CH 26: I'm back... And I've gotten a little stronger too.

[AN: I'm on vacation right now, so sorry for not releasing chapters as frequently. I'll resume 1-3 chapters a day after I'm back home.]

"Haah… Haaa…"

After escaping the dragon, I was sitting against a tree near the edge of the Zone. -Burning Passion- had worn off which left me completely drained.

"So that was an A-ranked beast. The low-tier wasn't too bad but that dragon was something else. It broke through -Castle Walls- in three attacks."

[You need to be more careful, master. If you didn't run in time, you could have died.]

"Sorry, Emy. I'll be more careful from now on."

Looking back, I realized just how much stronger the high-tier A-ranked beast was. As soon as it entered the area, the surroundings completely changed. Its mana changed the atmosphere around it to better accommodate its power.

"Proficiency IV has something like that right, Emy?" I asked.

[Yes. Proficiency IV for all Mana Arts skill trees has a domain spell that changes the surroundings of the user to increase their power. But the dragon only produced a slight change, resulting in an easier condition to produce spells, rather than empowering them.]

"So it only used an incomplete version but was still that powerful?"

Even with the slight change in the surroundings, I could tell I didn't stand a chance of fighting it in its own territory.

After I had regained most of my stamina and mana, I let out a long exhale. My training in the Zone was finally coming to an end. Today was my last full day before I would meet Grandmother tomorrow to head back to the Raijin estate and depart for Pantheon.

I was excited, but there was one big problem.

"Grandmother is going to freak out once she sees my elements. Based on what I saw when I looked at her with my mana vision, having four elements isn't abnormal. But that's for someone as strong as her. I have no idea if it's normal for other kids my age to have this many affinities."

[I'd advise you to wait for her to tell you more about it. Through my analysis of her mannerisms and reactions to your powers, having more than one affinity isn't rare. But I have no clue if having four is reasonable.]

"I guess I just have to hope for the best."

…

The rest of the day, I just hunted more colonies with B-rank alphas. Compared to the wyvern and the dragon, it was light work. By the end of the day, I managed to level up again.

…

Name: Kaiser Raijin

Level: 36

XP: 2,409,700 / 250,000,000

Skill Points: 41

Status:

Health: 100%

Stamina: 82%

Mana: 80%

{Skill Trees}

…

"Should I just save my skill points for Proficiency IV?"

It was dusk outside and I was laying down on a leaf bed in a rock hut.

[There are certain prerequisites for Proficiency IV spells, master. -Mana Capacity- and -Mana Control- should be upgraded to tier four. But for your body to be able to handle the upgrade, you must also upgrade -Endurance- and -Intelligence- to tier two.]

"Jeez," I said in exhaustion. "And how much is that going to cost?"

[To meet the prerequisites for Proficiency IV spells, a total of 60 skill points is needed. 10 for -Endurance- and -Intelligence-, 50 for -Mana Capacity- and -Mana Control-.]

"Upgrade Endurance, Intelligence, and Mana Capacity."

[Commencing upgrade of -Endurance- to tier two at the cost of 5 skill points.]

I braced myself as a wave of pain washed over my body. Every muscle, bone, and cell was torn apart and reformed tougher than before. Endurance was still the harshest upgrade, even more so with my perception at tier two.

[Commencing upgrade of -Intelligence- to tier two at the cost of 5 skill points.]

A piercing ache spread through my head as each neuron in my brain formed more synapses between each other.

[Commencing upgrade of -Mana Capacity- to tier four at the cost of 25 skill points.]

All the mana particles in a 15-meter radius were suddenly pulled toward a single point in my body. Every pore on my skin absorbed the mana and after the process, I was out of breath from all of the upgrades.

[Good job, master. You're training in the Zone was very productive.]

"Thanks, Emy. Couldn't do it without you."

My eyelids grew heavy and I passed out from exhaustion.

…

The next morning, I awoke to the beautiful sound of birds singing and the nearby river flowing further into the forest. The hut around me disintegrated and I rose up from my bed, rubbing my eyes and yawning. Today was another serene morning in the Zone.

