Chapter341 – Return to Origin
“Hello, Vesper?” Warren’s voice was warm, magnetic, intimate—as if he were right beside her, smiling.
Her irritation eased despite herself.
“Warren,” she said slowly, “I’ve heard… rumors. That you associate with many women, that you receive generous support from them. Is that true?”
There was a pause.
Then Warren sighed softly.
“I don’t know where you heard that from. But it doesn’t matter. I stopped caring about gossip a long time ago. I’ll hang up now.”
Ynez’s heart sank. What a dangerous man.
“Don’t hang up,” Vesper said quickly. “I was just asking.”
Two minutes later, the call ended.
Vesper stood.
“Stick with the original decision. Warren is Level Five—that’s enough. I’ll explain everything to Uncle Zayden.”
She shot Ynez a warning glance and left the office.
Watching her go, Ynez sighed. She pulled out her phone, hesitating.
Should she call Zayden?
After a long moment, she put it away.
“If Vesper won’t let Axel join the Everton chapter,” she murmured,
“then I’ll put him on the Rutherford chapter’s list instead. At least that shows him some respect.”
......
In a remote, unnamed stretch of wilderness beyond Krythos’s borders, four figures sat together.
They wore black cloaks and masks, their outlines barely visible against the night.
The man seated at the head wore a vicious tiger mask. He spoke first.
“You’ve all seen the Awakened Forum, haven’t you?” His voice was calm, almost amused. “We’ve officially become public enemy number one. Every Awakened in the city wants a piece of us.”
A few low chuckles answered him.
“Quite a few of them are already moving,” Lorenzo said indifferently. “They’re choosing ‘bait’ according to the official criteria, trying to draw us out.”
The man in the pheasant mask laughed, his tone dripping with contempt.
“They really think that little bit of talent makes them hunters? What a joke. Livestock trying to act feral.”
“They’re annoying, though,” Savannah said quietly.
She was small, barefoot, and the only one not wearing a mask. Her black cloak barely hid her delicate frame.
“Annoying people make mistakes,” Lorenzo replied. “Which is why we’ll answer them properly. Blood teaches faster than words.”
He paused, his tone turning colder.
“But be careful. The authorities are involved this time. Our information channels are still working, but we can’t afford sloppiness.”
His gaze shifted to Savannah.
“What about our core target—Axel?”
Savannah closed her eyes, her expression distant as she listened to something no one else could hear.
“The spacetime worms are giving weak feedback,” she said after a moment. “But I can confirm he’s still in Everton.”
The others shook their heads.
“This kid’s terrified of dying,” someone scoffed. “Scared shitless.”
Savannah opened one eye and smiled faintly.
“Am I really that scary?”
Blacksnake, seated beside her, spoke calmly.
“Geniuses are always afraid of death. But fear fades when loneliness sets in. Staying in Everton won’t push him to Level Six anytime soon.”
“He’s still exceptional,” another added. “A few days ago, he advanced to Level Five and crushed Kenneth from the Goldleaf family. That lunatic.”
At that, everyone’s pupils tightened.
“If he reaches Level Six,” Lorenzo said decisively, “then unless Mr. Scott personally steps in, capturing him becomes too risky.”
He leaned back slightly.
“Keep watching him. The moment he leaves Everton—move. My master will be delighted to receive such a specimen.”
.........
Ten days passed.
Axel slowly opened his eyes.
The Saint Sea Twig in his hand was now only two-thirds its original length. His presence had changed—quieter, more contained, like a blade returned to its sheath.
“My body, Force, and spirit have all improved,” he murmured. “But the real change is this…”
This time, it was Abundant that had evolved.
Return to Origin
Third-tier awakening skill.
Upon activation, it formed a ten-square-meter healing domain. Allies within the area received healing effects identical to Abundant’s original function.
At the same time, a Force barrier manifested, blocking all physical damage except mental attacks.
Enemies entering the domain could forcibly negate the healing effect—and would suffer a three-second weakening state. Their movement speed, strength, and Force regeneration were all suppressed.
