Level
Overall: Moderate → High (for early-tier predators)
Survivability: High
Evolution Readiness: Approaching next-tier conceptual growth
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Author's Note
Hey readers, the story is unfolding, and Kaito is just beginning to show his true potential.
If you want to see more chapters, witness his first Ultimate Skill in combat, and watch him grow beyond what anyone could expect in Tensura, please support the novel by:
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