Kall sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind still buzzing from the rush of information Sage Voice had given him the night before. The walls of the room were silent and still, yet he could feel an undercurrent—like the whole place was quietly alive.
He took a slow breath. "Sage Voice," he said at last, "show me my status."
A faint chime echoed in his head, followed by a series of crisp, almost metallic words:
> STATUS
Name – Kall
Age – 9
Power – 0
Mana – 0
Speed – 1
Skills – Sage, Consume
Sub-skill – Spirit Eye
Passive skills – None
Kall stared at the empty numbers. It was one thing to feel useless—another to see it written so plainly, like the universe had stamped "weak" into his very existence.
"Explain the Consume skill and the Sage skill," he demanded.
The voice responded without hesitation, as though reading from an infinite library:
> "Sage is a supreme skill—a gift from the Supreme Being. It contains complete knowledge of both minor and major aspects of this world. When fully and permanently activated, it requires one magicule per second to maintain. Sage evolves as you do, unlocking greater analytical, predictive, and strategic capabilities with each stage."
> "Consume is a high-ranking skill. It allows you to take your opponent's bloodline, skills, stamina, power, speed, bone marrow—and make them your own. To use it, you must defeat your target. The evolved version of this skill is known as Gluttony. Its sub-skill is Spirit Eye, which allows you to see mana and magicules with your bare eyes, as well as the status of others."
Kall's lips curled into a slow smile. The kind of smile that meant trouble for someone, someday.
"Spirit Eye," he commanded.
A new window formed in his mind, accompanied by a soft, resonant tone:
> Are you willing to activate this sub-skill?
"Yes," he answered instantly.
The change was immediate.
It began as a spark, then spread into a blaze—fire roaring behind his eyes, so hot it felt like his skull might split. His fingers dug into the sheets, his teeth clenched, but he didn't scream. He wouldn't give the world the satisfaction.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the burning stopped. His eyes fluttered open.
And everything was different.
The room wasn't just a room anymore. Thin green lines ran like threads across the walls and floor, weaving through the air in twisting, living patterns. They pulsed faintly, like veins carrying some invisible lifeblood.
Is that… mana lines?
> "Yes," Sage Voice confirmed.
Kall's heart beat faster. "How do I absorb it?"
> "Extend your hand toward the target and say the word 'Consume.'"
Kall's arm shot out. "Consume!"
A white, spiraling funnel burst from his palm—no larger than his hand but swirling with incredible force. The mana lines bent and unraveled into the vortex, their glow vanishing into him.
> "Level up. Level 0 → Level 1. Mana capacity: 46%."
Kall grinned. "Good. Now… I have to find magicules."
He turned, scanning the air. That's when he saw them—tiny spheres drifting lazily like dandelion seeds. Most were a soft, glowing blue. But one was different: a large crimson orb, its surface swirling with darker currents.
What are these?
> "The blue ones are magicules. The red one is a spirit, which will fragment into magicules upon being consumed."
Kall's grin widened. "Then I'll take them all."
He raised his hand again. "Consume!"
The tornado leapt from his palm once more, pulling the blue orbs into his body. When it reached the red one, there was resistance—like trying to pull a tree from the ground. But he pushed harder, his mind screaming:
I won't be a loser again. Not here. Not like on Earth.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recalled a memory from Kall's lineage—an ancient voice, an ancestor's words: If one can reach the Heroic stage, the path to other worlds may open.
If there was even a chance that was true, he had to try.
The red orb shattered into light, flooding into him.
> "Level up. Level up. Level up."
He felt his body hum with new energy, his heartbeat steady but stronger.
I've actually reached Level 4 already, he thought. That means I'm now at the fourth stage of the Beginning rank.
In this world, every person was measured through Calculating Status—a universal ranking system with ten great realms:
1. Beginning
2. Spiritual
3. Guardian
4. Spiritual Warrior
5. King
6. Lord
7. Emperor
8. Heroic
9. Legend
10. God
Each realm had twenty internal stages. And right now, Kall had just climbed four steps on the very first rung.
---
He wasn't alone.
By the door, a palace guard had been standing silently the entire time. The man had watched Kall extend his hand, summon a swirling white vortex, and devour invisible energy from the very air. His eyes had narrowed, but he said nothing.
Powerful warriors in this world could see the status of those weaker than themselves, and the guard had witnessed every jump in Kall's level.
Kall noticed the watchful presence but pretended not to care. Instead, he rubbed his eyes, feigning exhaustion. "I'll rest now," he said casually. "Leave me."
The guard bowed, his face neutral. "As you wish, Fourth Prince."
But the moment he stepped outside, his composure cracked. He strode quickly down the corridor until he met another guard.
"I must see the king," he said, voice low but urgent.
The other guard frowned. "Why? What's happened?"
The first guard glanced around, making sure no one was listening. "The Fourth Prince… has changed. He has awakened something. The king must know."
And without another word, he was gone.
---
Inside the room, Kall lay back, hands folded behind his head. His eyes traced the green mana lines lazily, but his mind was sharp and calculating.
He had only two weeks until the dungeon trial. Two weeks until he'd be thrown into a place where monsters waited in the dark, where the weak were devoured.
And now, for the first time, he wasn't entirely helpless.
But power—he knew—wasn't just about skills and numbers. In this palace, politics were sharper than any blade. And someone had already tried to kill Kall once.
They wouldn't hesitate to try again.