Inside the hospital room, Kael sat up on the bed. His body felt significantly lighter and stronger than before.
The chief doctor entered, resting his hands in his coat pockets after crossing his arms. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Kael. "Kael, I have a question for you."
Kael stretched his shoulders slightly. "Go ahead, doctor."
"Are you... working for the underworld?"
Kael let out a small laugh. "Why would you think that?"
The doctor smirked softly. "Because you keep coming back to this hospital with life-threatening injuries. People are starting to whisper that you're connected to some dangerous criminal organization."
Kael shook his head calmly. "No, I don't have any ties to the underworld."
The doctor glanced over at Sara, who was sitting quietly nearby. "So... who is she? Your girlfriend?"
Kael stayed silent, a subtle smile on his lips.
The doctor let out a heavy sigh. "Look, everyone is suspicious. If whatever you're doing keeps getting you hurt like this, either do it less or do it more safely. In the end, all I can do is advise you."
"I understand," Kael nodded politely.
Standing silently in the outer hallway, Mantra listened in on their conversation. A dark smirk played on her lips.
"Don't worry, doctor," she whispered to herself. "Kael won't be coming back to this hospital next time."
She stretched her arms gracefully. "Besides, before I take his head, I think I'll explore this country first."
With a faint whisper of dark mana, her form dissolved into fine black dust and vanished into the breeze.
Over the next few days, Kael was treated properly and recovered under careful supervision. Renjiro handled all the official discharge paperwork.
On their final check-up, the doctor handed over their medical reports. "Kael, your old injuries reopened during that fight, so you must get plenty of rest to fully heal. As for Sara, take care of yourself, but light activities are fine."
Kael smiled and took the reports. "Understood, doctor. Thank you."
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Redgrave Group, Rexon was actively steering the company toward massive profits. To protect Kael's true identity, he operated under the title of the 'Faceless Chairman.'
Inside the grand conference room, Rexon sat at the head of the long table, looking over the executive board.
"So," Rexon began, his voice commanding. "What is the issue with the production of our AI toothbrush line?"
The executives exchanged nervous glances. Finally, the sales manager stood up. "Sir, the primary obstacle is creating an AI sensor that is both micro-sized and capable of handling complex algorithms."
Rexon smirked. "I already anticipated that."
He slapped a large blueprint chart onto the table, revealing a pristine diagram of the micro-sensor. Next to it, he tossed a forty-page manual containing the exact hardware specs and software code.
Rexon stood up, straightening his dark coat. He slammed both palms onto the table. "Take this and have the software and hardware engineering teams verify it immediately!"
The financial advisor and board members scrambled to grab the documents. "Yes, sir!" they shouted, rushing out of the room.
Rexon walked back to the executive office. The door was made of heavy, solid dark oak, making the interior completely private.
When Rexon stepped inside, he found Kael sitting comfortably behind the desk.
Kael grinned. "I saw your presentation. You seemed pretty intense out there."
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the oak door.
Kael didn't hesitate—he quickly ducked and hid underneath the large wooden desk.
Rexon composed himself. "Come in."
The secretary opened the door, a bright smile on her face. "Sir, the engineering team verified the designs! Everything is flawless. We can proceed exactly as planned. Should we prepare for the meeting with our new shareholder?"
Inside Kael's mind, a chorus of ancient souls suddenly shouted in unison:
Souls: "See? Look at our system!"
Rexon kept his tone smooth. "Yes. Get everything ready for the shareholder."
The secretary nodded and stepped out, closing the heavy door.
Kael crawled out from under the desk, brushing off his clothes. He patted Rexon on the shoulder. "Alright, fill me in. What happened while I was in the hospital?"
Rexon explained the recent corporate developments in detail before adding, "I hope you can handle the rest."
"Yeah, I've got it," Kael said. Then, looking at Rexon's facial mask, Kael raised an eyebrow. "By the way... take off that mask."
Rexon sighed and slowly removed the mask.
Beneath the mask, Rexon possessed the exact same face as Kael—the same silver-white hair and striking golden eyes.
"I really am just your double, aren't I?" Rexon murmured, letting out a soft breath. "I look like a complete copy of you."
Kael smiled gently. "You've done a great job."
Rexon put the mask back on. "I have to go meet the new shareholder now."
Kael nodded as Rexon walked out.
Sara: "Kael, you need to cultivate the five souls inside you."
Sara's voice echoed gently inside his mind.
Kael scratched the back of his neck. 'Cultivate? Where should I do that?'
Sara: "Teleport to the rooftop. It's quiet there."
With a ripple of spatial energy, Kael vanished from the office and materialized on the open rooftop of the skyscraper.
He immediately started to sit down in a cross-legged position, but Sara stopped him.
Sara: "Wait! You're just a beginner at this. Don't sit down yet. Stand up straight and focus your mind entirely on inner peace."
Kael stood still in the center of the rooftop and closed his eyes. He cleared his thoughts, seeking absolute calmness.
A radiant golden aura began to seep out from his skin. The energy stretched into thin, glowing threads, wrapping gently around his white hair until it shone like light. The aura began to swirl around his body like a golden serpent before flowing up toward the back of his head, sinking deep into his soul core.
Sara: "Very good. That's enough for your first attempt—don't overdo it."