—

Once Scar opened the door, the conversation between Zieg and another old man stopped. Curious about the newcomers, Zieg and the currently nameless old man glanced toward the door.

“Hehe, if it isn’t the young man Scar,” the old man said beside General Zieg.

Despite his status as a General, Zieg stood beside the man in a respectful manner, ensuring not to overstep any boundaries.

Kieran noticed this small detail, but he also noticed something else—staring into the old man’s eyes was like gazing into the depths of a great ocean. He couldn’t gauge this man’s strength, but a looming sense of danger persisted.

‘Anyone foolish enough to believe this facade before their eyes would suffer a deserving death. This man’s body may seem feeble, but I sense differently. I wouldn’t be surprised if this old man dressed in luxurious robes were a wild beast on the battlefield.’

The old man possessed a pair of golden hawk eyes and short, white hair the color of snow. Its length was similar to a buzz cut, only slightly longer at the top. Despite knowing that this man was ancient, Kieran couldn’t help but believe otherwise.

The only signs of his age were the slight crow’s feet near his eyes.

“High General Veradin,” Scar answered respectfully, slighting bow his head.

Veradin chuckled heartily and waved his hand. “At ease, at ease. Enough with the semantics. Let me have a good look at this young boy of yours. I’ve heard some things from Zieg.”

Scar glanced in Kieran’s direction and nodded for him to step forward.

Kieran took a few steps and stopped before the end of the long rectangular table with several throne-like seats.

“Don’t be frightened, young man. I don’t bite. Come closer,” Veradin said, his golden eyes tracing Kieran’s tense movements. ‘There’s only one reason for a youth to be so tense around me… he may have a slight grasp of my power. Of course, I would never raise a hand against such a young generation.’

Scar laughed behind Kieran with a slight smirk. “Go on, scaredy cat. Why are you so apprehensive? Hm? Lord Veradin is someone to be trusted. Who do you think Zieg gained his impartiality from?”

Kieran sighed in relief after hearing Scar’s confirmation. He walked before High General Veradin and bowed respectfully. “It is my pleasure to be in your presence High General Veradin. My name is Aatrox.”

“Aatrox, is it?” Lord Veradin muttered, nodding slowly with a strange glint in his eyes.

All of a sudden, Kieran felt a slight breeze brush past his cheek. Veradin circled Kieran, scrutinizing him.

The longer Veradin gazed upon Kieran, the more tense Kieran became. He didn’t understand the sensation, but it felt directly opposite to when the Arcane One used the Akashic Seal.

“It’s as you said. I can feel it, but one of your assumptions was wrong,” Veradin spoke, glancing in Zieg’s direction and then Scar’s. “This young man’s soul hasn’t awakened at all. He merely exhibits traits of an Awakened Being’s special abilities.”

Zieg looked at Kieran with a peculiar expression.

He didn’t understand how his judgment was wrong. He experienced the dreadfulness of Kieran’s Aspect and Soul Trait firsthand. There wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in his mind that Kieran’s soul was on par with Awakened Beings.

“What does that mean then?”

“It means this young man’s soul goes far beyond a mere Awakened Being. Perhaps not even an Enlightened Being is his limit. I’ve been one for countless years, and I’ve failed to gauge the limits of his soul. Not to mention, what he awakened is merely a fragment of his soul,” Veradin explained.

“What?! How can you determine his potential despite his lack of an Awakening? Also, you can’t be serious, Master. This power originates from a soul fragment?!” Zieg uncharacteristically shouted.

Veradin’s revelations were too baffling, causing Zieg to break his usually calm character. One’s potential usually couldn’t be estimated until their First Awakening,

At that point, one could no longer be considered an average human. An Awakening was the boundary that separated the elite from the masses.

Following Zieg’s outburst, Veradin’s expression grew solemn, and he continued. “From what I experienced, it was like gazing down from the summit of the world into a boundless sea of darkness. Shrouded above that darkness was a dense layer of hatred, loathing, but most of all… anguish.”

Veradin shifted his gaze from Zieg to Kieran. “Young man, why do you carry so much hatred? I’ve never seen anything like it. Perhaps not even a blood feud would explain its presence.”

Naturally, what Veradin sensed was Kieran’s Vengeful Soul, enhanced by the Seed of Vengeance. If his soul was considered a thin mist before the Seed of Vengeance’s transient activation, it was now a denser fog with less visibility.

