7 Chapter 7

The long night passed quickly and the rays of the sun finally appeared and penetrated the window, hitting Acht straight in the face.

He slept quite well throughout the night but he didn't relax completely. He knew that danger lurked around him all the time so he was in a half-asleep state where any small disturbance would wake him up instantly. It was a skill he learned in his life as a hitman since it was essential for his survival.

His eyes slowly opened, revealing two cold yet mesmerizing black irises. Anyone who gazes at such profound eyes will find himself in a trance as if he was hypnotized. This charming aura was not an intentional thing from Acht's side but the result of his prideful character and charismatic demeanor.

"A good night's sleep sure makes the difference." He muttered with a peaceful look.

He was able to release some of the tension he felt since yesterday. He handled everything perfectly but that didn't mean that it didn't take a toll on his mind and his weak body.

Then, Acht stood up and left the room. There was still no trace of the men who were present yesterday. He didn't care if they ran away or not since he didn't even see them being worthy of his attention.

After a small breakfast, he entered the library again. This time, however, he was not here to study about history but for something else completely different.

"Soul force. I need to learn how to use it." He decided.

He was not a fan of this skinny body of his and so he wanted to start training as soon as possible. Luckily enough, with sufficient food and training, restoring his old physique will be a piece of cake. The only bugging matter left was learning how to use soul force.

He searched the library for any book about soul force. And soon enough, he found what he was looking for.

"'Beginners guide for soul awakening'. This should be it."

He then sat down and started his second reading session in this world.

"Soul force is the fundamental force that moves this world. Each living creature and even some non-living creatures can have soul force inside of them. It's mainly related to the soul of the creature so the stronger the soul the stronger the soul force."

Acht read each word attentively as he nourished his knowledge of the main power system of this universe.

"Millions of years ago when humans were nothing but a weak and primordial race, the discovery of the soul force was considered the turning point for humans. They were able to grow stronger and stand head-to-head with other more powerful races. They were able to do so by killing other creatures and absorbing their soul force, making them it their own.

"After a long time and countless experiments, they were able to put a clear power level to determine the power of each individual. This power system is composed mainly of 4 stages: White, orange, green, and red. Each color represents a different stage with white being the weakest and red being the strongest. These stages are also composed of 10 levels. The higher the level the stronger the individual."

After reading till that point, Acht stopped. He wanted to digest the information properly before continuing.

'This kind of power system is very simple. It doesn't differ much from how I remember it. But, there is something off.' He thought as he squinted his eyes at the book.

However, no matter how much he thought, he couldn't get the feeling of uneasiness he had. It was an incomprehensible thing.

Then, Acht continued reading. The book wasn't that thick so he ended it relatively quicker than the other book.

"Fuuuh, I should try the guide in this book. If things go right, I will awaken my soul by tomorrow morning."

Acht left the table and took a seat on the ground. He then closed his eyes and rested his hands on his lap. Soon enough, his breathing calmed down and he started relaxing all of his body.

'Concentrate on your surroundings and try to feel the energy in the atmosphere.' He recited what he read and tried to apply that in the real world.

Not even a few seconds passed and a change happened. Acht felt a new thing starting to appear around him. He couldn't describe this feeling since this new thing was formless, shapeless, and with no color. It was as if it was an illusion yet also real.

'Is this the soul energy?' He thought.

The energy around him kept floating aimlessly. Then, in one single moment, it started accumulating in front of him.

It kept accumulating for some time until it created a huge ball made of energy. Then, the ball approached him slowly, stopping multiple times in the process.

It was as if the energy was hesitating on whether it should approach Acht or not. However, that hesitation didn't last long as it finally closed the distance between them and entered Acht's body slowly.

He sensed the foreign object that was entering his body. The sensation was amazing as if every cell of his body was getting refreshed and every muscle was getting fueled with power.

Acht could see himself getting addicted to this. After a few moments, the ball finally fully merged with him.

That's when another change happened.

*Crack*

The sound of cracking reached Acht's ear. It was akin to a cup made out of glass getting shattered slowly. This was his soul shedding its old form and taking a step towards becoming an awakener.

'It's happening. I need to concentrate.' Thought Acht as he erased every thought out of his mind and completely engrossed himself in absorbing energy and awakening.

He was so vulnerable at this state that any sneak attack on him would be lethal. It was risky, but the rewards were equally great.

The cracking sounds became more frequent the more Acht absorbed energy. His soul was using every ounce to awaken and his body was also getting tired out in the process.

'I'm close!' He felt it. His soul was close to awakening. It was only a matter of minutes or maybe seconds.

In the meantime, Acht was unaware of what was happening in the outside world. While he was trying to complete his awakening, his actions were creating havoc outside.

Powerful gushes of winds whistled inside the closed room. Books and shelves fell down and even the walls shook terribly. The only thing untouched by this storm was Acht himself who sat in the middle of it.

Then, in one single second, all of the tension got released in one swipe in the form of a very strong gust of wind that broke the windows and destroyed the furniture completely.

"I did it." Acht opened his eyes and said with a small smile.

He didn't find that much difficulty with awakening in contrast to what the book said since it mentioned the hardships every awakened had to face in this ceremony. It said that many died while awakening because of some stupid mistakes or because they were full of themselves.

'Is this one of the privileges Livia gave me? She made my talent quite scary.'

Acht then stood up to check his condition. A few minutes ago he was a skinny and weak-looking kid, now, his body went through a drastic change. His muscles started developing and his height also increased considerably. He looked like a different person completely.

"I feel powerful! It's like I'm pulsing with endless power." He clenched his fist and made a kick with his leg. His speed also increased a lot.

"If White soul level 1 was like this, then what about the other levels? Suddenly, I feel even more motivated."

He was very happy with his progress. He could slightly see the peak unveil itself in front of him. With his knowledge, his privileges, and his ambitions, no one could stand in front of him.

"Not even that bitch Livia…Watch this show carefully, oh great goddess! Because once I come back to you. You will regret ever meeting me."

It was the moment when the future took a drastic change from its initial route. The appearance of an anomaly, an abomination of a human that will take Ecrasia and all the three worlds by a storm. A King that will trample on all his enemies and build a throne of their bones.

That king, however, will also see that power is not always the solution and that hell could come in different forms. But that's a story for another day.

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