The morning after the Emerald Jungle mission, Kael woke up feeling refreshed. The use of Vital Pulse to heal his ribs and the application of the Active Field to humiliate Captain Korvus had filled him with a palpable confidence.
Kael went through his morning routine.
—Level 71. I feel better than ever. I've already tested the Active Field and Vital Pulse—what crazy abilities! I only need one big Gate to reach 100. —Kael thought, feeling every muscle vibrate.
He went down to the kitchen. Aria was already setting the table.
"Good morning, Aria," Kael said, with a tender gesture.
"Good morning, Kael," she replied in a calmer voice. "You look... radiant today. Yesterday's worry about your rib injury hasn't returned, are you okay? The 'job' is going well, right?"
"Marvelously, my love. Don't worry about the rib; it was just a bump. Every day I get stronger. And that means every day we are safer," Kael smiled at her with a conviction that was beginning to eclipse his guilt.
Just then, Eryx , Selene, and Lyra entered.
"Dad!" Eryx exclaimed. "Hey, did you see the news? They're talking about the man who stopped a brutal attack at the entrance of a public Gate. They say it was the 'lightning hero' from before."
"Yes, Dad. They even say he only used one hand! Do you think that man is a Guild Captain?" Selene asked with the curiosity of her age.
Kael laughed, happy with their pride. "I just put a little order in place, champ. I used a very strong defense technique. Don't let the rumors distract you from your homework. But you're right, that man is strong. You'll have big news today, I promise."
Aria smiled, a genuine smile. "You are incredible, Kael. I never thought I'd say this, but... I'm glad you're changing. Just please be careful."
It was a perfect family moment.
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Mid-morning, Kael's phone vibrated. It was Lilith.
"Kael, good day. I need to see you today. Can you come to the office this afternoon?" Lilith's voice sounded a little more serious than usual.
"Is something wrong, Lilith?"
"Two things. First, we've liquidated the last parts of the Emerald Jungle, and the B-12 collection teams have brought back good materials. That gives me more financial flexibility. I found you a new training Gate, much better for your level."
"That sounds excellent, Lilith. And the second thing?"
There was a brief, professional pause. "The second is a formal matter. A contract. Be at the Guild building at three in the afternoon. Don't be late."
"Understood. I'll be there. See you later."
—A contract... Right. Until now, it hasn't been formal with the Guild beyond registering. I never had an official position or salary with my signature. I'll have to think about it carefully. Though, honestly, after the Korvus incident, the mere fact that they bother to formalize me is a compliment. —Kael reflected, feeling the pressure build.
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Kael arrived at the Ash Building in his new brand-name attire. Upon entering, the young receptionist greeted him with exaggerated respect.
"Mr. Kael! Good morning. Ms. Lilith is waiting for you immediately in her office, on the executive floor."
Kael took the elevator.
—What a change. The first time I came, I looked like a laborer asking for a favor. Now, this place is my headquarters. I don't feel bad about the change. The respect... it feels good. —Kael thought.
He went up to Lilith's office with a decision already made.
Lilith was waiting for him sitting behind the mahogany table, with several leather documents in hand. She stood up, an unusual gesture.
"Kael. Please, sit down." Both looked nervous, but Lilith, as the boss, mustered her courage.
"Kael, I hadn't made it official until now, but I realized these last few days that you weren't just some old man trying to take his last breath or having delusions of grandeur. I also feel that with you, I've been able to ascend faster than I thought. That's why today I decided to make this formal." Lilith slid a document toward him.
"I am giving you a one-year contract with the Ash Guild. It includes an annual salary of $1,000,000 USD," Lilith declared. "Separate from that is what you get when you go to the Gates designated by the Guild to increase your level. There, you will get all your net profits. Obviously, if you want to make the sale with the Guild and have them sell it, they will take a percentage of the profit, but it won't greatly decrease yours, with a 30% discount on the total commission. It also comes with an armor set—although it's not magical, it's much better than the one you have now, and it's a full-body armor with the Guild emblem embedded in the chest. This is the maximum I can offer you for now, with the promise that your contract can be improved every year to at least double the salary provided."
Lilith finished speaking and watched Kael nervously.
—His power is elite Captain level. If I can retain him... if he signs, Ash will be a powerhouse. —Lilith thought.
Kael, speechless, listened to everything. Then he looked at Lilith, a wide grin on his face.
