The forest stretched endlessly.
Ancient trees towered high above, their massive branches blocking most of the sunlight. The deeper Kael traveled north, the quieter the world became.
Too quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
No ordinary sounds of nature.
Only wind.
And the faint crunch of leaves beneath his footsteps.
⸻
Kael walked calmly along the narrow trail.
But internally—
His senses remained fully active.
Ever since noticing the hidden watcher earlier, he had kept his Origin Sense expanded constantly.
The feeling never disappeared.
Someone was following him.
Not openly.
Not recklessly.
Carefully.
Patiently.
⸻
Kael suddenly stopped beside a massive tree.
Silence filled the forest.
Then he spoke calmly.
"You've been watching long enough."
No response came immediately.
The wind moved softly through the branches overhead.
Then—
A voice echoed from the shadows.
"…Your perception is troublesome."
Darkness shifted between the trees.
A cloaked figure stepped forward slowly.
Then another.
And another.
Three in total.
All wearing dark robes marked with faint violet symbols.
Void followers.
⸻
Kael studied them silently.
Their presence wasn't as overwhelming as the previous Void cultivator.
But they were dangerous.
Disciplined.
And unlike normal enemies—
Their energy felt unnatural.
Distorted.
⸻
One of them tilted his head slightly.
"So this is the Origin Bearer."
Kael's expression didn't change.
"You talk too much."
The cloaked figure laughed softly.
"Calm even now."
His eyes glowed faint violet beneath the hood.
"I wonder if you'll stay calm after we bring your corpse back."
Kael answered simply.
"Try."
⸻
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Killing intent spread through the forest.
The three Void followers separated without warning, moving silently through the trees.
Fast.
Coordinated.
Kael remained still.
His breathing slowed.
Steady.
Focused.
⸻
The first attack came from behind.
Void energy surged silently toward his neck.
Kael moved at the exact moment it appeared.
Origin Flash.
Golden light flickered.
The strike missed.
Kael appeared beside the attacker instantly and countered with a palm strike.
Origin Pulse.
BOOM!
The Void follower blocked—
But was still blasted backward into a tree.
The trunk cracked violently from the impact.
⸻
Before Kael could follow up—
The second enemy attacked from above.
Dark chains formed from void energy descended rapidly, twisting through the air unnaturally.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
Instead of dodging backward—
He stepped forward.
Directly into the attack's blind point.
The chains missed narrowly.
Kael struck upward.
Golden energy exploded.
The second attacker was forced away.
⸻
But the third enemy had already moved.
A black blade emerged silently from the shadows—
Aimed directly at Kael's chest.
Too close.
Too sudden.
Kael reacted instantly.
Not with speed.
With instinct.
His Origin Perception activated deeply.
Time seemed to slow slightly.
Not truly slowing—
But his understanding sharpening.
He saw the movement.
The angle.
The intention.
Kael shifted slightly.
The blade barely missed his heart, cutting across his side instead.
Pain spread instantly.
But Kael ignored it.
His hand shot forward.
And grabbed the attacker's wrist.
The Void follower's eyes widened.
Kael spoke quietly.
"Got you."
Golden energy erupted directly into the man's arm.
BOOM!
The attacker was blasted backward violently.
⸻
The forest shook from the repeated impacts.
Leaves scattered everywhere.
The three Void followers regrouped quickly, their expressions now serious.
One of them wiped blood from his mouth slowly.
"…He's adapting again."
Another nodded coldly.
"That monster from Black Ridge wasn't exaggerating."
Kael stood silently opposite them.
Blood dripped slowly from the cut on his side.
But his aura remained stable.
Steady.
Dangerous.
⸻
The Origin Core pulsed.
Not violently this time.
Smoothly.
Naturally.
Kael noticed it immediately.
His control—
Was improving.
During every battle—
His understanding deepened.
Not through training.
Through survival.
⸻
The Void followers suddenly moved together.
This time—
Perfect synchronization.
Darkness spread across the forest floor as they attacked from three directions simultaneously.
Kael inhaled slowly.
Then closed his eyes.
For a single moment.
The world became quiet.
He felt everything.
Movement.
Energy.
Intent.
The flow before action.
⸻
His eyes opened.
Golden light flashed within them.
Kael moved.
Not wildly.
Not explosively.
But perfectly.
He stepped between the attacks with unnatural precision, avoiding each strike by the smallest possible distance.
The Void followers' expressions changed instantly.
Shock.
Because Kael looked like he was walking through still water.
Untouchable.
⸻
Kael appeared before the first enemy.
Strike.
BOOM!
The man crashed backward.
Second enemy.
Turn.
Palm.
Explosion.
The third tried retreating—
Too late.
Kael intercepted instantly.
Golden energy erupted again.
The forest exploded with light.
⸻
Moments later—
Silence returned.
Broken trees surrounded the battlefield.
The three Void followers lay defeated across the shattered ground.
Still alive.
Barely.
Kael stood at the center, breathing slightly heavier now.
But calm.
Controlled.
⸻
One of the Void followers looked up weakly.
"…Why…"
Kael stared at him silently.
The man coughed dark blood.
"You're evolving too fast…"
Kael's gaze remained cold.
"Then stop chasing me."
The man laughed weakly.
"You still don't understand…"
His violet eyes darkened.
"This isn't hunting anymore…"
His smile widened slightly.
"…It's awakening."
Before Kael could question further—
The man's body suddenly collapsed into black ash.
Then the others followed.
Gone.
Erased completely.
Kael frowned slightly.
No corpses remained.
Only traces of fading void energy.
⸻
The forest became silent once more.
Kael looked down at his hand slowly.
Golden energy flickered faintly around his fingers.
More stable than before.
More refined.
And deep inside—
The Origin Core pulsed stronger than ever.
As if something within him—
Was slowly approaching another threshold.