[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Bahamut

Age: 17

Race: Chimera (Cub)

Class: Tier 1 (Circle of Initiation)/ ???

Rank: Mortal

Titles: Psychopath (Titled), Ruthless Killer (Titled), Unknown, The BEAST (Titled)

Super Title: The First of His Kind

─

HP: 1000 / 1000

MP: 1000

Level: 19

EXP: 04 / 1650

─

Attributes (Super-Ranked):

Strength: 10+1 = 11

Speed: 10+1 = 11

Agility: 10+1 = 11

Endurance: 10+1 = 11

Perception: 90

Willpower: 100

Luck: 2.5

Charm: 5

─

Element(s): Locked!

Affinity(s):

- Fire (50%)

- Water (50%)

- Wind (50%)

- Earth (50%)

- Light (30%)

- Darkness (56%)

─

Skills:

• Pain Immunity (Lv. 2)

• Super Reflexes (Lv. 11)

• Super Senses (Lv. 12)

• Self Healing (Lv. 6)

• Death Intent (Passive – Locked)

• Beast Trait Manifestation (MAX)

• Spear Mastery (Lv. 3)

• Sword Mastery (Lv. 1)

─

Special Traits:

• Fragmented Soul (Effect Unknown)

• Past Lives Memory (Partial Dormancy)

• Madness Bloom (Dormant)

─

Followers:

• Ren (Chaos Bunny)

• Alana Nyx (Cow Beast-kin)

PATH OF THE BEAST

B - Brutality of the BEAST

.....

Bahamut stared at his current stats and couldn’t help but smile to himself. He had really come far. Recalling his past lives, he hadn’t even lasted a week. He could recall some parts since his memories weren’t completely sealed, and the most he had lived in a world or life was a month, while here, he was almost close to two months. He had also died once and been resurrected. Although it was a painful experience, it was better than what he’d experienced in the past.

Now he had a few agendas to focus on: push his affinities to 100%, train his sword skills (that wasn’t so difficult. He already had memories of them), and hope to break through to Tier 2 before the evaluation.

His current mission was to push his lowest affinity to cross from 30% to at least 50%, and there was one place to do that. Well, it was everywhere... In the sun, or rather, under the sun. There was no light domain in the sect, and from what he’d learned, only the kingdom of the angels, Caeluminis, had one, and that was a pipe dream. He even doubted whether he would ever go to that place in his life, so he could only resort to what was around: the sun.

It wasn’t the best way, but it was better than none. Half a loaf was always better than none. Then he had to also consider other factors. The sun was everywhere in the environment. There were plants, water, and air around, so this meant that there would be interferences in cultivating the light affinity. Whether the interference would be good or bad, he didn’t know yet, but there would surely be. Plus, the sun itself produced heat, and heat was fire.

If it turns out well, he would be cultivating light, fire, earth, and wind, and possibly water, with the main thing being light. As for darkness, he had Alana’s domain.

Speaking of Alana, it had been a long time since he spoke with her. He had tried to speak to her earlier, but she had left with the girls, leaving him alone in Elder Silvia’s residence. She had been given a sect uniform, so she would most likely be living with the girls in the female residential part of the outer sect.

"In the end..."

Bahamut exhaled softly as he stepped into the open field.

The sky stretched endlessly above him, clear and vast, the sun blazing high with an almost oppressive brilliance. The light poured down in waves, bathing the entire field in warmth. Grass swayed gently under the wind, the scent of earth rich and alive.

It was quiet. Perfect!

He walked to the center of the field, stopped, and sat cross-legged, with his back straight and his hands resting on his knees. His blindfold remained tied loosely around his neck, his strange eyes exposed as they slowly closed.

"Let’s begin."

His breathing steadied.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

The sounds of the world began to fade: the rustling leaves, the distant chatter of disciples, even the wind itself. Everything... quieted.

Then... Darkness.

...

He descended, not physically, but mentally, falling into himself.

Deeper.

Deeper.

Until he arrived.

A vast inner space unfolded before him, boundless and surreal, like a universe trapped within a single being. At its center floated six pulsating masses of energy, each radiating its own presence.

Six cores.

Fire burned fiercely, a raging inferno swirling with chaotic heat.

Water flowed calmly, a deep ocean of endless motion and silence.

Wind danced erratically, invisible currents slicing through space.

Earth stood firm, a dense, immovable mass that exuded stability.

Darkness loomed like a void, heavy, consuming, watching.

And then, Light.

Faint, small, barely noticeable compared to the others. A dim glow. Fragile and unrefined. Bahamut’s consciousness hovered before them.

"So this is how you’ve all become."

He didn’t move toward the others. His focus locked onto the weakest one.

The light core.

It flickered weakly, like a candle struggling against an unseen breeze. It was pathetic compared to the others, but Bahamut didn’t look down on it.

Instead, he reached out. The moment his consciousness touched it, it burned. A sharp sting shot through his mind. It was not pain, but resistance.