"Hey, kid, are you pulling my leg? This is better than expected! I mean, I just have to get stronger, and you'll pay me for it? Haha, that's the best thing I've ever heard. Why the half-dead look on your face?" Kael picked up a pen and proceeded to sign.
"We started this, Lilith. You helped me when no one else did, and we still have a long way to go," Kael looked up. "I know we'll do much better over time, and these numbers will be far behind us. I trust both of us. I don't know anything about management; although I can be more powerful, I don't have the knowledge you've acquired. I fully trust you to attract more people and help us grow."
Lilith laughed, happy. "Haha, Kael. I knew you would sign it. Now, formally, we are together. By the way, your position is now not just a Guild Hunter; you are the First Captain, Kael. Although there aren't formally new recruits yet, I've already received reports to check possible candidates who have registered. It must be because of the incident with the Iron Fist Guild. I told you it would work!"
Lilith turned to a screen. "Well, getting to the important stuff, today I have a new Gate for you. I've reserved it all day. It's a nocturnal biome: undead and vampires, that theme. It's new, Level 80 to 110. Do you think you can handle it?"
Kael stood up from the chair, ecstatic. "Finally! Now I can reach Level 100!"
"Hahaha, that's the attitude. The meeting is over. You can go whenever you want. By the way, on the floor below, they will give you the full-body armor set that was bought for you with the Guild logo."
Kael nodded. "I want to see that armor. Thanks, Lilith."
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They went down together, chatting. As they exited the elevator on the third floor (Logistics), the employees stood up and applauded.
"Welcome, Captain Kael!"
Lilith smiled. "I had it prepared just in case you accepted the agreement." She told an employee to bring the bags.
The employee arrived with two bags. Lilith opened them in front of Kael, revealing the set.
[Thunder Plate (A-01)]
Forged Black Steel
Endurance (END): +5
Lightning Dissipation (Medium). Gold 'A' Emblem.Shoulder & Bracers
[Lightning Protector (A-02)]
Forged Black SteelStrength (STR): +3, Impact Resistance (Low).
Greaves & Boots[Shadow Stride (A-03)]
Black Steel & LeatherDexterity (DEX): +4, Silent Movement (Low).
Hood[Night Hood (A-04)]
Reinforced FabricVitality (VIT): +2, Environmental Resistance (Low).
Gloves[Discharge Gauntlets (A-05)]
Forged Black SteelDexterity (DEX): +2, Increases chain grip.
"We used Black Steel material for this armor. While it's not a magical armor with additional stats and a super-mana conductor, this armor will allow you to freely use your power up to a certain point, Captain. As long as you don't explode like a supernova, everything will be fine. Hahaha," Lilith said, joking.
—It doesn't have magical stats, but the Black Steel material gives me passive bonuses due to its lightness and resistance. This is much better than my reinforced steel plate. —Kael thought.
He thanked Lilith. He saw how everyone was looking at him and stored the set in his Dimensional Bracelet.
"Then, I will proceed to go to the location. Where is it?"
"The coordinates are for a temporary Gate near Mammoth Cave National Park on the East side. A remote area that minimizes the presence of elite Hunters."
Lilith put a hand on his shoulder. "If you can, put on the full set when you arrive. We want them to know that the Ash Guild commands authority, just in case there are any onlookers around."
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As Kael left the building, the dozen employees on the third floor began to murmur.
"Captain... Did you see him? It's not fair. From nothing to Captain? And with that expensive Dimensional Bracelet," an envious young man commented.
"I wonder if he's the Guild Master's partner," another whispered, gossiping.
Lilith, who was heading back, overheard them. She sighed and returned to the main floor.
"Listen, everyone!" Her voice was cold and piercing. "Captain Kael Ardent is a married man, with his wife and children. I hope you don't say such things in his presence, or he will be angry. And you know not to make a Guild Captain angry. Understood?"
"Yes, Madam Lilith. Excuse us," they replied in unison, ashamed.
Lilith returned to the elevator, sighing.
—Luckily I didn't have to show him what I was thinking when I bought something so revealing. —she thought, feeling disappointed in herself. But thinking about it, she was happy.
—I hope he reaches Level 100! He might unlock an interesting power due to his Lineage. I also have to hurry with the Guild's new acquisitions if I want to level up too. —she remembered something else.
—Right, I forgot to tell him about the competition for newly ascended captains at Level 100 that will be held. Well, there will be time, it's still a few days away. Just hope he does well. —she told herself, returning to work.