'I'm going to miss this place.'

Even though it was filled with deadly creatures and bizarre weather, the Zone was a place where I didn't have to worry about anything. I could just fight and level up in peace. But today, I was leaving. Knowing Grandmother, she was probably already waiting for me at the entrance to the forest.

'I shouldn't keep her waiting.'

Even though I was several miles away from our meeting point, It wouldn't take long for me to reach her position. I finished stretching and waking up and then activated -Rocket-. With my increased Mana Capacity, I didn't even feel any mana leave my body.

…

Several miles away from Kaiser, a woman with long white hair and dazzling golden eyes was standing at the entrance of a large forest. Her arms were crossed and she was looking toward the expanse of trees with narrowed eyes.

'Hopefully, he didn't get eaten,' She thought to herself.

Even though she showed almost no emotion on the outside, on the inside, she was very worried for her grandson. The Zone was a place many had succumbed to. Even someone as strong as her couldn't survive in the deepest parts.

As she waited, she sensed an insane amount of mana heading in her direction.

'There shouldn't be any mana beasts this strong on the perimeter of the Zone! And it's so fast!'

A bright, white light spread from the woman's body and enveloped her completely. An armor of crystal ice covered her from head to toe. Compared to the Snow Wolf alpha, her armor was on a completely different level. It was almost transparent and glistened in the morning sun.

After the armor was finished being cast, a longsword made of the same ice extended from her hand and she grasped it firmly, in anticipation of an attack.

She looked up into the sky and saw a hurtling ball of fire. The surrounding area was bathed in bright orange as the figure descended toward the woman's location.

*BOOM*

5 meters away from her, the figure landed and caused a massive tremor that shook the ground.

The woman held her sword, ready to attack whatever monster had escaped from the Zone. But her worries were unnecessary.

"Hello, Grandmother."

…

"Hello, Grandmother," I said, greeting the woman in front of me. Seeing her covered in armor and holding a sword made me confused but I still greeted her politely.

The smoke cleared from my landing and the beautiful woman with white hair and golden eyes gazed at me in shock.

"K-Kaiser?" She asked, dumbfounded.

The ice around her dissipated as well as the weapon she held.

I knew I had grown stronger, but I didn't think it warranted this reaction. Especially from someone like Grandmother, who always had an indifferent expression and never showed much emotion.

"It's good to see you again, Grandmother," I said, trying to alleviate her worry.

After my words, she calmed down and exhaled, releasing her anxiety. "I thought you were some rampant mana beast that had escaped the Zone."

I chuckled. "Sorry about that. I was pretty far away, so I flew back over here to meet you as soon as possible."

Her face returned to her indifferent expression, but with my enhanced perception, I could see the slight happiness in her eyes.

"You've changed a lot this past month. Not only did you reach rank A, but you've also gained a few affinities."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, worried about my quick progress.

Grandmother scoffed. "Bad thing? How would that be a bad thing? You're the youngest human to reach rank A and you think that's a bad thing?"

"I am?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yes! And by a far margin, too!" She exclaimed. "Humans are the race with the slowest progress in strength. Since we can use any type of magic, acclimation to it takes longer than other races, who are born with instincts on how to use their mana. Adolescent humans are slow to grow but toward their twenties, they have an exponential growth in power. Some grow quicker than others, but most don't reach A rank until they're 30, provided they have the talent and work ethic to train for it."

'Wow…' Is all I could think of.

"I didn't know humans were at that much of a disadvantage," I said.

"Great power comes with a price. But since we have the largest population out of all the races, the gap in power isn't large enough to cause any concern. But you don't need to worry about that," She said as she walked up to me and patted my shoulder. "Good job with your training. I'm proud of you."

I smiled at her sincere words. "Thanks, Grandmother."

She also smiled. "Alright. You ready to go back home?"

I nodded.

