Start of Volume 4: Wandering Sword Sect
Mikael slowly stirred awake, multiple warm and soft bodies surrounding him. He lazily opened one eye, taking in the sight: a naked Amelia hugging his left side, a naked Lyra curled against his right, and a naked Kiara lying peacefully on top of him, her head resting gently on his chest, her expression serene.
Three years ago, waking up to such a scene—these three breathtaking women clinging to him so calmly after a night of shared passion—would have been, if not outright shocking, at the very least surprising. While they hadn't been particularly possessive of him except for Kiara, the idea of not being alone with him during intimate moments had still made them somewhat uncomfortable, especially a certain blue-haired yandere.
But now, after three years of living together, fighting alongside one another, spending countless hours in each other's company and learning to understand one another, they had grown closer than ever. The girls no longer minded that their moments of intimacy with Mikael were shared in each other's presence.
Mikael closed the eye he had just lazily opened and let his body melt into the comfort of the mattress, allowing himself to fully relax. He knew all too well that today would be a demanding and exhausting one, so while he still had the chance, he simply wanted to enjoy the peaceful presence of the three women he loved and let himself rest.
Little by little, his thoughts began to blur, until sleep gently reclaimed him once more.
***
The darkness around his mind gradually receded as he felt the soft touch of lips pressing lightly against his own. Slowly, he opened his eyelids, his gaze meeting the dark blue eyes of Kiara as she kissed him awake.
With one final flick of their tongues, they parted. Kiara leaned back.
"Good morning to you too," said Mikael with a soft yawn.
"Good morning," she replied, offering him a joyful smile. "Today is the day!"
Mikael gave a slow nod. "Nervous?"
"Honestly, a little... but we've prepared so much for this, so I really think it'll go well." She paused briefly, her blue eyes wandering across Mikael's muscular, naked torso. She gulped before continuing, "But even if it doesn't go well... we did our best. So we'll just deal with whatever problems come our way, one step at a time."
Before Mikael could respond, Amelia stirred beside them. Having been roused by their conversation, she mumbled sleepily, "It's true we made a lot of preparations. At this point, all we can do is hope for the best—and prepare for the worst."
"I really hope the pills I made will be good enough…" murmured a now-awake Lyra, uncertainty lacing her voice.
Kiara, full of energy and optimism, quickly waved away her concerns. "Don't worry! After all the time and effort you've put into studying and learning alchemy these past few years, your skill is top-notch now. I'm sure they'll work exactly the way you intended and won't be seen through."
"I hope so…" Lyra whispered, her voice tinged with a little more confidence.
After that brief moment of quiet reassurance, the four of them slowly got up and began dressing. Once ready, they made their way to the kitchen to grab something to eat for breakfast. However, Amelia—who was supposed to cook that morning—was feeling rather lazy and, instead, asked with a playful tone, "Is it okay if I just buy something instead of cooking today?"
The others didn't really object, and after a few light-hearted complaints that were more teasing than serious, Amelia used the system store to buy some toast generously spread with jam for everyone.
With breakfast in hand, the four of them settled comfortably onto the couch and loveseats in the living room. They ate while chatting casually, laughter occasionally filling the room, though a subtle undercurrent of tension lingered in the air—each of them aware that today was a turning point.
As the conversation carried on, Kiara noticed Mikael had finished eating but seemed distant, his gaze fixed on something invisible in the air. Curious, she asked, "What are you doing? Checking the system?"
Mikael nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "Yeah, just going over my status window and my storage ring one last time… making sure I didn't forget anything and that everything's in place."
"Makes sense. I think I'll do the same," Kiara responded, which prompted Lyra and Amelia to open their own status windows to double-check that they hadn't missed anything either.
Meanwhile, Mikael continued scanning through his status, and compared to where he had been three years ago, the difference was staggering.
[Name: Mikael Angelini
Race: Human (Dirarnia World Genius Variation)
Lifespan: 22/95 → 25/200
Overall Power: Tier 2
Military Rank: Private First Class(Rank 2) 130/600 MP → Corporal(Rank 3) 2K/10K
Global Level Tier 2 Race: 4/100 → 100/100
Experience: 800K/2.5M XP → 2.5M/2.5M XP
Class: Hunter(Aedris) → Mage
Level: 15/50 → 100/100
Experience: 0K/100K XP → 21.5M/21.5M XP
(Click to expand to see the list of maxed class)
Stats:
Strength: 705 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Agility: 785 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Endurance: 770 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Vitality: 870 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Perception: 995 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Intelligence: 597 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Spirit: 589 → 2K(Absolute Limits)
Energy:
Aura (Dirarnia World): D- 524/524 → SSS+ 50K/50K
Mana (Dirarnia World): D- 633/633 → SSS+ 50K/50K
Mental Force (Myrrakar World): Perfection
Vitalis (Zarvital World): Perfect Human
Anima (Eidorym World): Ascendant Realm
Active Skills:
Weighless Wind-Explosive Style(Legendary) - Tier 1, Level 2 → Weighless Wind-Explosive Style(Legendary) - Tier 2, Level 5
…+23 Skills
Active/Passive Skills:
Body Refining Technique(Uncommon) - Tier 0, Level 3 → Body Refinement(Rare) - Tier 1, Level 5
Chained Sword Style(Rare) - Tier 1, Level 4 → Elemental Sword Style(Legendary) - Tier 2, Level 5
Aura Threads Creation and Manipulation(Uncommon) - Tier 1, Level 4 → Energy Threads Creation and Manipulation(Rare) - Tier 2, Level 5
Mobile Meditation(Uncommon) - Tier 1, Level 3 → Accelerated Recovery(Rare) - Tier 2, Level 5
…+61 Skills
Passive Skills:
Unarmed Martial Arts Mastery(Common): Tier 0, Level 5 → Martial Arts Master(Rare) Tier 1, Level 5
6th Sense(Uncommon): Tier 0, Level 5 → Supernatural 6th Sense(Epic) - Tier 1, Level 5
…+38 Skills
Life Points (LP): 13640 → 545 800]
He took a moment to carefully examine his status window, and when comparing it to what it had been three years ago, the difference wasn't just significant—it was absolutely immense. In fact, it was nearly impossible to quantify. The Mikael of today and the Mikael from three years prior couldn't even be placed on the same scale. They had become two entirely different beings. The gap between them was simply staggering.
