Though everyone had put in their fair share of work to damage the many Incomplete Homunculi, the players in the party couldn't help but be stunned by the fact Kieran annihilated a decent amount of Incomplete Homunculi with a single skill.
Granted, the skill felt terrifying to the point all of them understood they wouldn't last even one second against it. After all, these were genuine Champion Monsters above Lv.50. A player killing them in one hit should be somewhat impossible.
Though, in addition to the bewilderment everyone felt, they also experienced unmatched anticipation. Why? Naturally, it was because their EXP bars shot up in an absurd manner.
Of course, as Kieran suspected, clearing this room resulted in him leveling up.
〈System: You have received… EXP.〉
〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! [Lv.46→Lv.47]〉
〈System: You have received 20 Unassigned Attribute Points and 12 Skill Points.〉
Having the room cleared in a single skill, Khaos looked at Kieran nonplussed for quite some time until he mustered the wits to formulate a question. "Aatrox, forgive me for prying into your matters, but aren't you still an Intermediate Class? How could you be so strong?"
Kieran turned to look at Khaos with a meaningful glint in his eyes before smiling faintly. "Because I understood from early on that level isn't the best indication of power. While other players focused on increasing their level, I focused on honing my Attributes and skills. Even if it's time consuming, it's truly worth the payout."
"I see," Khaos muttered, his eyes flashing with light that would only surface when one came to a realization. 'Until now, Aatrox could be considered the godfather of this game. Everything he's done so far has set a precedent that many others follow. If it's introduced on his stream, it's likely to become a mainstream practice fairly shortly.'
In other words, Kieran's presence streamlined the appearance of a widening skill gap between players. Though there were many who wished to emulate the skills that Kieran presented, doing so was easier said than done.
The actions Kieran performed all required a certain level of bodily control and a mind strong enough to facilitate the actions seemingly impossible for humans to perform.
These feats took talent, sure, but most of all, these feats required money—money to purchase X-hancers and begin one's journey to becoming inhuman. Not every player could afford to exhaust hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of dollars to begin their regimen with X-hancers.
Only a select few could be fortunate to gain the attention of guilds with high renown in hopes of acquiring an opportunity to showcase adequate skill.
If good enough, there was a chance said players could be accepted into the core division of a guild where the best training and treatment existed.
However, thinking about this made Kieran frown. Receiving the best treatment and training wasn't the only thing that could be found in the core departments of guilds. In there, treachery of untold levels also existed.
"I would like to know, is it possible to receive advice from you? After the dungeon is over, of course. I wouldn't be so bold as to interfere with the run just to request some pointers from you," Khaos asked after realigning his thoughts.
Kieran's feats up until this very moment was a lot to process, but Khaos felt it was only the beginning based on the strength Kieran just exhibited. Why? Because Khaos recalled with great certainty that Kieran had more powerful abilities in his arsenal.
What would those have become like in his time of absence? This was a question Khaos asked himself repeatedly but couldn't even begin to fathom. Aside from that, he felt slight fear for when Kieran managed to finally perform his Class Advancement.
'At that point, could anyone stop his rise? I believe only the Luminaries or even further monstrous characters could hope to contend with such an individual,' Khaos inwardly thought, his brows subconsciously furrowing as he took a step in retreat.
"Provide you with pointers? Although our relationship isn't bad nor is it stressed, I'll have to decline," Kieran answered. His expression was difficult to read as he rejected Khaos' offer.
Even Bastion and the others didn't understand why he rejected the request.
From what they could tell, Khaos was an extremely genuine person, perhaps even more genuine than Ezra was. At first, Bastion felt the urge to blurt out his mind, but when he noticed Kieran's calm expression, he refrained from doing so.
That was because Bastion recalled from experience that the calmer Kieran became, the more terrifying an individual he was.
It wasn't Kieran's evident fury that one should be wary of, it was when one could no longer sense an iota of wrath emanating from Kieran that they should run without looking back… lest one was willing to incur the consequences.
Nevertheless, there was one person willing to step up in Khaos' defense. "Aatrox, are you sure it's not possible to assist Khaos? Didn't you say it would be good to form more alliances?"
Out of nowhere, Alice appeared between Kieran and Khaos, looking at the former with a reserved expression.
