"He's become strong in such a short time. And it's not just him, the kids around him, they all have promising futures."
A calm voice resonated through the air as a pair of golden eyes observed the battle against a bat-like monster. The person in the purple robe floated mid-air, their gaze fixed on the silver-haired man who burst into laughter when the red-haired person beside them began to cry for some reason.
"It's strange... When I first saw him, I didn't sense anything extraordinary."
The golden eyes remained devoid of emotion as they continued to witness the unfolding scene below.
"What a pity. Just blame yourself that out of all the people on this planet, you were the one I picked as the host for the soul-eating crystal."
He shook his head and reached out to retrieve the nail-size crystal from the other person's body. After spending so many years on this hidden planet, he had healed his injuries. He wanted to leave two years ago, but then, like that strange tower, the kid ended up in another mysterious place where his presence couldn't be detected.
The man thought that perhaps the divine bead was lost, but the moment Kyle emerged from the secret realm, he once again sensed the presence of the divine artifact. It was the same artifact that would help him increase his divine strength, the strength that had been stagnant for the last fifty years.
There wasn't even a bit of hesitation in his eyes when he ordered the bead to tear the young man's soul into pieces and devour it completely.
"I know that with your soul devoured, you will never be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation, but I hope your consciousness rests in peace."
He raised his head to stare into the distance. Above the clouds, a vast shield covered the planet in its protective embrace, but then a tiny crack appeared on its surface.
"I need to leave. They are here. Well, at least, they won't pursue me for a while because they'll be busy with this beautiful planet."
.....
The monster lord was flung backward by Carcel, but then Alec appeared in front of him. He had a deadpan expression as he stared at Jian, Carcel, and Kyle, who were determined to deliver the finishing blow to the monster lord. Alec widened his eyes when Yue, Lara, and Mia joined the trio. In the next second, everyone else also joined, all wanting to be the one to kill the monster lord.
Alec raised his hand and stopped them all in their tracks.
"Guys... let me kill this one. I promise-!"
His sentence was cut short because Jian, who had been weeping beside Kyle, raised his head with a furious expression.
"You think I'll trust you this time? No chance! I'm the one who's gonna finish off the monster lord, no matter what!"
The red-haired man raised his chin and crossed his arms over his chest before looking at Kyle, who sighed with a faint smile.
"Well, just let him do it. It's not a big deal."
After Kyle spoke, Carcel shrugged his shoulders and took a step back. In the next second, almost everyone else stepped back with a sigh. Now that the strongest person had spoken up, who would dare to disobey?
Alec fixed his eyes on Kyle with a serious expression.
"You sure you won't interfere and Jian will be the one to kill it?"
Kyle blinked, not sure why Alec was asking, but he nodded nonetheless. Alec hummed and turned his head towards Jian.
"Alright, let's make a deal."
Jian scoffed.
"You think one (A)-Rank skill core would make me change my mind? No way! And why the heck do you want to kill it so badly? Just let me handle it!"
Alec smirked and raised an eyebrow as a round core materialized above his palm.
"How about an (S)-Rank skill core?"
Jian's eyebrow twitched.
"You think I'll agree?"
Kyle looked at Jian, along with everyone else, surprised that he was rejecting such a valuable offer. But they were all left speechless when Jian stepped forward and snatched the core from Alec's hand, sporting a smirk.
"Of course, I'll agree. Who wouldn't?"
The monster lord, who had been watching everything from behind, wanted to cry. It couldn't believe they were fighting over who would end its life. The bat, sensing an opportunity, began crawling in the opposite direction, ready to escape. But its large size caught the attention of countless eyes, all fixated on it with a deadly glare.
Jian gave Alec a pat on the shoulder, sporting a serious expression.
"Go for it, dear, it's all yours!"
The people around them burst into laughter when Alec almost lost his balance mid-air upon hearing the word 'dear'. The blue-
haired man regained his composure, swatted Jian's hand away, and raised his sword to swiftly finish off the monster lord. The creature let out a final cry, its eyes closing with a hint of regret.
Alec grinned when he got another notification from the system. It said he had acquired a divine skill. He closed his eyes for a moment, and all the details about the skill rushed into his mind.
They all cheered for their victory, but their celebration came to a halt when they heard a loud voice. All eyes turned towards George, who had a bunch of pouches, a pile of mana stones, and gold coins in front of him.
"I won!"
George raised his fist in the sky, sporting a smirk, and glanced at Elder Han, who wore an unpleasant expression. Retric and Cedric also had solemn faces, having lost their bets.
To make sure nobody could go back on their words, George swiftly stashed everything in his storage ring and hurried over to the kids to congratulate them on their incredible victory against such a formidable opponent.
George gazed at the many individuals floating in front of him, and his eyes lit up with happiness. All of them turned around to face him, floating together as a group.
Retric, Han, and a few more elderly individuals floated behind King Cedric, who had arrived in front of the youngsters to praise them. However, Han noticed with a blink that Kyle hadn't moved from his spot for quite some time.
Almost everyone had gathered in front of the King, but Kyle had his back turned towards them. He floated mid-air at the same spot where Jian had left him.
"Kyle..?"
Han called out slowly and furrowed his brow when Kyle didn't respond. After Han, Yue also tried to get Kyle's attention, but he remained silent.
Alec moved to grab Kyle's shoulder when a piercing scream echoed through the air.
"Kyle!!"
All eyes instantly turned towards the two men with black hair, who just emerged from behind a boulder, completely soaked and covered in dirt. It was evident that the duo had traveled on foot to reach this place.
Elder Han instantly recognized the new arrivals. How could he not? He had visited them a few times before.
"Neon and Ray, why are you two here?"
His voice echoed through the air, but instead of replying, the duo stared at Kyle with fear written all over their faces.
"Kyle...?"
Neon called out, and a sense of foreboding filled everyone's hearts. Alec quickly grabbed Kyle's shoulder, but he and everyone around Kyle were pushed backward when a dark red aura enveloped his body.
Kyle lost his balance and plummeted towards the ground at lightning speed. Bia, who was sitting on Mia's shoulder, looked at him with wide eyes. She didn't sense anything, it was too sudden. The phoenix cried out and swiftly flew towards him.
However, before she could reach him, Yue and Jian grabbed Kyle. They called out his name repeatedly, but his eyes were unfocused as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening around him. The red energy surrounding him grew more intense with each passing second. The trio landed on the ground, and Neon and Ray rushed over to Kyle. Bia's eyes were filled with tears when she landed beside his neck, gently nuzzling her beak against him.
-'What happened? Kyle! Kyle, wake up!'
Kyle blinked as a warm tear fell on his cheek. Through the pain, he saw a few blurry figures. He felt Bia's presence beside his neck, a gentle touch behind his head, and a hand holding his hand.
Amidst the clamor of voices, he sensed a liquid being poured into his mouth, probably a healing potion. Kyle reached out his hand and caressed the little bird that was crying by his neck.
'I...I'm fine. Just a little sle...'
His eyes cleared up a bit, but the dark red aura around him became even more noticeable. He wanted to scream, but he stopped when he saw the beautiful elf sitting beside him, eyes filled with tears, and his brother's worried expression. Elder Han was shouting, holding multiple glass vials in his hand. Jian, Alec, Carcel, Mia, Lara, and nearly everyone gathered around him from every direction.
Another tear dropped onto his cheek, and he let out a soft sigh before weakly raising his other hand to wipe Yue's eyes.
"I'm... fine."
Yue's eyes widened, and she shouted at him with a faint sob.
"Don't speak!"
