CHAPTER 239: GROWING STRONGER

After spending a little more time in Maruun’s shop, using the opportunity to deepen the ties between the Velari and Aqualeth races, Adyr eventually left and began to wander through the marketplace.

Of various races, practitioners of all kinds filled the area. Most weren’t as powerful as the Umbraens, but a few hailed from kingdoms that could rival them.

Among them, he unexpectedly encountered someone familiar—Thalira Luna of the Lunari Kingdom.

With the signature silver hair and eyes of her race, she moved through the crowd with a dominant presence, openly evaluating everyone with a cold, threatening gaze. Her guards followed silently a few steps behind, their disciplined posture and alert eyes reinforcing the aura of authority around her. It felt like she ruled this section of the market.

From Adyr’s observations, this woman—a practitioner on the Ignis Path—seemed stronger than Kharom. More importantly, she appeared far better equipped.

This time, as Adyr watched her carefully, Luna seemed to notice. She turned her glowing silver eyes toward him, locking onto his gaze.

Her sudden focus did not go unnoticed by her guards. The moment their mistress’s attention shifted, they too turned, frowning, their expressions sharp with unspoken threat.

Wow. Definitely not the kind to provoke, Adyr thought, smiling without averting his gaze.

Luna was still a young Rank 2 practitioner, but it was immediately obvious that each of her guards was at least Rank 3.

In fact, for a brief moment, Adyr felt a strange electric tingle run through his body, like unseen eyes were piercing into his very being from somewhere nearby.

Is there a Rank 4 watching from the shadows? The mere thought was enough to make him glance away.

Rank 4 currently represented the pinnacle of power in this region. Deploying someone of that level just to guard a Rank 2 like Luna made one thing crystal clear—her importance within her kingdom, and even more, the sheer strength of the Lunari Kingdom itself.

By contrast, in the Velari Kingdom, the only confirmed Rank 4 was Liora Virell. And among Rank 3s, there were only Lucen and Mirela.

The difference in power between the two kingdoms... was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Adyr decided he had seen enough. There was no reason to stay and attract more attention, so he quietly left the market grounds.

—

"Is that the man said to be in conflict with Kharom?" Luna asked coldly, watching Adyr’s silhouette fade into the crowd.

"Yes, miss. According to the reports, he is a newly emerged Velari practitioner," one of the guards following closely behind approached and said respectfully.

"Newly emerged? He doesn’t look like someone who just recently became a practitioner." Luna looked briefly taken aback, but kept the cold, expressionless look on her face.

Just by looking at Adyr, she could clearly tell from his posture, gaze, and the aura he radiated that he was no ordinary man.

"Do you want us to take care of him?" the same guard asked, his voice calm but with a threatening coldness beneath it.

Luna paused for a moment, then turned her head and continued walking while saying, "No. The atmosphere is already tense. Avoid any actions that could provoke conflict."

"Yes, miss." The guards bowed their heads one by one, accepted the order, and continued to follow closely and respectfully.

—

Adyr flew through the sky at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, his wings beating with calm control. He looked as if he were simply enjoying the view of the world below while steadily approaching the Velari Kingdom.

Outwardly, he seemed completely at ease, but his mind was flooded with thoughts.

Rank 4 practitioners are troublesome.

Back when he was observing Thalira Luna, the oppressive presence he had felt above him didn’t vanish even after he left the market area. It had only just now begun to fade.

The worst part was the feeling of being watched—he could sense someone observing him, yet he couldn’t determine who it was or where they were. That alone was proof enough. Even though he had surpassed the average Rank 2 practitioner and reached the Rank 3 power scale, the difference between him and a Rank 4 was still vast.

The momentary feeling of powerlessness hadn’t completely shaken him, but it had left a faint sense of unease. To push it aside, he opened his system logs and found the level-up recognition messages for his two bloodline talents.

[Talent Recognition: "Sword Art of Existence (Lv2) (Genesis)" confirmed.]

- Wielding life in one hand, swinging death with the other, you are the judge of worth, the lawgiver of existence.

- Proceed with registration to the Status Panel?

- Cost: 800 Energy

- Rewards: 160 Free Stat Points

[Talent Recognition: "[Maleficent Architect (Lv2)] (Genesis)" confirmed.]

- With creation in your grasp and annihilation at your call, you shape the world not as a servant, but as its final architect, passing judgment with every breath you grant or erase.

- Proceed with registration to the Status Panel?

- Cost:

800 Energy

- Rewards: 160 Free Stat Points

He instantly burned crystals worth 1600 energy and confirmed both talents.

As he watched his [Free Stat Points] rise from 0 to 320 on the system panel, he felt a small but noticeable sense of relief.

Considering that the total of all four of his stats had only reached 520 up until now, this was an exceptional power boost—an increase of more than 60 percent in raw strength.

If he allocated all these free stats to [Will] and [Resilience], the gain would be even greater. That was because his two Sparks, Cragfin Sentinel and Emberdart Minnow, provided a 30% bonus to their corresponding stats, making each point invested significantly more efficient.

After doing the math, Adyr decided to assign 120 points to [Resilience], raising it from 85 to 205. As for the remaining 200, he chose to hold onto them for now, intending to distribute them more strategically when the need arose.

Normally, increases to his other stats brought noticeable physical or mental sensations, while [Resilience] had always been more muted—barely perceptible at best. But this time, as Adyr grew stronger, even that subtle shift became more apparent. He could feel the comforting, almost exotic sensation of his growth with unusual clarity.

He could feel every cell in his body becoming more stable, more solid—as if his entire form was being reinforced from within. As he continued flying through the air, it felt like his skin no longer yielded to the wind but pushed against it.

[Resilience] had always represented more than just physical toughness. It was the quiet strength that held the body together under pressure, the mental anchor that resisted fear, pain, and collapse. Now, as the stat increased, he could sense those changes not only in how his body reacted to the world, but also in how his mind endured it. The air felt thinner, the strain lighter, and his center—both physical and mental—more grounded than ever.

"I feel safer now," Adyr muttered as he beat his wings and picked up speed.

Rank 4 practitioners were powerful, wielding abilities that defied logic—but Adyr was evolving at a pace that was just as unreal. And now, with his overall defenses significantly boosted, a subtle illusion began to take root.

Defeating one was still far beyond his reach, but he was beginning to believe that he could at least survive an encounter with an untitled Rank 4 practitioner.