A bright pair of wings sprouted from her back and stretched until they were several meters wide. They were made from the same crystalline ice that covered her body a moment ago.

'Ice must be her main element.'

"Now that you can fly, it shouldn't take us more than an hour to get back home."

Her wings raised up and flapped, causing her to lift into the air and a gust of wind kicked up dust around her.

I also used -Rocket- to propel myself into the sky and we both took off to the north.

…

We landed at the front gates of the Raijin estate. My landing wasn't as graceful as hers, but I made sure not to cause an explosion this time.

The two knights that were guarding the massive property behind them immediately recognized us and let us through with a deep bow.

"We welcome the master and the young master."

Grandmother and I nodded in greeting and walked through the gates, toward the massive building in the middle. Everything looked the same as when I had left. Maids and butlers were running through the halls, performing their duties. When they saw us they made sure to greet us with respect and continued with their jobs.

We reached the two massive doors of the main dining room and Grandmother pushed them open. Inside, my father and mother sat at their usual spots at the head of the table. To the right, Phiona was also seated in her normal seat. But what I was focused on wasn't them. Two new people sat to the left, where Grandmother usually sat.

Closest to the head of the table sat a tall man with broad shoulders. He had very fancy clothes, resembling those of someone highly ranked. He had long, light brown hair and bright golden eyes.

Next to the man was a very beautiful woman with clothes resembling his. She had long, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

Everyone at the table rose to meet us, including the pair I didn't recognize. Father and Mother were the first to walk around the table and greet us. But once they both got closer and finally got a good look at me, they both gasped.

"K-Kaiser?" Mother asked in shock. "H-How?"

Her reaction reminded me of Grandmother's and my father was no different from her.

"Is that really you, Kaiser?" He asked with his mouth agape.

I nodded with a smile. "Yes, Father, Mother, it's me."

Phiona heard the commotion and hurried over and was also alarmed once she saw me.

"Brother?" She asked.

The couple behind my family waited to intrude. They were both shocked as well.

Grandmother cleared her throat and everyone's attention went to her.

"Kaiser managed to become A-rank during his training," She said without a shred of emotion.

If their mouths were agape before, they were now nearly touching the floor. Father was the first to speak after the sudden revelation.

"How in God's name did you become A-rank? This shouldn't be possible!"

"Close your mouth, Augustus! You look like an idiot!" Grandmother reprimanded him.

The man quickly shut his mouth, but his eyes still showed his shock.

"Excuse me, Mother," said a sharp female voice. "This should be impossible. This has never happened in the history of the Silvercrest Empire."

The voice came from the blonde woman with blue eyes.

"There's a first for everything, I suppose," Grandmother said. "But I doubt this will ever reoccur."

All I could do at the moment was smile nervously and feign ignorance. I couldn't reveal that I had a cheat system that made me stronger. Especially to strangers. Also, why did she call Grandmother 'Mother'? I don't remember having another older sister. Unless…

"Kaiser," Father said to me. "How did you manage to get this strong?"

His question broke me from my thoughts. "...I fought a lot of mana beasts?" I said, making it sound like a question. It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the truth.

"That's it?" Phiona asked. "You fought mana beasts?"

I nodded.

"What a talented younger brother I have."

The man with light brown hair and golden eyes finally spoke. I had my suspicions when I saw his eyes, but now I had finally gotten confirmation. This man must have been the older brother I had heard about.

He walked up to me and held out his hand. "Your rank doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I finally get to meet you. My name is Hermes Raijin, your older brother."

I took his hand with a smile on my face. "I'm glad to meet you, Brother. I'm Kaiser Raijin."

He reciprocated my smile and we ended our handshake. Hermes then gestured to the blonde woman who stood next to him. "This is your sister-in-law, Riviera Silvercrest."

The woman smiled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Kaiser."

"Nice to meet you," I said in a daze as I shook her hand.

'Silvercrest? Don't tell me…'

Brother noticed my thoughts.

"She is also the first princess of the Silvercrest Empire," He said with a proud smile.