The light recoiled, rejecting him.

"You don’t accept me?"

He smiled faintly.

"Too bad."

Above, in the real world, the sun shone brighter.

...

Time passed. Minutes turned into an hour. Then two. Then three.

Bahamut remained unmoving. Sweat rolled down his body, his skin glistening under the relentless heat of the sun. His breathing remained steady, but faint tremors ran through his muscles.

Inside, the battle continued. The light core resisted, flickering wildly whenever he tried to grasp it, pushing him away, burning him, rejecting him.

But Bahamut didn’t retreat. He pressed forward.

Again, and again, and again.

Each attempt burned sharper than the last, each rejection harsher, yet his will didn’t waver. If anything, it grew heavier.

Stronger.

"You’re part of me."

His voice echoed within the space.

"You don’t get to reject me."

He forced himself closer.

This time, he didn’t just touch it. He grabbed it.

The light exploded.

Blinding brilliance surged outward, engulfing his consciousness entirely. It felt like his mind was being torn apart, purified, burned from the inside out. His teeth clenched. His will roared.

"Stay... still!"

Outside, the air around him shimmered. Light bent unnaturally toward his body, faint streams of golden radiance converging onto him like threads being pulled.

The sun responded.

...

Fourth hour. Fifth. Sixth.

His body was drenched in sweat. Steam rose faintly from his skin.

Yet, he didn’t move. Inside, something changed. The light core stopped resisting. It stabilized slightly, its flickering becoming steadier, brighter, and stronger.

Bahamut exhaled slowly.

"There we go."

He didn’t stop there. The influence spread. The sun’s energy, filtered through the light, began to interact with the others. The environment also responded, elements in the environment, pushing the other affinities also, though they were minimal.

Fire stirred, wind responded, earth resonated faintly, and even water trembled slightly, but darkness remained still, watching, silent, and untouched.

...

When Bahamut finally opened his eyes, six hours had passed. The sun had shifted across the sky, now beginning its descent.

He inhaled deeply. The air felt... different, sharper, clearer. Lighter. A faint golden glint flashed across his eyes before fading.

"System."

The screen appeared instantly.

[Affinity Update:]

Light: 30% → 40%

Fire: 50% → 52%

Wind: 50% → 52%

Earth: 50% → 52%

Water: 50% (No Change)

Darkness: 56% (No Change)

...

Bahamut stared at it and smiled.

"Not bad."

His body felt heavy, but his mind was refreshed, sharp, and alive. He leaned back slightly, looking up at the sky as the sunlight bathed his face.

"Guess I’m not as hopeless as you thought..."

His fingers flexed. A faint shimmer of light flickered briefly around them before fading.

"Let’s keep going."

Bahamut remained seated for a few seconds longer, his breathing steady as the faint shimmer of light around him slowly faded into nothing, but the effect of what he had done did not.

...

It started subtly.

A shift, a disturbance so slight that no one could immediately place it. The sun burned hotter, not in a gradual form.

It spiked.

...

On the training grounds, a group of disciples suddenly paused mid-spar.

"Wait... do you feel that?"

"What?"

"The heat."

"Yeah... it just got worse."

Sweat began forming faster than it should. The breeze that once cooled them now felt like it carried warmth instead of relief. One of them looked up at the sky, squinting.

"Was it always this bright?"

The sunlight seemed harsher.

...

Near the weapon racks, a disciple who had been polishing his blade suddenly hissed, pulling his hand away.

"Ah!"

"What happened?"

"It’s hot!"

He stared at the metal in confusion. It wasn’t burning, but it was far warmer than it should be under normal sunlight.

"Since when does the sun heat metal this fast?"

...

At the female residential courtyard, several disciples who were relaxing under shaded areas leaned forward slightly.

"Why does it feel like the sun is pressing down?"

One of them stepped slightly out of the shade and immediately stepped back.

"Okay, nope. Something’s wrong."

Even those who were used to heat could feel it. This wasn’t normal warmth. It was... intensified.

...

At the arena stands, where some disciples still lingered after the previous matches, murmurs spread.

"Is it just me, or..."

"No, I feel it too."

"The temperature just jumped."

"Is someone training fire affinity nearby?"

"This isn’t just fire."

That last statement made a few people go quiet. Because they were right. It didn’t feel like flames. It felt like the sun itself had leaned closer.

...

Even among the elders, the shift did not go unnoticed.

Elder Silvia, who had been seated calmly, suddenly lifted her gaze toward the sky. Her antennae twitched faintly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"That’s strange."

Beside her, Elder Iset frowned.

"Environmental fluctuation?"

Silvia didn’t respond immediately. Her gaze shifted, not to the sky, but toward a direction.

The open field.

"No," she murmured softly.

"This isn’t the environment changing..."

Her eyes glinted faintly.

"It’s being influenced."

...

Just when would I receive a castle... sigh...