“Huff… huff…” Wude, shirtless and drenched in sweat, gasped for air as his running pace gradually slowed.

“Tini, give him a boost!” Alreis called from the shade of a tree, ordering Tini—who was baking under the scorching sun.

Tini shot her a disgruntled glance. “You’ll get karma for pushing an injured person this hard!” Still, she drew a sliver of her meagerly restored life force, shaped it into light, and channeled it into Wude.

Exhausted and aching moments before, Wude suddenly felt immense lightness. The pain vanished. Strength surged back through him.

“Thanks, Tini!” He managed a quick word of gratitude before resuming his jog around the clearing.

Elisa, also resting in the shade, watched him with quiet worry.

“Alreis… is this really effective? The training’s intense, but Wude Brother’s body was already well-conditioned. Will it even work…?”

“Don’t worry,” Alreis reassured her. “It *is* effective. Tedious, yes—but logically, it builds physical strength faster than magical enhancement. Though… it does drain resources.”

She winced recalling how the Church scrimped during past trials. Thankfully, she had the Colossal Beast’s bead—a near-perfect substitute. Still…

Her thoughts drifted to last night’s talk with Wude.

“Wude, listen,” Alreis had said, expression grave. “During the resurrection, I learned the Colossal Beast stems from unknown, eerie creatures. That bead… using it might carry risks.”

“But with my talent,” Wude replied flatly, “won’t I stay weak without it?” A truth she couldn’t deny.

“It’ll be fine,” he added gently. “Didn’t you say the Thunder God used it too? So it’s safe.”

“But the Thunder God is an Ascendant Sovereign…” Alreis trailed off, catching herself.

Wude smiled. “Aren’t *you* and Tini Ascendant Sovereigns? With you here… what could go wrong?”

“Hmph! If I hesitate now,” Alreis conceded, “how can I call myself an Ascendant Sovereign?” She couldn’t refuse his resolve.

Wude kept running. Tini’s life force sustained him, but his condition steadily worsened—dehydration, salt loss, mental fatigue. His body *had* to hit absolute limit. That was the crucial step. This inefficient run served only to drain him.

Truth was, neither Alreis nor Tini were at full strength. Many spells were unusable. Running was their only option.

They couldn’t tell Wude or Elisa—the moment they knew the goal, they’d hold back unconsciously.

Wude *needed* this. Too weak to forcibly draw power like an Ascendant Sovereign, his body had to crave energy desperately—like osmotic pressure—to absorb the high-grade energy from the gray bead. Normally, his body would reject it; the energy was harmful.

His vision blurred. He felt himself weakening, yet trusted Alreis completely. She’d never misjudge his state.

*But I must grow stronger. I have to.* For Lingyue. For the truth. To remain worthy of being Alreis’s master.

A brilliantly (yet unsettling) smile spread across his face.

Alreis shivered. *Why does his smile feel… kinda creepy?*

“Wude Brother!” Elisa cried as he collapsed stiffly.

“Wude Brother! Wude Brother!” She rushed toward him.

“Elisa, fall back!” Alreis’s voice turned sharp. *Now.* Body and mind had reached their limit.

Elisa halted, shot Wude a worried glance, then reluctantly stepped back to the safe spot.

“Tini, ready?”

“Ready, ready,” Tini muttered wearily. *First life force, now mana… Seriously?*

They positioned themselves at Wude’s head and feet, exchanged a nod.

Mana churned violently around them. Colorless energy shimmered into elemental hues. Together, they seized every trace of mana in the zone.

(Pre-level-six magic relied on control—but Ascendant Sovereigns could manipulate foreign mana through will alone. Shaping spells? No. Relocating it? Easily.)

Vacuum. All mana evacuated. Wude floated mid-air, suspended by Tini’s mental force.

“Alreis, begin!” Tini murmured, curiosity flickering. *What *is* this bead… born of unknown creatures… that creates Colossal Beasts?*

Alreis summoned her staff. A wisp of gray energy spiraled from its tip. With utmost caution, she guided it into the void.

The thumb-thick tendril exploded into thick mist, engulfing the vacuum—contained perfectly by their will.

“Aaahhh!!!” Wude screamed. Unconscious, his body recoiled on pure instinct.

Alreis trembled slightly. Elisa, far away, remained blessedly unaware.

---

Within Wude’s consciousness:

A hazy sky. Steel skyscrapers. Roaring cars.

*“Is this… Earth?”* He looked down—wearing the clothes he’d crossed over in, the ones Lingyue had kept.

“This world… seems quite interesting!”

A voice. Ice shot down Wude’s spine.

“Who’s there?!” He spun, leaped back a step into a fighting stance—useless at level three.

“Don’t be afraid… Didn’t *you* invite me in?”

Nothing visible. Yet the voice echoed through the world itself.