---
Kamigan stood still as the voice echoed through his mind, calm yet carrying a weight that felt almost inhuman.
> [Your greatest ability...]
He scoffed under his breath.
"My greatest ability, it says... Well, I guess it's convenient to call it that."
His arms folded across his chest, his black eyes narrowing slightly.
"Wait... Voice—can I ask something?"
> [I am the guardian assigned to you by the Primordial God you encountered. If your question lies within what you are permitted to know, I shall answer it.]
Kamigan's lips thinned as he thought carefully.
"Alright then… Can I turn this skill off? Or just disable it completely?"
> [No. You cannot disable this skill.]
A sigh escaped him—soft, resigned. It was not the sigh of disappointment, but of someone confirming a truth he already understood.
"So I'm chained to it... forever. I figured."
> [That statement is not entirely true.]
His brows lifted slightly, the faintest ember of hope lighting in his chest.
"Huh?"
> [While you cannot turn it off, it may not be impossible to disable it. However, I, your guardian, cannot do so. I did not create the skill. Nor did the God. It was already part of you, buried deep, when I merged with your soul.]
Kamigan nodded slowly, feeling as though the words scratched at something older inside him—something he'd always known but never dared to question.
"I see… So if I wanted to disable it—how would I go about it?"
> [You would need to find the being who created the skill and embedded it within you. Only they might possess the means to alter your fate. Do you have more questions?]
Kamigan dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged on the soft grass. His fingers absentmindedly brushed the earth—an instinctive need to touch something real while talking about such intangible things.
"Yeah, actually. When I activated Eyes of Alethia and looked at that girl… there was a number above her head—'3'. What does that mean?"
> [In ancient tongues now forgotten, Alethia meant 'Truth.' Eyes of Alethia allows you to perceive the true nature of beings—power, potential, essence. It is weak now, but with time and growth, your vision will sharpen.]
Kamigan tilted his head, a flicker of curiosity stirring inside him.
"Power level? What do you mean by that?"
> [It is a measure—a number trying to capture the immeasurable. Physical strength, spiritual depth, willpower. All reduced to something simple, something countable. Understand this: numbers are only the surface. The soul is deeper still.]
> [Activate your Eyes and look upon your reflection—you will see your measure.]
Kamigan rose, walking to a nearby pond.
The water rippled as he peered down. Above his reflection floated a faint, ghostly "1.2."
His chest tightened.
"That girl... she's more than twice as strong as me," he muttered, wiping sudden sweat from his brow.
"Whew... thank the stars I didn't try fighting her."
He turned back to the unseen voice.
"About those monster wolves—what are they, exactly? Anything I should know?"
> [They are not monsters. Monsters are born of myth and fear. These are beasts—creatures shaped by the world's forgotten laws. There are four types:]
---
> Spirit Beasts: Born from humanity's discarded emotions.
Evolved Beasts: Animals that transcended through essence.
Mutated Beasts: Evolution twisted, fusing traits of many.
Corrupted Beasts: Touched by tainted energies, falling into madness.
---
Kamigan absorbed the words, nodding gravely.
"Alright… anything else?"
> [Beasts are divided by tiers, determined by their power level:]
> Level 1–10: Tier 1 Beast
Level 11–20: Tier 2 Beast
Level 21–30: Tier 3 Beast
Level 31–40: Tier 4 Beast
Level 41–50: Tier 5 Beast
He processed it in silence, mind whirring.
"What about beasts stronger than Tier 5?"
> [You are not yet qualified to know.]
He exhaled sharply, frustration prickling his skin.
> [Additionally, humans undergo a change at Power Level 5. They unlock a unique skill—a mirror of their soul's deepest nature. Most gain one. Some rare souls, touched by destiny or madness, may awaken two... or three.]
Kamigan's lips curled into a faint, fierce smile.
"Heh… something to look forward to, then."
---
After absorbing all that knowledge, Kamigan turned to the voice, his tone sharpening.
"One last thing... How do I get stronger?"
> [Essence Breathing. Beast Cores.]
Kamigan frowned.
"Beast cores? What the hell are those?"
> [Fragments of condensed essence, found within beasts. Consume them... and you consume their strength.]
He muttered thoughtfully, staring into the dark trees.
Without waiting, Kamigan dashed into the cave, digging through the ashes of the spirit girl he'd defeated. His fingers brushed something cold and alive—a faintly glowing stone.
He clutched it tightly.
"How do I use this thing?"
> [Eat it.]
Without hesitation, Kamigan swallowed it.
Pain.
Pain unlike anything he'd ever imagined—like being torn apart and stitched together at once.
He screamed—a raw, primal sound—but even in agony, he heard the voice:
> [Would you like to activate automatic absorption?]
His breath ragged, he forced out the word:
"Y-Yes…!"
The pain vanished like smoke in a wind.
Warmth flooded him.
He knelt there, trembling.
Different.
He felt... different.
Stronger—but only just.
"What... was that?" he gasped.
> [Raw, unrefined power. Chaos, not yet shaped. You survived because you chose acceptance over resistance.]
Kamigan pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the echo of new strength.
"And what the hell is Essence Condensation?"
> [That... you must discover for yourself.] [Also—know this: you may only use automatic absorption once a month. You have two uses remaining.] [Good luck.]
And then the guardian's voice faded into nothingness, leaving Kamigan alone again with only the sound of the forest and the endless weight of his own breath.
---
Curious, Kamigan raced to the pond again.
Still 1.2.
He frowned, muttering,
"Maybe she was just weak."
Another thought struck him—the Moonbane Howler he killed last night. He dug through its charred remains until he found another core—purer, stronger.
He didn't hesitate. He consumed it.
The pain came again—sharp and fast—but he grit his teeth and endured.
> [Activate automatic absorption?]
"Yes!" he gasped.
Relief washed through him.
Back to the pond. His reflection rippled—and above his head: 1.5.
A grin cracked his face.
"Looks like it's hunting season."
---
Days blurred into weeks.
Kamigan's strength had plateaued, but he hadn't wasted his time.
In that endless green prison, he observed, he learned, he survived.
He built a crude map from scraps of hide and charcoal—tracing rivers, marking predator zones, sketching the territory of death itself.
Standing in his cave, he stared at the stitched-together map, laughing bitterly.
"Hmm hmm... according to everything I've seen..."
His voice was half-mad, half-wry.
"It's clear... that damn God sent me here to die."
Mocking the god's memory, he sneered:
"I will shield you from that which you are not ready to face..."
Kamigan punched the wall hard enough to draw blood.
"Shield me? Look around! I can barely kill a damn rabbit!"
---
Reviewing his gathered knowledge:
---
The Dominant Forces of the Forest
Moonbane Howlers
Appear only at night.
Weakest: 14. Strongest: 16.2.
("If they see me, I'm dead.")
Carnivorous Plants
Power Level: 7–9.
("Camouflaged death. I've almost died too many times.")
The Final Beast
"I saw it once. Even the Howlers fled from it."
"It is death wearing the skin of a god."
"I have no name for it, only fear."
---
Kamigan sat against the cold stone, head resting against his sword.
The stars wheeled quietly above the forest canopy, oblivious to the struggles below.
"Maybe strength isn't about winning," he muttered to the darkness.
"Maybe it's just... refusing to kneel. Refusing to forget who you are."
He closed his eyes.
Even if the world didn't care if he lived or died—
Even if no one ever remembered him—
Even if he became a whisper lost in endless trees—
Kamigan would endure.
Not because he was strong.
But because he chose to be.
---