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Kael took a taxi to the coordinates.
"Going somewhere for a visit?" the taxi driver asked.
"I'm going to fight some rats. They're infesting a place," Kael joked. They both laughed.
He arrived at the location. It was a secluded, wooded area near Mammoth Cave National Park. A dark purple energy Gate pulsed, guarded by a small Association contingent.
Kael gave him a generous tip and thanks. As he got out, the guards looked at him strangely. Kael remembered Lilith's request. He took the set out of his bracelet and, in an instant, Captain Lightning appeared: the Black Steel armor and the Night Hood fit his body perfectly. The gold Ash Guild emblem shone on his chest.
The guards, seeing the Guild symbol, straightened up.
"Welcome, Captain Kael! The Gate will be open until noon tomorrow just for you. Please allow me to check you in," a soldier said, showing him a reader.
The soldier looked at the ID photo, comparing it with the imposing, armored man in front of him.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, Captain. Nothing. Please proceed. It has been an honor."
Kael nodded, his steps resounding with authority as he approached the Gate.
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Kael crossed the Gate. The air was cold, dry, and smelled of damp earth and ash. The biome was an Ancient Necropolis. The perpetually nocturnal sky was covered by a reddish, sickly fog, illuminated only by a strangely colored moon. The ground was a field of broken tombstones and mausoleums, with dry, claw-like trees.
—Perfect. No witnesses. —Kael thought.
Kael concentrated. He activated his Active Field, filling it with energy. He felt the electricity flowing over the Black Steel armor, which absorbed the excess without Kael feeling the slightest overload.
—It feels perfect. I can use more energy without frying myself. Finally, freedom! —he exclaimed internally, feeling powerful.
He activated the Unchained Bolt. In a flash of light, Kael turned into a lightning bolt, seeking prey.
He appeared over a cemetery area. Dozens of rotten, wandering bodies moved slowly.
[Night Walker – Level 83]
[HP: 600/600]
Kael summoned his chains and wrapped them in the energy of the Chain-Blade.
The attack was not a simple charge; it was a vortex of lightning. Kael morphed from lightning bolt to human form and back, leaving a series of electrical afterimages. The chains, turned into incandescent whips, sliced in complex patterns, carving up the Walkers before their slow brains could process the threat. The cemetery was littered with ash and chunks of flesh.
"It's not everything yet!" Kael shouted, injecting more and more mana and using his Unchained Bolt more extravagantly to move and attack.
He continued his hunt, a methodical and brutal massacre. In just four hours, Kael reached Level 93.
He found himself in a ruined castle, where the massacre intensified against faster and more coordinated creatures.
[Shadow Baron (Vampire) – Level 95]
[HP: 900/900]
The Shadow Baron was fast, moving like a shadow. But Kael was the light that dispelled the darkness. Seeing three Barons attacking him simultaneously, Kael simply extended his Active Field in a concentrated pulse. The static electrical wave stopped them dead in their tracks, their nervous systems momentarily paralyzed. Before they could recover, Kael turned into a localized electrical storm, and his chains, now thick blades of pure energy, decapitated them in the blink of an eye. It wasn't a fight; it was an efficient execution.
As he continued deeper, his level rose to 98.
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Kael arrived at a large, ruined throne room. In the center, chained with thick dark iron chains, was the final boss.
[Night Duke: Vlad of Ash – Level 105 (Boss)]
[HP: 15,000/15,000]
[Attack: 250 (Physical/Mental)]
[Defense: 200]
Kael entered. The Duke's chains broke with a crash, and the Night Duke activated.
"You have come to die, mortal," Vlad of Ash's voice was deep and resonant.
"Sorry, but dinner is going the other way around today," Kael replied, charging his chains.
Kael was momentarily surprised. "You understand my language..."
The Duke smiled, showing sharp fangs. "Don't be surprised. I have dined on several of your kind. Now I can understand the words of those who have been an exquisite dinner. You are noisy, Human."
The Duke lunged with unnatural speed. Kael activated the Unchained Bolt, disappearing in a blue flash. Vlad of Ash stopped, his bloodshot eyes searching for the lightning.
—Pure speed control! This man is not a low-level Hunter. —Vlad thought, alarmed.
In that instant, Kael reappeared behind the Duke. His chains, turned into searing blades, impacted the Duke's nape and side, cutting the thick skin as if it were paper.