“For years, all I have known is hate. To tell my story would be to defy common sense and venture into my secrets. Forgive me if this is disrespectful, but I do not wish to go there,” Kieran answered, sighing deeply afterward.

Veradin understood that sigh was saturated with troubling emotions, so he didn’t pry into Kieran’s personal life or backstory. However, he did fear this type of soul.

“Someday, that hatred will need an outlet. I only hope your outlet leads to a liberation of your soul and not the destruction of it. After all, your Aspect hidden within that fragment of your soul exhibits principles rarely seen—ever.”

Veradin paused and thought about it before revealing more. “Not to mention, the combination is something unprecedented. Destruction and Chaos are already troublesome, but to think your Aspect synergizes with the Void. It’s quite unthinkable.”

Kieran nodded solemnly. “Scar has told me that is extremely odd. I didn’t expect you to think the same. I guess the Origins are powers that people seldom touch upon?”

“You have no idea. To put it in perspective, if one sufficiently comprehends an Origin Principle, they’ll be guaranteed to reach the peak of an Enlightened Being. That last successful person… was Agrianos. And that was over 100,000 years ago.”

Kieran’s jaw dropped after learning of this.

100,000 years?!

Kieran couldn’t fathom how not a single individual comprehended the Origin Principles within the last 100,000 years! Moreover, his mind also failed to grasp how long 100,000 years was.

“What if someone secretly comprehended the principles outside of your knowledge?” Kieran questioned.

That was possible, right? Not everything should fall under the scrutiny of a colossal organization like the council. There were bound to be some gaps in their knowledge.

“It’s impossible. When that happens, the world releases a phenomenon birthed from the depths of its core. Besides, there is an entity responsible for detecting these almighty principles. It’s not within the War Deity Council’s interest to track the matters nor our capabilities,” Veradin answered.

Kieran looked to Scar, who shrugged with a slight nod. “It’s true. The War Deity Council is like the security guards of this world. Other responsibilities are delegated to specified organizations. Unfortunately, the one responsible for this action is… nebulous. Finding a trace of its existence is next to impossible.”

“Enough about this world. Let’s talk about the reason you’re here. It seems a few rules have been violated. I will explicitly state that you will receive no blame, nor will High Commander Scar.”

“High Commander? Don’t you mean Commander?” Kieran muttered dubiously.

“No, I meant what I said. Ah, as a newcomer, you’re mostly unfamiliar. Zieg, explain it to him,” Veradin said.

“With pleasure. The moment you became a Champion, your master became a High Commander. It’s a title given to the strongest Commanders with a sharp eye for talent. It commands authority below a General, but all Commanders must heed a High Commander’s orders.”

“I see,” Kieran muttered, a flash of realization blooming within his gaze.

While Kieran was in thought, Scar walked up and ruffled his hair. “That’s right, boy. Because of you, your master has received an honorable promotion with little to no work! Ahaha!”

“Little to no work? What would you call our training then?” Kieran furrowed his brow. For some reason, he felt disregarded.

“That was fun, you fool! Training a talent like you is the most fun I’ve ever had. Watching you break my records is exhilarating and fills me with pride!” Scar’s smile deepened with genuine emotions as he recounted Kieran’s training.

Kieran’s reaction was somewhat bland as he blinked and nodded. “Oh.”

After listening to Scar’s words, Kieran found it difficult to describe his emotion. ‘When was the last time someone told me they were proud of me?’

Kieran glanced down and inhaled. “My progress is thanks to you, Teach. I couldn’t ask for a better one.”

“D’aww! Don’t make me blush in front of company, you twerp!” Scar swiped his nose and smirked, but after a brief moment of glee, he returned to normal. “Does that mean my boy has your protection in my absence?”

“You want him to become part of my Virtuous Faction? If so, I’m willing to accept him,” Veradin said after considering Scar’s words. Afterward, he looked up at Kieran. “Your hand, young man.”

Kieran extended his hand with the Lesser War Crest and watched as Veradin waved his hand through the air, thoroughly erasing the insignia.

A few seconds later, Kieran felt an unbearable searing pain on the back of his hand.

Once it disappeared, he noticed a complete War Crest with a strange design that resembled a deep flame wrapped around an orb.

〈System: You have received the «War Crest of Champions»!〉

“Wear your crest with pride, for our Champions all blaze with courage yet remain steadfast. That’s the true honor of a Champion,” Veradin announced gloriously.