In the quiet hospital room, a gentle breeze lifted the white cotton-linen curtains.
Shiraki, his consciousness returning to his body, slowly opened his eyes. But upon waking, he merely lay still, making no movements.
His nose twitched lightly, inhaling the faint fragrance of flowers and the crisp scent of the breeze, mingled with the disinfectant smell he'd grown accustomed to.
He could feel that his physical condition and senses had improved significantly.
The minor wounds lingering on his body had fully healed, and his fractured left leg was recovering rapidly.
That's right. A sci-fi cheat like this, stacking 'my' attributes and powers, is just standard procedure. But I didn't expect it to stack to this degree…
Shiraki raised his arm to his forehead.
Beneath it, a scene defying common sense unfolded.
A pure, crystal-clear gem began to form at the center of his brow, then slowly merged into his flesh.
His physical condition had improved to about 2.5 times that of a normal human, but even that wasn't enough to heal a shattered leg in such a short time.
That translucent crystal was a "Elemental Gelade."
Under normal circumstances, the mysterious space couldn't grant Shiraki bloodline powers rooted in the material plane.
But Reverie was a special case. She wasn't a copy of Shiraki's soul but a fragment of his origin soul.
This power stacking could only occur once, when Reverie's soul merged with Shiraki's. After this, they were thoroughly "one person" in every conceptual sense, with no further stacking possible.
This was a one-time deal!
Thus, their respective powers and physiques could be stacked to the maximum extent allowed by the rules, in a conceptual form.
Unfortunately, it wasn't complete.
From this moment, Shiraki was no longer human, but neither was he a pure Edel Raid.
His Elemental Gelade was conceptually incomplete, lacking an "attribute."
To use a Pokémon analogy, different Elemental Gelade attributes determined the type and characteristics of an Edel Raid's abilities.
Edel Raids had 24 attributes in total. In Elemental Gelade, 18 had been identified so far, with the remaining attributes unknown.
Under the mysterious space's power, Shiraki gained the traits of an Edel Raid's bloodline but lacked Reverie's wind attribute.
In simpler terms, he'd acquired an optimized Edel Raid bloodline, but it was in an unactivated state.
As for how to awaken an "attribute" for his Elemental Gelade, Shiraki had no clue for now.
And this wasn't the time to ponder such questions.
"Sister, could you call the doctor for me? I need to be discharged," Shiraki said with a smile to the caregiver sitting by his bed.
An injury that should've taken over six months to heal had mended overnight. That was shocking enough.
If the hospital conducted routine checks now…
The next time he opened his eyes, he might not be in a hospital room.
Changes to his physique being discovered posed zero risk.
As the only non-human intelligent being in the world, he was unique.
Slicing him up for research? Impossible. No one would dare slice him up in this lifetime. Any research involving harm to his body would be kept to the absolute minimum.
Even blood draws would be limited to a few drops at a time.
The world's most endangered species would step aside for him.
But the trade-off was obvious.
So… discharge!
He had to leave immediately!
He absolutely couldn't let anyone know he'd become a non-human species!
Shiraki's sudden request startled the caregiver, who quickly asked what was wrong.
"It's only been half a month, and your leg's still like that. Why do you need to leave? Tell me what's going on, and I'll help."
After half a month together, the caregiver had grown fond of Shiraki. His quiet, measured demeanor resonated with her, both hailing from rural backgrounds. If she could help, she was eager to.
"Sister, there's an urgent family matter. I have to go back," Shiraki said softly, knowing her concern was genuine, though his expression remained resolute. "Don't worry. Once it's settled, I'll go to a local hospital."
Seeing his determination, the caregiver fell silent and called the doctor as requested.
Director Yang, his face creased with stern lines, strode in. "Your left leg still needs surgery, and you're nowhere near recovery. How can you leave now!?"
A doctor's compassion might be debated in modern society, but for Mai's sake, Director Yang felt a strong responsibility toward Shiraki.
Shiraki didn't know who Mai Kisaragi was, nor did he care about their connection. Today, he was leaving, no matter what!
With a professional smile, Shiraki's words were calm yet firm.
Faced with Shiraki's iron resolve, Director Yang was in a bind.
But after a phone call with Mai, and for safety's sake, he had Shiraki sign a liability waiver.
The gist: Shiraki's leg injury was severe, yet he insisted on discharge. Any resulting disability from delayed treatment was unrelated to Mai or the hospital.