His gaze slowly drifted down the information until it stopped at the lifespan section.
[Lifespan: 22/95 → 25/200]
'The lifespan looks good. Going from 22 to 25 makes perfect sense, considering I've aged three years. As for the new total of 200 years, that's also solid. It aligns with what's normally achievable by making efficient use of the various worlds linked to the Akashic Records, without stepping into the Spiritual Foundation Realm.'
'Of course, there are exceptions—like Kiara's Personal AI race, which has an incredibly long lifespan—but I haven't found any viable way to push mine beyond 200 years without negative side effects. So, no point. Not worth it, especially considering that lifespan isn't exactly a top priority right now.'
After that brief internal reflection on his improved longevity, he returned to scanning the rest of his status window.
'My military rank increased by one level, reaching Corporal (Rank 3) with a progress of 2K/10K. That's a nice upgrade. And the benefits that come with it aren't bad at all.'
[New benefits unlocked:
– Increased authority within the Records.
– 10% reduction on all purchases made through the Records.
– Monthly Records maintenance fee removed. It's now possible to continue using the Records without sacrificing a year's lifespan each months and all that without a fee.
– Option to regain lost lifespan at a cost of 10K LP per lost year.]
'Honestly, those benefits were better than what I had anticipated at this stage. It's all positive for me. Especially the maintenance fee removal—being able to stay connected to the Records without bleeding LP each month is a huge plus. I expected I'd still have to pay something, but this way I ended up saving LP instead.'
He continued to review the changes that had appeared in his status window.
'The Global Level boost is tied to the number of enemies I've defeated, so there's not much to say there. Same goes for the class level. But what does stand out is the number of maxed out class.'
"Records, show me my maxed class," he mentally commanded.
[Maxed Class
Tier 0: Martial Artist, Swordsman, Builder, Fitness Enthusiast, Sprinter, +8
Tier 1: Sword Master, Neophyte Mage, Newbie Array User, Apprentice Warrior, Hunter (Aedris), Hunter, Martial Master, +147
Tier 2: Mage, Array User, Warrior, Aura Master, Mana Master, Mental Force Master, Vitalis Master, Animas Master, +34]
'My Maxed Class list is looking solid, especially with the number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 classes I've completed across various fields. With these in hand, I have everything required to push all of my talents up to level 5. So, on that front, I'm perfectly covered.'
His gaze then moved down to the stat section of his status window.
[Stats:
Strength: 705 → 2K (Absolute Limits)
Agility: 785 → 2K (Absolute Limits)
Endurance: 770 → 2K (Absolute Limits)
Vitality: 870 → 2K (Absolute Limits)
Perception: 995 → 2K (Absolute Limits)
Intelligence: 597 → 2K (Absolute Limits)
Spirit: 589 → 2K (Absolute Limits)]
'I've reached the Absolute Limits for every single one of my stats, which is definitely nice to see... but I'm not going to overhype it. Honestly, this part of my growth was by far the easiest. I managed to max out every stat without even focusing on them directly—just by leveling up my classes consistently. In the end, it felt more like a convenient "bonus" than a true accomplishment.'
'That said, there is something notable about the stats, and it relates to Vitality. Once it crossed the 1,000 threshold, I gained two things–
[Self-Sustenance
Type: Trait
Description: This trait is automatically acquired when the Vitality stat reaches 1,000. It allows the individual to become entirely self-sustaining, meaning they can continue existing without relying on any external biological input.
The need for food, water, sleep, oxygen, and all other basic physiological functions becomes completely optional. While these actions can still be performed if desired—for enjoyment or ritual—they are no longer necessary for survival.
Note: The effects of this trait closely resemble the benefits obtained upon reaching the Spiritual Foundation Realm, which may lead some to believe it becomes redundant afterward. However, that assumption is incorrect. Within the Spiritual Foundation Realm, the body is sustained by an internal flow of Qi. If that Qi is sealed, disrupted, or crippled, the individual will once again require basic biological needs to survive.
In contrast, Self-Sustenance does not depend on any external or internal energy source. It allows the body to maintain itself indefinitely and autonomously, regardless of outside conditions or cultivation status.]
[Partial Body Control
Type: Trait
Description: This trait is obtained once one's Vitality stat reaches 1,000. It grants the user significantly enhanced control over their own physical form. With it, one can regulate or completely halt natural biological processes such as hair or nail growth. It also allows precise voluntary control over muscle groups that are normally inaccessible or involuntary, offering a far more refined mastery over the body.]
Author Note:
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