Since Kieran had delegated her to the position of a Vice Guild Master, the position responsible for connections, alliances, and the like, she felt that she could adopt the role even without the physical presence of a guild.
"It would…" Kieran answered in response.
However, it was at that moment that Kieran's expression became somewhat conflicted. Did Kieran reject Khaos' offer out of dislike? No.
But he understood that if he made Khaos too powerful too quickly, it could completely upset the timeline.
The downfall of Advent was a precipitous event amongst the Overlords and Behemoth guilds. Everyone claimed a piece of the Advent pie, which paved the way for a gap in power.
That gap in power was never filled and Kieran naturally intended to change that. In other words, Khaos' downfall was something Kieran simply couldn't get involved with. At least… not this early on.
With that in mind, Kieran begrudgingly shook his head once more. "I truly have far too much on my plate. Once we're finished here, I have to leave immediately. I simply lack the time to incorporate Khaos into my near schedule."
"I see," Khaos muttered.
At the moment, his expression was downcast. However, as a reasonable individual, he understood how busy a higher position in any organization was.
He similarly understood that constructing organizations from the ground up could be so incredibly time-consuming and problematic that it could potentially drive one insane.
As a result, Khaos felt that he shouldn't have overstepped his boundaries.
"Please ignore my personal request. Your schedule and activities take precedence in your life," Khaos commented.
Afterward, all gloominess seemed to vanish from Khaos' expression, replaced by an intent to move forward in the dungeon.
As such, the loot from the dungeon room was collected as Kieran fell silent. Sometime later, Nemean walked up beside him and placed his hand on Kieran's shoulder.
"I can tell there's something more to the reason you don't wish to help. Are we liable to face an issue in the new future where you can't trust others? If so, just know that we'll remain by your side," Nemean voiced.
Though he wasn't well connected, Nemean did scour the Zenith Online forums while he was bored. During his time on the forums, Nemean stumbled across several posts centered around rumors and speculations.
The speculation in question? …that Kieran would eventually experience oppression like no other. As part of his teammates who benefited greatly from Kieran, Nemean felt that these speculations should be shouldered by everyone in Kieran's circle.
If this really was the reason Kieran didn't wish to let anyone else close, Nemean sympathized with him. Should the roles be reversed, Nemean wouldn't want to let anyone new get close either with the threat of manipulative forces.
After a brief period of silence, Kieran shook his head. "I can neither confirm nor deny what will take place in the future. However, all you have to do is remember my promise to all of you."
"Right. You promised to become our protector. But that spoke nothing about our relationship to you. You may be the protector, but we'll be the pillars that support you from crumbling," Bastion voiced, walking up on the other side of Kieran with a confident expression.
Although Kieran felt their reassurance was birthed from a place of slight misunderstanding, it was definitely welcomed. 'While I simply wanted to protect our path forward as I'm not a martyr looking to save everything, these wholesome guys actually want to protect me…'
Unknowingly, a genuine smile crept upon Kieran's handsome visage as he shook his head with a sigh.
"They're not wrong, Aatrox! We've all been training very hard and growing closer. If there's anyone you can rely on, it's us!" Sera chimed in.
In this case, Kieran reached forward and ruffled Sera's hair with a faint smile. "I understand that, but you guys worry too much. I'll ensure that we aren't vulnerable and weak. When the day of reckoning comes where many seek to oppress us, we'll undoubtedly have the strength to fight back, or at the very least, ensure the destruction of everything."
After saying that, a malicious crimson gleam flashed through Kieran's gaze as the thought of destruction grew in his mind. Like always, the thought of causing rampant destruction excited Kieran at the very depths of his being.
On the other hand, Khaos stopped walking away as he listened to bits and pieces of Kieran's conversation. Soon, a strange glint appeared in his eyes as he listened to their interaction.
'That isn't the voice or tone of a conniving and selfish person. There are certain qualities one must possess to reach the top. These emotions… they tell me that he isn't ready to reach the top… then again, neither am I.'
Though Khaos believed in Kieran's power, he didn't believe in his mindset. To walk amongst the Behemoths and Leviathans, one must be willing to discard traits like humility, trust, and morality.
This was evident by the consequences Kieran suffered.
