Chapter 4: Klein's Awakening [2]
Method used to awaken someone, step by step.
First—
Spread mana throughout the body, bathed the organs and bones with mana.
Second—
Stimulate the meridian to activate the target's mana vein, to clean it off excess filth.
Third—
Condense the mana into a core inside the target's dantian, they'll need to have an energy pool don't they?
And I think that's all…
Nathaniel reviewed the process once more, relying solely on his mana sensitivity.
He was like a ghost.
His mana-formed arm slipped into Klein's body, flooding his insides with power, weaving through every bone and organ with monstrous precision.
Ugh! That feels so weird…
Klein's body convulsed in discomfort.
It was as if something—thick, slimy, and sticky wrapped around my skeleton, my organs, and my whole entire body…
Klein grimaced, face twisted, stomach churned, utterly disturbed by the sensation.
Suddenly he felt a sharp pain, his voice piled up but he suppressed the urge to scream.
I need to keep myself together, I can still continue… for my vengeance—my future…
He dug deep into his flesh with determined eyes.
Nathaniel noticed Klein's body tensing up.
Keep going, stay strong, we're not that far from the finish line.
He cheered internally.
His mana passed through the meridian like a spear—sharp and powerful.
Stimulating the meridian through pain.
He reverberated the mana that phased through the meridian, cleaning away filth stuck on the walls.
Something is building up…
Klein noticed that an unknown urge was coming.
He prepared himself and then he coughed up a handful of blood—and other dark-colored fluids.
Is that the dirt inside my body…? I couldn't believe it…
Klein instinctively noticed the fact that the black goo was the filth that accumulated within his meridian.
As expected, an average person would have a vomit-worthy amount of filth, a noble even as a fallen are definitely something…
Nathaniel commented inwardly, he intently stared at the black fluid in amazement.
The gate into the dantian had been opened.
His mana raced to the passageway.
Inside, all the mana clumped together into a spherical object of condensed mana.
"Form your own core, child of wind."
He calmly said, without malice and ill-intent but a hint of intentional mischief.
Klein was quite surprised but composed himself.
In the silence that followed, mana coalesced into a luminous sphere—barely larger than a grown man's palm.
Pale and ghost-like.
It pulsed within his dantian, the mark of a newly awakened core.
He had done it.
His heartbeat synced with the pulse of the core.
As he dropped his guard, his mana went berserk, body engulfed by purple flames.
Nathaniel instinctively floated back, creating a distance as he instinctively knew what had seeped out of Klein's body—it was the curse.
The smile etched on his face widened, the edge of his crescent-shaped mouth curled upward.
The flames raged on.
Klein gritted his teeth, his face tensed as he suppressed the burning pain.
Argh! What is happening!?
His body burnt, charred, almost as black as a charcoal.
Devoid of warning, the flames intensified.
Bursting with vigor.
He grit his teeth, the pain unbearable.
But he couldn't stop—not yet.
Not with his vengeance so close.
He collapsed, convulsing, fists clenched and jaw locked in defiance.
Klein took a firm grip on his mana.
He intends to suppress the flame, to dominate it.
His face, burned by the flame, revealed a terrifying smile.
Nathaniel ruffled Klein's hair, his mana carefully injected into his body.
He had been distracted by the majestic view of the purple flames.
Klein, assisted by Nathaniel's mana, managed to suppress the enormous flame.
The purple flame weakened, decided to hide within Klein's core but was intercepted.
It was imprisoned, sealed deep within the core, chained with mana.
The swirling energy chipped away at the flame embers.
The flame diluted into the mana of the core—becoming one with Klein.
Half-dead, motionless on the ground, body charred, the smell of burnt flesh permeated the air.
He had almost lost his life.
Nathaniel covered Klein's dying body with a thick layer of mana that accelerated his natural healing.
He should be good to go in just a few hours.
He thought.
His tone, detached and casual, but not malicious.
The biology of an awakened was a massive contributor to his indifference toward Klein's condition.
After all, even the protagonist survived something worse when he had just awakened…
He chuckled, he remembered the early part of the novel often described as a torture porn for the protagonist.
It has been two hours.
Klein's body has been completely recovered.
The flames scarred his body, his soul—but for now, he was whole again.
He laughed, the pain vanished, replaced with joy, tears building up in his eyes.
It has been four years.
Four long years—he had finally awakened.
But a wave of emptiness and grief washed over him.
At this moment, he was supposed to be surrounded by his family, yet he was alone—accompanied by only a mysterious deity.
His mana—calm, dense and heavy suddenly spiked.
From the smooth, peaceful wind, to the devastating and violent storm.
He stared at his palm.
Breeze swirling into a small tornado,
Then, transformed into a storm that engulfed his entire forearm.
Lightning crackled around the storm—like a serpent searching for prey.
He chuckled, his gaze toughened, determination burning brightly inside his eyes.
Finally…
He thought, the lightning turned violent.
I am one step closer to my goal, just you wait—wait in your blood-stained stolen property, I will return and regain what I've lost.
He calmly turned his body around, his gaze landed on Nathaniel, he kneeled, his forehead touched the ground.
The Whitecrow family will return.
He promised to himself.
Nathaniel amused and entertained, uttered.
"Raise your head."
His luminous, blue-purple gradient, fiery mana-formed body suspended in the air like a puppet raised by a puppeteer.
System.
He paused, calling out to his most helpful companion.
Is it possible to turn him into my Champion?
He didn't intend to deceive Klein.
If possible, he wanted to fulfill his baseless promise.
His confidence only came because the system existed.
Circular, donned in orange, translucent holographic screen shimmered into being.
[ Loading… ]
Nathaniel waited for the system's response.
[ Ding! ]
[ Do you wish to grant the status of "Champion" to Klein Whitecrow? ]
He let out a sigh of relief as he outstretched his hand towards Klein's head.
Yes.
He simply thought.
His crescent-shaped mouth widened.
His lips parted.
Klein felt a heavy pressure, he instinctively reinforced his body using mana.
"Klein Whitecrow, child blessed by the Wind, the eldest son of the current Whitecrow lineage."
He paused, waiting for his voice to sink in.
What name should I use?
He thought.
"You may call me…"
Klein's body shuddered.
He was about to learn the name of a God.
A God's name is sacred, divine, and undoubtedly dangerous.
Even if it was merely an alias.
A bead of sweat rolled down his face.
He gulped, keeping himself together.
Nathaniel's voice, calm, heavy, turned sharp—it erupted like thunder.
Piercing Klein's defense.
"The God of Knowledge, Solomon."
To be continued…