Chapter 3 – First Acquisition
1235 Words
The number stayed with him.
Eighty-seven percent.
Not as a warning.
As information.
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Kaelor sat in silence long after Lira left, the empty bowl resting loosely in his hand.
His breathing had stabilized.
Barely.
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Weak body.
Limited mobility.
No Qi circulation.
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And yet—
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[Sub-Objective: Acquire first energy source]
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The system didn’t repeat itself.
It didn’t need to.
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Kaelor lowered the bowl slowly and set it aside.
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Energy source.
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That could mean many things.
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In his previous life, energy wasn’t something you searched for.
It was everywhere.
Controlled.
Refined.
Commanded.
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Here—
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his senses stretched outward.
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—and found nothing.
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No flowing Qi.
No ambient energy.
No cultivator presence.
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This place was barren.
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Which meant—
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whatever he needed—
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would not be given.
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It would be taken.
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Kaelor shifted, forcing his legs over the edge of the bed.
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Pain shot upward immediately.
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His muscles trembled violently.
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His balance faltered—
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He caught himself on the wooden frame before collapsing.
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Unacceptable.
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But expected.
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He adjusted.
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Slowly—
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deliberately—
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he stood.
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The world tilted.
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His vision dimmed at the edges.
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His body screamed.
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Kaelor ignored all of it.
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Because this—
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this was nothing.
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He had endured worse.
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Far worse.
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A single step.
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Then another.
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Each one a negotiation between will and failure.
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By the time he reached the door—
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his breathing was uneven again.
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His body drenched in cold sweat.
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But he was standing.
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That was enough.
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Kaelor pushed the door open.
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Light spilled in.
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Not bright—
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muted.
Dust-filled.
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The outside world revealed itself in fragments.
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Rough pathways.
Cracked earth.
Simple wooden structures.
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People.
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Moving slowly.
Working.
Surviving.
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No power.
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No presence.
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No threat—
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At least, not the kind he was used to.
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Good.
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That meant—
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he could move without drawing attention.
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Kaelor stepped forward.
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The ground felt unstable beneath him.
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Not physically.
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But unfamiliar.
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This body didn’t know how to exist in strength.
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It only knew weakness.
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That would change.
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Quickly.
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His gaze moved across the settlement.
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Observing.
Mapping.
Evaluating.
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Then—
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he felt it.
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Faint.
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Almost nonexistent.
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But there.
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A flicker.
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Energy.
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Kaelor’s eyes narrowed.
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Not from the air.
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Not from the ground.
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From something…
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alive.
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His focus shifted.
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A small movement near the edge of the path.
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A creature.
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Low to the ground.
Thin.
Quick.
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Its fur was patchy.
Its body lean from hunger.
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But inside—
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there it was.
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A weak but distinct energy signature.
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Primitive.
Unrefined.
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Perfect.
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[Target identified.]
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The system responded instantly.
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[Energy Source: Minor Beast – Viable]
[Absorption probability: 12%]
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Kaelor’s lips curved slightly.
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Low odds.
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Expected.
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This body could barely stand.
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Let alone hunt.
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But probability—
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had never dictated his actions.
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Only outcomes.
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The creature darted between broken crates, unaware.
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Kaelor moved.
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Slowly.
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Carefully.
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Each step controlled.
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Silent.
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Even in weakness—
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his instincts remained intact.
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That alone gave him an advantage.
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Closer.
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The creature paused.
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Sensing something.
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Kaelor stilled.
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Waited.
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Counted its breathing.
Its movement pattern.
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Then—
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he lunged.
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Too slow.
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The creature reacted instantly, leaping away with surprising speed.
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Kaelor’s body failed to follow.
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His legs buckled.
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He hit the ground hard.
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Pain exploded through him.
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The creature fled.
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Gone.
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Silence returned.
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Kaelor lay there.
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Breathing uneven.
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Body aching.
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Failure.
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Temporary.
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He pushed himself up again.
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Slower this time.
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More precise.
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He adjusted his approach.
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Because brute force—
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was not an option.
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Not yet.
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His gaze scanned the area again.
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There.
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Another one.
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Smaller.
Slower.
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Injured.
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Its back leg dragged slightly as it moved.
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Weak.
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Like him.
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Perfect.
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Kaelor exhaled once.
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Then moved again.
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This time—
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he didn’t rush.
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He circled.
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Cut off its escape path.
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Used the environment.
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Limited its movement.
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The creature noticed too late.
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Kaelor stepped in—
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and grabbed it.
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It struggled immediately.
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Claws scraping.
Teeth snapping.
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His grip tightened.
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Pain shot through his hands—
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He didn’t release.
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[Absorption condition met.]
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The system activated.
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Cold.
Sharp.
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Energy surged—
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Not from within—
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but from the creature itself.
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Pulled.
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Extracted.
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Forced into him.
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The creature shrieked.
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Then—
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went still.
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Kaelor’s body locked.
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The energy hit him violently.
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Unrefined.
Chaotic.
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It tore through his veins like fire.
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His vision blurred.
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His grip loosened—
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He dropped to one knee.
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“Control it…” he muttered through clenched teeth.
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Instinct took over.
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Not system.
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Not guidance.
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Him.
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He forced the energy to slow.
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To compress.
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To align.
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Crude.
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But effective.
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The chaos began to settle.
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Gradually—
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pain turned into pressure.
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Then—
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into something else.
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Warmth.
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Weak.
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But real.
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Kaelor inhaled sharply.
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His heartbeat steadied.
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His muscles—
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responded slightly faster.
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Not strong.
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But no longer completely useless.
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[Absorption successful.]
[Energy gained: Minimal]
[Body condition: Slightly improved]
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Kaelor exhaled slowly.
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Then—
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he laughed.
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Low.
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Satisfied.
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So this is how it works.
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Crude.
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Violent.
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Inefficient.
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But effective.
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He looked down at his hands.
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Still trembling—
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but less.
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Progress.
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Real progress.
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Kaelor rose to his feet.
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This time—
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it was easier.
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Not by much.
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But enough.
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His gaze lifted.
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Scanning the settlement again.
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Now—
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he saw it differently.
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Not as a place.
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But as a resource field.
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Weak creatures.
Hidden opportunities.
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Everything—
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could be used.
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Everything—
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could be taken.
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[New Data Recorded]
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The system again.
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Watching.
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Learning.
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Good.
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Let it.
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Because Kaelor was doing the same.
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“This is only the beginning,” he said quietly.
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His voice steadier now.
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Stronger.
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And far more dangerous.
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Because the moment he had been waiting for—
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had arrived.
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He had found a path.
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Primitive.
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But scalable.
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And once something could scale—
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it could dominate.
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Kaelor’s eyes hardened.
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Cold.
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Focused.
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Hungry.
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“Next,” he murmured.
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Because one thing was already certain—
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this world had just become his hunting ground.
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And he had no intention of stopping at “minimal.”
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