The stunned Duke received a barrage of point-blank attacks. Kael gave him no rest, combining the concentrated Active Field with chain bursts.
The Duke, his pride mortally wounded, let out a Stunning Scream. The mental shockwave, though brief, hit Kael. The world tilted for an instant. The Duke took advantage, throwing a punch that impacted Kael's chest, right through the new armor. Kael flew back, crashing into a stone pillar that visibly cracked.
The pain was intense, but controllable.
—Finally! A hit that hurts. The Black Steel protected me from annihilation, but I'm finally getting hurt. I was getting bored! —Kael thought, smiling despite the blow, snapping out of the stun.
Kael recovered. He attacked from a distance, making the lightning blades bigger and with more mana, testing the range and duration of the stun.
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"Round two, Duke!"
The fight continued, a ballet of brutal force against electrical speed.
"It's my best battle yet," Kael admitted.
The Duke laughed, his mouth stained with blood. "Naive! That's why you will die like the others. My stunning scream is not just for that. It also attracts all the remaining vampires and undead! I was just stalling for time! This is your sentence!"
Kael watched as hundreds of monsters poured in from all sides, through the doors and ruined windows.
The Duke laughed louder. "It will be the best meal I've ever had!"
"And here I wanted to keep testing myself. It seems you leave me no choice," Kael retracted the chains and waited a few seconds for everyone to surround him.
The Duke was puzzled. His crystal-clear thought resonated in the silence of the room:
—Has he given up? Has he resigned himself to dying before the Horde? What an idiot! —Vlad thought, before lunging at Kael with maximum force. "Well, then die!"
Kael just said in his head: —Activate Active Field.
Everything around him turned into a dome of lightning electrons. The air condensed. The Duke, and the hundreds of converging monsters, noticed the temperature drop sharply and an aura of insane power emanating from the center. Kael injected a massive amount of mana, forcing the overload. The Duke realized, too late, that he had entered the epicenter of a supernova.
Kael's eyes lit up with a pure white lightning glow.
"IT'S OVER!" Kael yelled.
The dome expanded, not with a simple shockwave, but with an explosive expansion of nuclear energy encapsulated in electricity. The air split. Hundreds of monsters were instantly engulfed in a blinding light and then incinerated into fine ash before the sound of the explosion could reach them. The Night Duke, Vlad of Ash, felt no pain; only an overwhelming sensation that the law of existence itself had been revoked around him, disintegrating his physical form.
After a few seconds, silence returned, broken only by the dripping from the ruins. Only one person remained standing in the middle of the ash-filled room: Kael.
—This armor wasn't cheap at all, hahaha. The Thunder Plate absorbed 99% of the feedback. —Kael laughed, noting he hadn't suffered any burns.
A notification popped up:
[You have defeated Night Duke: Vlad of Ash – Level 105 (Boss)]
[You have ascended to Level 99, 100.]
[You have reached Level 100]
[Fatigue Reset and Total Condition Cleared (Level 100)!]
[You have unlocked your First High-Level Lineage Power!]
Kael read this, excited.
[Lineage Power Unlocked: Causal Ascension (Lineage: Law Breaker) ]
Limitation: Usable only once every 24 hours.
Description: Kael has manifested the core ability of his Law Breaker Lineage at a higher level. This power allows him, upon physical contact and a concentrated injection of his infinite mana, to access and temporarily rewrite the "magical-genetic code" of another person's Lineage, forcing it to manifest its maximum potential expression. Kael does not create new Lineages, but alters and enhances the existing one, transforming it into something superior to what has been recorded in that clan or family.
Ascension Effect: The target's existing Lineage is immediately ascended to its Pure, Absolute, or Stellar Form (depending on the type), drastically boosting their innate stats and unlocking a latent Unique Sub-Power (e.g., a 'Fire' Lineage becomes 'Stellar Fire', a 'Speed' Lineage becomes 'Dimensional Speed'). This process alters their magical destiny.
Kael felt the torrent of information flood his mind. He looked at the system prompt and smiled.
"But this is... a physical and existential cheat code!" Kael exclaimed, ecstatic.
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Kael Ardent's character status at the end of Chapter 9
Level: 100
Vitality (VIT): 99 (+2)
Strength (STR): 164 (+3)
Endurance (END): 116 (+5)
Dexterity (DEX): 177 (+6)
Mana (MNA): -
Stat Points to Assign: 0
Gate B-12 has 4 days remaining until its unlock.