Chapter 223: Wisdom Hunt

Kaiser looked towards the deeper part of the cave.

There were still plenty of monsters waiting to be hunted, and he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Over the next few hours, Kaiser continued his hunt throughout the Frostland Orc territory.

He no longer bothered hiding his presence. Instead, he deliberately attracted the attention of nearby Orc groups and dealt with them as they appeared.

Unlike his previous hunts, however, he didn’t summon his undead army to handle everything.

This time, he wanted to personally test his abilities and gain more experience in actual combat.

Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to fight every enemy alone.

There was one exception.

Ripple.

His Golden Fate Goblin King and his Soul Bonds had also joined the hunt.

Over time, Ripple had grown considerably, developing from a small cub into a teenager. His appearance had changed along with his growth, and he could now assume a humanoid form.

Since Kaiser was a human, Ripple had also chosen to take on a similar appearance during his growth evolution from cub to teen.

He looked like a handsome teenage boy with golden skin and long, pointed ears resembling those of an elf. His most striking feature was his pair of rainbow-coloured eyes, which seemed to contain countless shifting colours.

Despite his humanoid appearance, his golden skin, long pointed ears and unusual eyes made it obvious that he wasn’t an ordinary human.

Ripple floated beside Kaiser, looking rather excited as he surveyed the approaching Frostland Orcs.

"Father, leave some of them to me!"

Kaiser glanced at him before nodding.

"Sure. Just don’t destroy everything before I get a chance to experiment."

Ripple grinned.

"Don’t worry, Father! I’ll leave plenty for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, several Frostland Orcs emerged from a nearby passage.

The moment they spotted Kaiser and Ripple, they immediately raised their weapons and charged towards them.

Ripple casually raised his hand.

Golden light gathered above his palm, and several shining spears gradually materialised in the air.

Each spear possessed a beautiful golden shaft and a sharp, radiant tip. However, the energy contained within them was far from ordinary.

"Fate King’s Arsenal!"

Ripple activated his ability.

The golden spears immediately shot forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

They descended upon the approaching Orcs like a rain of golden light.

One spear pierced through an Orc’s shoulder, while another struck directly through its chest. Several more followed, accurately targeting the vital points of the remaining enemies.

The Frostland Orcs barely had time to react before their formation was completely destroyed.

Kaiser glanced at Ripple’s performance.

’His control over Fate King’s Arsenal has improved quite a bit.’

He didn’t interfere and instead focused on the other enemies approaching from the opposite direction.

Raising his hand, he gathered vibrations into several small spheres and released a series of concentrated beams.

The resulting attacks swept through the Orcs, leaving several of them dead before they could even reach him.

The two continued fighting side by side.

Ripple dealt with groups of enemies using his golden spears, while Kaiser experimented with different applications of his Minor Vibration Manipulation.

Sometimes, he concentrated the vibrations into a single powerful beam. At other times, he divided them into multiple spheres and attacked several enemies simultaneously.

He also experimented with changing the direction and timing of his attacks, trying to improve his control over the ability.

Whenever Ripple noticed a particularly strong Orc, he would immediately target it with several golden spears.

Their cooperation made the hunt considerably easier.

As time passed, the number of dead Frostland Orcs continued increasing.

Kaiser didn’t summon any of his undead during this period. He wanted to gain as much practical experience as possible, and Ripple was more than enough assistance.

Just as they finished dealing with another group, Kaiser’s Akashic System suddenly spoke.

[It seems your fortune was quite extraordinary to have gained a Soul Bond with such a being.]

Kaiser paused.

He turned his attention towards the system.

’What do you mean?’

The system responded almost immediately.

[The strength of Soul Bonds in your world is divided into several major classifications but is limited. What you currently recognise as Ranks 1 to 10 is merely the Mortal Ranking.]

Kaiser raised an eyebrow.

’Only the Mortal Ranking?’

[Correct. Beyond the Mortal Ranking lies the Prime Ranking, which is also divided into Ranks 1 to 10. After the Prime Ranking comes the Solar Ranking, which follows the same classification.]

Kaiser remained silent for a moment.

He glanced towards Ripple, who was currently controlling several golden spears and sending them towards another group of Frostland Orcs.

’Then what rank is Ripple?’

The system’s response was straightforward.

[Your Golden Fate Goblin King is a Rank 8 Solar Beast.]

[Which in simple words is an beast with an potential to naturally develop into a being that can reach the top in your Solar System]

Kaiser’s expression changed slightly.

’Rank 8 Solar Beast? and Top of Solar System?’

He looked at Ripple again.

Although he already knew that Ripple’s actual strength was far beyond what his appearance suggested, he hadn’t expected the difference to be this enormous.

Until now, he had considered Ranks 1 to 10 as the highest possible classification for Soul Bonds.

However, according to the Akashic System, that was only the beginning.

There were two entire ranking classifications above it.

’So, the Rank 8 I’ve always known isn’t his actual rank?’

[That is correct. His classification within the Mortal Ranking is not representative of his true existence. Your Soul Bond possesses a Solar Rank of 8.]

Kaiser narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

’Then how did someone like me manage to form a Soul Bond with such a being?’

The system responded.

[That is precisely what makes your fortune extraordinary.]

Kaiser looked at Ripple once again.

At that moment, Ripple turned around and noticed him staring.

"Father? Is something wrong?"

Kaiser shook his head.

"Nothing. Just continue."

Ripple nodded happily before turning back towards the approaching enemies.

Kaiser watched him for another moment.

’Looks like there are still plenty of things I don’t know about this world.’

He had originally thought that his Soul Bonds were already powerful enough to support him throughout his journey.

Now, he had discovered that the classification system itself was far more complicated than he had imagined.

And if Ripple was already a Rank 8 Solar Beast, he couldn’t help wondering what kind of beings occupied the higher ranks.

’Interesting. Very interesting.’

A faint smile appeared on his face as he raised his hand again.

There were still plenty of Frostland Orcs left to hunt.

And now, he had another subject to investigate once the battle was over.