A former pure-support skill had finally gained teeth.
With Axel’s Force reserves now vastly exceeding others at the same level, breaking through this shield would be nearly impossible for most Level Five Awakened.
Another call came in.
Axel glanced at his phone. Same number as before.
“Beep. Beep.”
This time, it connected.
“Hello?”
“This is Axel.”
“Axel,” a cool female voice replied. “This is Vesper, acting president of the Everton Havoc Division. We met before.”
“Mm.”
“I was calling about the triennial Havoc Division tournament,” Vesper continued evenly. “I invited you, but you declined. I’ve already given the slot to someone else.”
“Oh,” Axel said.
There was a brief pause.
“It was just a formality,” Vesper added, her tone shifting, tinged with regret. “If you’d gone, you would’ve taken first place. B-grade Original Instrument included. But you called back too late. There was nothing I could do.”
“Well,” Axel replied calmly, “thanks for letting me know.”
The silence on the other end was heavy.
“…Fine,” Vesper said stiffly, then hung up.
She stared at her phone, teeth clenched.
“How does he not care at all?”
Across from her, Warren leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, smiling faintly.
“He does care,” Warren said lightly. “Just about his dignity. He’s probably bleeding inside.”
“Hahaha.”
Back in his room, Axel put his phone down, utterly unimpressed.
“A top-tier family,” he muttered, shaking his head, “and they still manage to raise someone this childish.”
Does Zayden even know about this?
Axel couldn’t help thinking of Vesper. She’d always been working under Zayden—clearly groomed as his successor. A decision like this probably hadn’t gone through him at all.
Should I call and ask?
Under normal circumstances, Axel would’ve let it slide. Pride was cheap, and he wasn’t someone who enjoyed pointless confrontation.
But this wasn’t about pride.
This was a B-grade Original Instrument.
Axel wasn’t the type to throw away real profit just to look dignified. With benefits this big on the table, he had zero interest in playing the aloof genius.
“Forget it.”
After a moment’s thought, he shook his head. Calling now would only complicate things.
Axel stretched lazily—and his body answered with a series of sharp crackles, like his bones and muscles were being wrung clean from the inside out.
“Damn… that feels good.”
Advancing to the mid-tier of Level Five had been absurdly smooth. Compared to everything he’d endured before, this felt almost insulting.
Absorb the Saint Sea Twig.
Sleep.
Wake up stronger.
That was it.
> Physical Strength: 5765 / 5768
> Force: 5543 / 5564
> Spirit: 5432 / 5433
“With this much Force,” Axel muttered, “I probably don’t even need to bother Mr. Instrument King anymore.”
There were only two recognized paths to deep awakening:
One—fuse with a rare heavenly treasure that perfectly matched your attributes.
Two—brute-force all three attributes past 10,000 through artificial means.
For Axel, neither path felt impossible.
“But thinking like that is dangerous,” he corrected himself. “Who’s to say Level Six only needs ten thousand? What if the threshold’s even higher?”
His phone rang again.
“Trying to piss me off again?” Axel answered casually—only to pause.
The voice on the other end was gentle, calm, and unmistakably polite.
“Is this Mr. Axel? My name is Ynez. I’m the acting president of the Havoc Division’s Virelia branch. I was hoping we could talk.”
Axel blinked, then smiled faintly.
“Sure. Send me the location.”
“Thank you for your time. Near the Financial District—I’ll be waiting at the entrance.”
......
Not long after, Axel arrived at the Havoc Division headquarters.
Towering skyscrapers surrounded the building, glass and steel reflecting the endless traffic below. The place radiated power and wealth—no subtlety whatsoever.
“Mr. Axel, you’re here.”
A plainly dressed woman stood at the entrance. She had an oval face, unremarkable features, and no flashy accessories—but there was a quiet restraint about her that made people instinctively take her seriously.
“Hey,” Axel said easily. “No need for the formalities. Just call me Axel.”
“Please, follow me.”