The Regressed Heir of Ravencrest

Over the next few days, Ethan settled into a rare period of peace. He completed his daily training missions within the private training grounds, recovered from his injuries, and spent the remainder of each day eating and resting alongside Rune. After everything that had happened recently, the quiet routine was a welcome change.

Four days passed in the quiet solitude of the barracks.

Inside his room, Ethan sat cross-legged on the floorboards, his eyes closed and his chest rising in slow, rhythmic breaths.

A gentle warmth flowed through every muscle and meridian as the Heavenly Sovereign Physique quietly repaired the countless strains left behind by his brutal struggle against Vael and the Forest Troll. With every slow breath, a little more fatigue disappeared from his body.

Although his injuries had fully healed, Ethan understood that raw physical strength alone wasn’t enough. His Warrior Core remained only partially awakened, limiting how much aura his body could wield despite the monstrous foundation he had painstakingly built.

He glanced toward the corner of the room where the Eternal Sovereign Blade rested against the stone wall. The dark steel hummed faintly, its ancient surface still refining the dense blood essences harvested from Vael, the Eclipse cultists, and the dungeon beasts. The blade had not yet finished processing the massive influx of energy; Ethan could sense that the refinement would require more time.

Still, the benefits of his recent battles were undeniable. He focused his mind, summoning his status interface to review his current standing after assigning the recent Blood Essence.

———

Ethan Ravencrest

Age: 10

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Warrior Path

Knight Rank: Knight

Warrior Core

Status: Partially Awakened

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Mage Path

Mage Rank: Unawakened

Mage Core

Status: Dormant

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Spirit Path

Spirit Rank: Unawakened

Spirit Core

Status: Dormant

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Talent: Unawakened

Physique: Heavenly Sovereign Physique (SSS)

Cultivation Art: Northern Heaven War Art

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Strength: 197 ➔ 297 (+100)

Agility: 197 ➔ 293 (+96)

Vitality: 197 ➔ 294 (+97)

Endurance: 197 ➔ 293 (+96)

Intelligence: 100 (Hard Ceiling — Realm Limitation)

Mana Capacity: 150 (Hard Ceiling — Warrior Core Partially Awakened)

Perception: 61

War Merit: 254,670

Blood Essence: 0

Available Attribute Points: 42

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Traits:

Cold Resistance — Level 2

• Cold Damage Taken: -10%

• Stamina Consumption in Cold Environments: -10%

Predator Sense — Level 2 (New)

• Heightens the user’s instinctive awareness, allowing them to perceive subtle vibrations, movements, and changes in their surroundings.

• Improves detection of nearby threats, hostile intent, and concealed enemies.

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Eternal Sovereign Blade

Current Rank: Rare | Growth Potential: Unknown

Status: Soul-Bound | Blood Essence Stored: 0

———

Ethan let out a quiet exhale as the gold translucent screen faded from his vision. Ethan remained silent for a long moment. Even he hadn’t expected his physical growth to accelerate so dramatically within such a short period.

His raw physical stats were rapidly pushing into territory that defied standard unawakened conventions, placing his raw physical strength squarely into early Knight Commander territory even if his core’s capacity remained restricted at its ceiling.

His gaze lingered briefly on the new trait line. Predator Sense. Absorbing and refining the dense blood essence from the beasts had permanently sharpened his instincts. Sitting in absolute silence, his sharpened senses picked up the faintest vibrations traveling through the heavy floorboards and even the subtle shift of air near the window.

Beside the bed, a soft rustle drew his attention.

Rune stretched his legs, letting out a low, vibrant rumble that echoed through the room. Having completely recovered from his injuries, the cub looked visibly healthier and sleeker. His silver fur carried a subtle metallic sheen, and his frame was far more defined. Digesting the beast core harvested from the Forest Troll had sparked a clear leap in his growth.

Seeing the obvious changes in Rune, Ethan brought up his companion’s status panel.

———

Bonded Companion

Name: Rune

Species: ???

Age: Five Months

Bond Status: Confirmed

Trust: 100/100

Strength: 80 ➔ 165 (+85)

Agility: 100 ➔ 172 (+72)

Vitality: 60 ➔ 160 (+100)

Endurance: 80 ➔ 168 (+88)

Bloodline: ??? [Stage I — 10%]

Progress to Stage II: 0/1000 Blood Essence

Innate Trait: ??? [Locked]

Traits :

Regeneration — Level 1 (New)

• Minor wounds recover gradually over time

• Slightly increased recovery from physical injuries

[Blood Essence Transfer: UNLOCKED]

———

It seems you also gained a new trait...Rune.

Rune nudged Ethan’s knee with his snout, letting out a proud, high-pitched yip as if aware of Ethan’s inspection. He patted the cub’s head with a small smile, feeling the solid, dense muscle underneath the thick fur. "You’re growing fast, little guy."

Before he could reflect further, a firm knock echoed against the heavy wooden door of his quarters.

"Ethan," the young clerk’s voice called from outside. "Guild Master wants to see you in her office."

"Understood," Ethan replied, standing up and fastening his sheath. "I’ll be right there."

While Ethan made his way toward the outer district, a far more somber meeting was taking place within the Estate of House Ravencrest.