Under the caregiver's helpless gaze, Shiraki signed the waiver without hesitation.
Once signed, Director Yang turned and left abruptly.
With the caregiver's help, Shiraki followed a nurse to complete the discharge process.
He received the remaining hospital fees Mai had prepaid, amounting to tens of thousands of yuan.
Playing the part of a leg-fractured patient, Shiraki sat in a wheelchair, letting the caregiver escort him to his small rented apartment.
On the way, Shiraki searched online for information about Elemental Gelade and Edel Raids, especially details on the latter.
Reverie's world might not be identical to Elemental Gelade, but with at least 99% similarity so far, the information was highly relevant!
The caregiver kindly tidied his apartment, gave him a litany of cautions, and prepared dinner. Only after confirming multiple times that a friend would visit soon did she leave, half worried and half pleased—worried for Shiraki's condition, pleased for the payout from just over two weeks' work.
Pity tempered with kindness, joy tempered by gain—that was the ordinary person.
"Ordinary people, huh."
Watching her fading silhouette, Shiraki gave a wistful chuckle, then stood casually from the wheelchair. His plaster-cast left foot struck the tiled floor with a crisp sound.
Lowering his head, he raised a fist and swung. The plaster shattered, along with the mental constraints and shackles that had weighed him down. A sense of rebirth brought lightness, almost unreal.
But the sensations from his other body, linked through his soul, confirmed this was reality.
Shiraki took a deep breath, suppressing his myriad emotions, and closed his eyes.
The mysterious space's hub passage manifested in reality as his body.
Simply put, the space around Shiraki's body could be seen as a higher-dimensional exit.
A gold coin materialized in his palm. Then, in dimensions visible to human eyes, a slender, delicate girl emerged from his body.
Even in reality, she was dreamlike—lips as soft as cherry blossoms, exposed skin as fine as porcelain, flawless. Starry azure hair cascaded over her shoulders, just past her slender waist.
A black butterfly headpiece adorned her delicate lavender ears, complementing her radiant silver eyes.
A deep navy skirt flowed, her hands tucked into soft, billowing sleeves.
No makeup, completely bare-faced, yet her beauty was a dimensional strike against the world's standards.
Shiraki's tension faded, replaced by rising excitement. His heart raced, his blood surged.
No one could resist a world-toppling beauty, but what captivated him more was the power that shouldn't exist in this world.
In perfect sync, Shiraki and Reverie raised their palms. As their fingers intertwined, a teal holy gale swirled upward.
Gentle, serene emerald winds coiled around Shiraki and Reverie.
Reverie's form dissolved into a soft breeze, wrapping around him. Her soul's silhouette appeared behind him, then merged into his body.
In the neon-lit black night sky, thick, roiling clouds churned and surged.
The earth bore the clouds' weight, the heavens raised their banners.
Traffic ground to a halt, and even frantic commuters paused, looking skyward at the sudden, eerie phenomenon.
Shiraki fell silent, then murmured, "Is this the true power of the Seven Glittering Jewels?"
Tokyo, Japan's megacity—a global hub of economy, finance, and trade with over 20 million residents.
Yet the power transmitted through the Blade of Verdant Wind was so immense that, with some effort, Shiraki could erase this city from existence!
The fresh breeze filled his lungs, playful winds spiraling around him, but his heart thundered like an imperial engine.
Shiraki took several deep breaths, calming his roiling emotions.
After a long pause, he glanced at the city's dazzling neon lights, then at the starless black sky.
With a light tap of his toes, he carefully controlled his power. Verdant winds enveloped him, lifting him slowly into the air.
Humanity's ultimate dream—flight!
Flight achieved not through tools but by his own power!
Looking down, his rented building was now smaller than his palm, the entire neighborhood visible.
Spinning in place, Shanghai's sleepless night revealed a new, unfamiliar face to Shiraki.
Steadying himself, he flexed his stiff limbs with a deep breath, then surged forward.
Extreme acceleration pressed against his heart. Shiraki let out a primal roar, soaring wildly into the boundless sky.
A free spirit, riding the true currents of heaven and earth, mastering the six qi, wandering infinitely.
Excitement surged uncontrollably in this moment, making Shiraki indifferent to the possibility of being filmed.
Why? Setting aside the chance of a hidden supernatural world, if one day you gained power beyond humanity, and you were the only one of your kind…
Would you choose to be a "superhero," punishing evil and upholding good?