CHAPTER 217: GATHERING OF THE STRONGEST (1)

The last System notification faded from Adrian’s vision, leaving him in the silence of the white chamber as he processed his upgrade.

This time, Adrian didn’t experience an exaggerated, overwhelming increase in his vision and perception.

The change was more primal. He could feel the strength pulsing through his muscles and veins, a deep. It was as if his entire physical form had been reforged from a stronger, more perfect material. He felt stronger than ever before.

Curious, he called up his status panel.

[TECHCORE SYSTEM – STATUS PANEL]

Knight: ★ TRANSCENDENT

Mana: 0%

Name: Adrian | Age: 11

System Level: 20 | EXP: 1% | TP: 3,830,500

[Stats: Speed - 5000 | Strength - 5,500 | Constitution - 5300]

[Inventions Created: 52]

As expected, his base stats had skyrocketed, and this was even without the enhancement of the Power Suit. But Adrian knew that wasn’t the best part. The most profound change was in his perception of mana.

If before he was able to see the faint, shimmering tendrils of energy in the world, they were now made brilliantly clear.

He could see more of them, tracing their intricate paths as they flowed through the very fabric of the pocket dimension. Adrian was sure that others, even Mages, couldn’t see mana in this way. He could only wonder if this was a unique boon of his evolution.

’I should test my new strength,’ he thought. ’I’ll see how much it has truly improved.’

Just as he stood up in a bid to head to the Simulation Chamber, a series of urgent notifications from the System interrupted him.

[Alert: User has achieved a stable state.]

[Progressive state evolution is now complete. Bonus Factory access time is hereby forfeited.]

[Ejecting user from Factory space in 3... 2... 1...]

Adrian was surprised, his mind barely having time to process the sudden alert. Before he could come to terms with what was happening, the familiar sensation of the world dissolving into white light washed over him, and he was out of the Factory.

He reappeared on the bed in his private chambers, the world outside bathed in midday sun. More notifications immediately filled his vision.

[User has overstayed the designated access time. The System detected the user was undergoing a critical, non-interruptible evolution and granted a temporary stay.]

[As a penalty for violating the cooldown protocol, access to the System Factory is now restricted.]

Factory Access Cooldown: [15 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes]

Adrian winced after seeing the long cooldown. "Damn," he muttered to himself. "How long did I spend in there?"

During his initial period of cultivation, he had been careful, ensuring he returned to reality whenever the one-hour Factory cooldown kicked off. But he had spent a long, unbroken stretch of time attempting the breakthrough and undergoing the final, agonizing evolution.

He quickly found the date through his status panel, and his eyes went wide in surprise.

Three weeks. He had been in seclusion for three whole weeks. He was disappointed in the time lost, but what was truly surprising was the coincidence of the date. It was the exact day he had scheduled the Grand Summit for.

He focused his will, reaching out through the mind link to his most helpful subordinate. ’Charles. It’s done. Is the Summit ready?’

The response was a wave of unadulterated relief that washed over their mental connection.

’Boss! By the Goddess, you’re back! Perfect timing. The leaders are all assembled in the Grand Hall in New Haven. They’re getting... restless. The two former kings, in particular, are causing some friction with the Elven delegation. We’ve been trying to stall, but they were about to demand a formal explanation for your absence.’

A calm, confident smile formed on Adrian’s face. ’Good. Let’s not keep them waiting.’

He walked out onto his balcony and looked down at the capital. He didn’t need his Power Suit to make an entrance anymore. He simply stepped off the edge of the balcony.

Instead of falling, his body, infused with superior mana, caught the air. He filled his body with a controlled stream of mana and descended gently, a graceful, silent flight.

It was one of the nuances of transcendence that Damien had explained to him. Although he was far slower than when he soared through the air with the Suit, it felt good, natural, to move through the sky under his own power.

As he flew, he established another mind link, this one with the Elven princess. ’Nyra. How are things going?’

Her surprised, worried thoughts came back to him instantly. ’Adrian! You’re back! Are you... did you finally break through?’

’Yes,’ he replied. ’But that’s not what this is about. Meet me at the Grand Hall. You know where that is, right?’

He could feel a weak sense of a nod through the link. ’I do. But is there a problem?’

Adrian didn’t bother to keep it vague. ’You wanted to know why those creatures attacked your Kingdom. You’ll find out what’s really at stake there.’

He could feel a buzz of excitement across the link after he cut it off.

A minute later, Adrian arrived at the Grand Hall. It was a massive, beautiful chamber.

But the beauty of the room was currently soured by a tense, argumentative atmosphere.

Lord Damien sat on one side of the great rectangular table, his expression one of deep, grumbling dissatisfaction, not at the event, but at the bickering races he was forced to share the room with.

Across from him, the High Elves, led by Loryn, had their usual serene composure completely destroyed by frustration.

And opposite them, the two former human kings were bickering. Varyn and Mara stood to the side, trying and failing to mediate.

"...an insult to our heritage!" King Alaric was saying with a haughty tone. "When we agreed to join this ’Alliance,’ we believed we were unifying the strength of humanity. We were not told we would be lowering ourselves to share council with lesser races!"

Vamir’s eyes flashed with a cold fire. "Lesser races, human?" he retorted in a dangerously quiet voice. "My people were weaving magic that could shape mountains when your ancestors were still learning to build mud huts. Do not mistake our patience for weakness."

It was into this petty, chaotic squabble that Adrian descended. He didn’t make a sound, landing in the center of the hall, his feet touching the marble floor as softly as a falling leaf.

But the shift in the room’s energy, the sudden, overwhelming pressure of his aura was enough to instantly silence every voice.

All eyes turned to him. They saw not the unassuming young boy, but a being radiating a calm, absolute power that rooted them to their seats.

His blue eyes swept across the room.

"It seems that I have returned just in time."