In the high study overlooking the sprawling grounds, Elena sat behind a massive desk covered in open scrolls, translated ritual charts, and delicate magical formations. Across from her stood Adrian Ravencrest, his expression grim as he read through the translated research brought back from the cavern.

"The research is undeniably horrifying, Adrian," Elena said quietly, her slender fingers tracing a complex diagram of scorched black magic runes. "Vael was actively researching black magic methods to forcibly awaken dormant dungeon cores."

Adrian frowned, his piercing eyes narrowing. "How far did he get?"

"Although black magic is outside my expertise, I was able to decipher around sixty to seventy percent of the formations," Elena explained. "The underlying logic of his process is undeniably solid. However, Vael’s research was still in its initial stages. He had not fully developed or perfected the process, which is precisely why he tested it on a localized C-Rank dormant dungeon."

She looked up at her husband, her tone heavy. "Had this process been fully realized and completed before we found it, the result would have been an absolute catastrophe across the Empire."

She then reached for a separate leather-bound file on her desk—the detailed incident report detailing how Ethan had uncovered the Incident, dismantled the cultists, and eliminated Vael himself. As Adrian read through his son’s decisive actions, a rare, profound warmth softened his stern features. Both parents shared a silent look of immense pride. Ethan had handled a threat that veteran knight squads would have struggled against.

"Ethan did exceptionally well," Adrian murmured softly, a subtle gleam of pride in his eyes. "I knew Ethan possessed extraordinary talent, but defeating a threat like this while only a Knight surpasses even the greatest prodigies the Empire has produced."

"Marcus assured me his injuries weren’t severe... yet I still can’t help worrying." Elena finger’s unconsciously tightened against the armrest of the chair.

"He’ll be fine," Adrian said softly, taking her hand. "If Marcus’s assessment is correct and Ethan truly possesses a physique beyond S-Rank, his recovery will far exceed that of an ordinary knight."

He turned his attention back to the black magic blueprints. "We will lock down all raw research documents inside Ravenhold under maximum security. I will personally send Gareth detailing these findings directly to the Emperor."

Back at the Northwatch Fortress, Ethan stepped into the spacious Guild Master office.

Seated behind the polished desk was Evelyn, her crimson hair falling loose over her shoulders, resting her chin on her hands as her sharp, perceptive eyes tracked Ethan’s approach.

"Take a seat, Ethan," Evelyn said, gesturing to the chair across from her.

"Thank you, Guild Master," Ethan replied calmly, stepping forward.

Evelyn smiled faintly, studying the young boy. She was still under the impression that Ethan was an extraordinarily gifted young martial talent undergoing advanced private training under Marcus, unaware that his core remained unawakened.

"We summoned you to acknowledge your contribution for saving the villagers surrounding the Maple River and uncovering the Eclipse plans in the region," Evelyn began, her voice smooth and professional. "Your official military reward will not be determined today—Commander Marcus will issue a separate recognition for that later once the higher-ups process the formal reports."

She leaned forward, opening a leather dossier on her desk. "However, the Guild is recognizing you independently. You are granted the position of Vice-Captain within the Guild network. This grants you high-level clearance, access to restricted intelligence, and partial authority within border posts."

She then pulled out a shimmering, silver key sealed with an intricate vault crest.

"Furthermore, as a direct reward from the Guild, I am granting you access to our repository. You may select two Epic-grade resources of your choice—whether that be cultivation resources, high-tier martial techniques, weapons, or specialized artifacts."

Ethan accepted the heavy silver key, nodding respectfully. "Thank you, Guild Master."

A few days earlier, far to the south within the heart of the Empire...

Inside the heavily fortified private chamber of the Imperial Palace, soft magical lights flickered against towering marble pillars. There were no attendants, scribes, or royal guards present—only two figures occupied the vast room.

The Emperor sat behind a massive desk carved from polished mahogany, his imposing aura filling the silent chamber. Across from him sat the Sword Saint Reiner, dressed in simple, unadorned clothes with a plain steel scabbard resting at his hip.

"What did you find?," the Emperor asked in an even tone.

Before speaking, the Sword Saint silently expanded his aura. An invisible pressure swept through the chamber before settling over the walls like an impenetrable veil, sealing the conversation from prying senses.

"The situation is far more severe than we anticipated, My Lord" the Sword Saint spoke quietly, his gaze steady. " It is indeed them behind the recent movements, and my investigation revealed something even worse."

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Speak."

"They have already established direct contact with the Four Great Evils," the Sword Saint revealed. "The ripples are beginning to spread."

The Sword Saint calmly recounted everything that had transpired since his arrival in Ravenhold, including the individual who had uncovered the weakness in his Divine Ability.

A heavy silence settled over the chamber as the Emperor processed the grave news. Before he could speak, the Sword Saint raised his head, a look of genuine astonishment breaking through his usually stoic countenance.

"There is one more matter from the North, Your Majesty," the Sword Saint added, his voice carrying a rare trace of awe. "Sword of the North’s child... he entered the Knight rank before even undergoing his awakening ceremony."

"...He reached the Knight Realm before his Awakening Ceremony?"

The Emperor’s composure cracks for the first time.