CHAPTER 902: ALREADY AT THE PEAK...?

Inside a dungeon filled with steam rising from fiery pits, Cassian wiped the sweat from his forehead as he mined wind and fire natural crystals with a tiny pickaxe.

He stood on one end of a dangerously swaying plank balanced atop a rock amid the land filled with pits, while Kyle stood on the other, jaw clenched in frustration after being forcefully dragged there by Ares.

One slight tremor, and they could easily plunge into the searing chasms below.

They couldn’t use their powers inside the dungeon—doing so would trigger a deadly explosion. This was the most dangerous dungeon within the golden guardians clan, saturated with raw wind and fire energy.

Nor could they float, as the wind and scorching updrafts made it difficult to maintain balance or control in the air.

After noticing Ares, both had attempted to escape the clan—only to be captured. That short bastard was very strong, standing at the start of the 6th-stage Celestial Rank.

Yet instead of beating them, Ares noticed the betting going on behind him. To defy everyone’s expectations—and win the bet—he didn’t lay a finger on them. Instead, the clan leader dragged them to this dungeon and ordered them to mine crystals for two months as punishment for destroying one of the clan’s most treasured mountains.

"He’s strong."

Kyle muttered under his breath, his gaze sharp as he grabbed a fire natural crystal.

Instead of tossing it into the box behind him, he absorbed it. It wasn’t like anyone was watching—he could just use them.

"However, not for long... Just a bit more, just a bit, and I will be stronger than him."

Cassian shook his head. Kyle had grown incredibly powerful in a short time, yet he still wasn’t satisfied. What a greedy jerk.

Still, nature seemed to be on his side, helping him get whatever he wanted.

The nature that now seemed to despise Cassian—just because he had chosen the path of darkness. Well, if nature had truly wanted his loyalty, then it should’ve come to save him when he needed it most. But instead, it simply watched him suffer.

He felt the plank under him shake.

"Quit moving. I don’t want to fall."

Kyle raised a brow and then jumped.

The scorching updrafts made floating difficult, but he could still manage it—he was powerful enough, after all. The only one truly at risk of falling was Cassian.

A vein bulged on Cassian’s forehead.

"You itching for a fight, hah? Just say it directly—why all this petty nonsense?"

Kyle hummed in response.

"You sure you want to fight?"

Silence.

That was all he got—and he chuckled.

Cassian was clearly weaker than him.

His consciousness still needed time to recover, and honestly, if it came down to a fight, the outcome was already decided.

Kyle would win—rather easily, at that.

Cassian changed the topic.

"Anyway, you are at the start of the 4th stage of the Celestial rank, right?"

"No. I’ve already reached the peak—after absorbing half of the Voidspawn core and gaining the dark, murky hue of the natural law of death in my Celestial Lake."

Cassian blinked in surprise. He had also grasped the Law of Death alongside Kyle—but only just the edge. It hadn’t granted his Celestial Lake a new hue; it was merely the first step, and it would take years before he gained enough knowledge to truly rule it.

He knew Kyle was favored by nature, but wasn’t this difference a bit too unfair??

If the Rulers got wind of it, they’d place a bounty on Kyle’s head without hesitation—determined to eliminate him at all costs.

"Already at the peak...?"

He muttered, then began to lecture.

"Don’t you think your progress is way too fast? What if your physique and soul rank can’t keep up? That way, your foundation will be very weak and unstable—and you’ll end up losing to others at the same level."

Kyle just laughed at his words, his focus drifting to the frozen words forming in his mind space just as he willed—an ability he had forced the old Celestials of the clan to teach him after thoroughly beating them.

Those frozen words accurately displayed his overall power by absorbing the natural energy within his body. They served as the perfect replacement for the stats image that could no longer gauge his strength.

Now, he didn’t have to worry about misjudging his own rank or strength.

_______

Race: Celestial

Bloodline: Celestial (5th stage)

Soul Rank: Celestial (5th stage)

Rank: Celestial (4th stage)

Stats:

Strength: Celestial (4th stage)

Natural Energy: Celestial (5th stage)

Agility: Celestial (4th stage)

Physique Rank: Celestial (4th stage)

Luck: SSS+

________

The words didn’t show his skills—only his physical power, race, bloodline power, and his body’s capacity to absorb and contain natural energy by analyzing his body.

Still, it was more than enough. After all, he didn’t need anything to measure the power of his skills—the insight and knowledge he gained upon advancing them were enough to tell him how powerful they’d become.

Getting no response from Kyle, Cassian frowned and turned to face his back.

"Do you understand the importance of a solid foundation? Your body’s endurance? Or do you really plan to charge into battle one day and flee because your body can’t handle the weight of the power you wield?"

Kyle rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"What if I told you... my physique and soul rank have always matched—or surpassed—my overall rank? I made sure of it once I understood how crucial they really are."

He absorbed another natural crystal.

"Though I guess half the credit goes to my essence—every single time it forms a new body for me, it’s stronger than the last."

His words silenced Cassian, who let out a bitter smile. They had both been granted a Celestial symbol by nature before reaching the peak of the Celestial rank, yet the gap between them felt impossible to bridge.

Why?

Because one had never surrendered to darkness while the other had embraced it?

No, that wasn’t it.

That wasn’t the reason.

Cassian knew—Kyle was just different.

Special. Unique. It wasn’t just because nature favored him. It was his strength, his willpower, and his stubborn refusal to ever admit defeat—even in the face of death.

And that was why the very fabric of reality had chosen him before he could even begin to discover what he was meant to become.

Really.