The air changed.
Kael felt it before the system confirmed it.
A pressure — not overwhelming, not crushing — but sharp. Refined. Controlled.
Not wild like his growth.
Calculated.
[System Alert: Foreign System Signature — Closing Distance Rapidly]
[Estimated Level: 18–22]
[Compatibility: Unknown]
Kael stood still atop the ridge, wind tugging at his coat.
He didn't hide.
If another "player" existed in this world… running would only make him look weak.
A streak of silver light cut across the sky.
It landed twenty meters away.
No explosion.
No dramatic shockwave.
Just precision.
She stepped forward.
Long silver hair moved with the wind like liquid moonlight. Her eyes were pale blue — almost translucent — and calm in a way that made Kael instinctively cautious. She wore fitted white combat robes trimmed in faint metallic threads that glowed subtly with embedded formations.
She wasn't just strong.
She was optimized.
Her gaze swept over him once.
Assessment complete.
"You're the anomaly," she said.
Her voice was cool. Clear. Controlled.
Kael smirked slightly. "And you're the welcoming committee?"
A faint flicker appeared in her eyes.
Amusement?
Or recalculation?
[System Notification: Opponent Identified — Host: Lyra Vale]
[System Name: Celestial Optimization Protocol]
[Primary Function: Perfected Growth Efficiency]
Kael's eyebrows lifted slightly.
Optimization.
So while he grew infinitely…
She grew perfectly.
Interesting.
"You entered the Ruin Temple," Lyra continued. "The Codex activated. My system tracked the energy distortion."
"So you came to stop me?" Kael asked.
She shook her head once.
"No. I came to evaluate whether you are a threat."
Blunt.
Kael liked that.
"Verdict?" he asked casually.
Her system interface flickered faintly in her eyes.
Kael felt it — the silent exchange of calculations.
Then—
She vanished.
Not Shadow Step.
Faster.
Cleaner.
She appeared directly in front of him, palm aimed at his chest.
Kael reacted instantly.
Shadow Step.
Void energy surged.
Their attacks collided mid-air.
A sharp crack split the ground beneath them.
[Strength +10 | Agility +12 | Combat Adaptation +1]
Lyra slid back smoothly, unharmed.
Her expression changed for the first time.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Interest.
"You improve mid-combat," she said quietly.
Kael rolled his shoulders. "You don't?"
She moved again — three strikes in less than a second.
Each one precise.
Minimal wasted motion.
He blocked the first.
Dodged the second.
The third grazed his shoulder.
Pain flared.
[Damage Taken: Moderate]
[Adaptive Defense Triggered]
[Void Manipulation: Level 6]
Shadow energy thickened around him instinctively.
Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly.
"My system predicted a 63% chance you would counter at your previous output."
Kael smiled.
"Your mistake was assuming I have a previous output."
He stepped forward.
Activated Sovereign's Pressure.
The air warped.
Lyra's movement slowed — slightly.
Not as much as the other cultivators.
Her system was compensating.
Fascinating.
She tilted her head faintly.
"So that's your core function."
"And yours," Kael said, feeling the Codex resonate, "is efficiency."
They circled each other.
Not enemies.
Not allies.
Predators measuring predators.
Then her system pulsed visibly.
[Celestial Optimization Protocol: Strategic Conclusion Reached]
She stepped back.
"We are not enemies. Not yet."
Kael didn't lower his guard.
"And when would we be?"
"When our growth trajectories intersect."
A faint smile touched her lips — the first hint of personality breaking through the composure.
"You grow infinitely," she said.
"I grow perfectly."
Her gaze sharpened.
"If left unchecked, one of us will eventually surpass the other."
The wind moved between them again.
No hostility.
Just inevitability.
Kael felt something stir inside him.
Not just competitive instinct.
Excitement.
Finally.
Someone who could keep up.
"Then let's make it interesting," he said. "Temporary alliance?"
Lyra studied him for a long moment.
Then—
"Agreed. Until mutual benefit expires."
A clean answer.
No drama.
No emotional hesitation.
But as she turned slightly, Kael's system flared red.
[Hidden Observation Detected]
[Higher-Tier Entity Monitoring Both Hosts]
Kael's smile faded.
Lyra felt it too.
Their eyes met again.
This time, not as rivals.
But as two system users who just realized something terrifying.
They weren't the top of the food chain.
They were being watched.
And whatever was watching…
Was far stronger.