Chapter 85 — The Final Preparation

The night was silent.

Kael sat alone inside his workshop.

In front of him were the three objects that represented the final stage of his preparation.

The Darven Origin Blade.

The Darven V-01X.

And the ring containing Legendary Immortality.

He stared at the ring for several seconds.

One hundred hours.

Four thousand minutes.

Two hundred forty thousand seconds.

That was all.

Once activated, the countdown would begin.

It would never stop.

It would never reset.

And when those hundred hours ended—

the ability would disappear forever.

Kael slowly closed his hand around the ring.

“I won't activate you until I need you.”

He released it.

Tomorrow would be different.

Tomorrow—

he would enter the pocket world for real.

But before that, he had one final task.

He needed to observe the three Legendary Beasts at the same time.

Not from a distance through isolated observations.

He needed to understand their relationship.

Their territories.

Their prison seals.

And most importantly—

which one he should fight first.

Kael placed the pocket-world key on the table.

He activated Remote Observation.

This time, he didn't immediately move toward any single territory.

He ascended.

Higher.

Higher.

Until the entire pocket world spread beneath him.

Three enormous regions became visible.

The Shadow Domain.

The Verdant Domain.

The Bone Domain.

And between them—

the white central plain.

The black tower remained there.

Motionless.

Kael ignored it.

For now.

Instead, he expanded his vision.

He could see the prison structures.

The three Legendary Beast seals were different.

The Shadow Lion was surrounded by enormous black chains.

The Verdant Serpent was contained within a circular network of roots and stone pillars.

The Bone Sovereign was surrounded by an enormous ring of blue magical barriers.

Three different prisons.

Three different methods.

But—

Kael suddenly noticed something.

The seals were connected.

Very faint lines extended from one territory to another.

Shadow to Verdant.

Verdant to Bone.

Bone to Shadow.

And all three eventually connected to the central tower.

Kael's expression became serious.

“So the tower really is connected to them.”

He focused on the Shadow Lion.

The beast was awake.

It stood beneath the enormous black tree.

Its crimson eyes were open.

Its mane moved without wind.

It looked toward the distant sky.

Toward Kael.

Kael didn't move.

The Lion's mouth opened.

A voice entered his mind.

“You returned.”

Kael's observation was only supposed to be one-directional.

Yet the beast could still sense him.

The System warned him.

[High-level perception detected.]

[Observation concealment failing.]

Kael continued.

The Lion spoke again.

“You smell like the old blood.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Old blood.

Darven.

The Lion wasn't simply identifying his bloodline.

It recognized it.

“How long have you been awake?” Kael asked.

The Lion's crimson eyes narrowed.

“Long enough to remember your ancestors.”

Kael froze.

His ancestors.

That meant the Legendary Beast knew Darvens who had lived thousands of years ago.

Kael asked,

“Did they imprison you?”

The Lion laughed.

A deep, rumbling sound.

“Your people did not create these chains.”

Kael's expression changed.

“What?”

But the connection suddenly weakened.

The Lion's gaze shifted toward something behind Kael's observation.

The central tower.

Its expression changed.

For the first time—

the Legendary Beast looked afraid.

“Go.”

The connection was severed.

Kael immediately redirected his observation.

The Verdant Domain appeared.

The enormous Verdant Serpent was awake.

Its massive body was wrapped around a gigantic lake.

Its green-black scales shimmered beneath the strange light of the pocket world.

Kael noticed the sealing scars immediately.

Several pale markings remained embedded in the scales.

The Serpent slowly raised its head.

Its golden eyes turned toward him.

“Darven…”

Its voice was slower than the Lion's.

Older.

Calmer.

Kael asked,

“How long have you been imprisoned?”

The Serpent closed its eyes.

“Long enough for mountains to become dust.”

Kael stared.

Another confirmation.

Thousands of years.

He asked the same question.

“Did the Darvens imprison you?”

The Serpent opened its eyes.

“No.”

Kael's heart tightened.

“Then who?”

The Serpent's gaze moved toward the central tower.

“The first ones.”

“Who were they?”

Silence.

Then—

“Those who built the prison.”

The observation flickered.

The Serpent spoke again.

“Do not trust the fourth prison.”

Kael froze.

“What is the fourth prison?”

The Serpent didn't answer.

The connection broke.

Kael immediately redirected toward the Bone Domain.

The Bone Domain was different from the other two.

The entire region appeared active.

Skeletons moved everywhere.

Thousands.

Perhaps tens of thousands.

Some carried weapons.

Others carried materials.

Some were repairing structures.

And at the center—

the Bone Sovereign stood on top of a gigantic stone tower.

Its ancient armor covered its skeletal body.

Blue flames burned inside its eye sockets.

Its magical staff rested beside it.

Kael's observation focused on the staff.

It was enormous.

Dark metal.

Several ancient blue crystals embedded in the shaft.

The System couldn't identify the weapon.

[Weapon classification unavailable.]

[Grade: ???]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

The Bone Sovereign suddenly turned.

Its empty eye sockets looked directly at his observation.

Kael felt pressure.

Then a voice echoed through his mind.

“Another Darven.”

Kael frowned.

“You know my bloodline.”

“I know the people who carried it before you.”

Again.

The same answer.

Kael asked,

“What happened to them?”

The Bone Sovereign remained silent.

Then—

“They came here seeking the same thing you are seeking.”

“The Origin?”

The blue flames flickered.

“Something older.”

Kael's expression changed.

“What?”

The Bone Sovereign raised its staff.

The skeleton army around it immediately stopped.

Every single undead creature looked toward the central tower.

“That.”

Kael's observation shook.

The Bone Sovereign continued.

“It should never awaken.”

Then the connection shattered.

Kael returned to his workshop.

He opened his eyes.

His breathing was heavier.

Three beasts.

Three conversations.

And all three had reacted to the central tower.

That wasn't coincidence.

Kael immediately opened his notebook.

He wrote:

Common observation:

All three Legendary Beasts recognize ancient Darven bloodline.

All three know something about the central prison.

All three avoid discussing it directly.

All three reacted negatively to the fourth prison.

Implication: Legendary Beasts may not simply be prisoners. They may also be components of a larger containment system.

Kael stared at the last line.

That changed everything.

If the Legendary Beasts were part of the prison—

killing them might affect the central seal.

He needed to be careful.

He couldn't simply destroy everything in the pocket world.

Kael created a table.

Shadow Lion

Combat Style: Extreme mobility and offensive pressure.

Known weakness: Unstable Shadow Core.

Prison condition: Severe but functional.

Behavior: Directly hostile but capable of communication.

Verdant Serpent

Combat Style: Defense, regeneration, territory control.

Known weakness: Sealing-damaged scale clusters.

Prison condition: Extremely stable.

Behavior: Cautious and unusually informative.

Bone Sovereign

Combat Style: Mage, summons, battlefield control.

Known weakness: Unstable Soul Flame and Soul Furnace.

Prison condition: Most complex.

Behavior: Highly intelligent and secretive.

Kael thought for several minutes.

The obvious choice was Shadow Lion first.

Its combat style was aggressive.

It was also the least defensive of the three.

If Kael could defeat it—

he would gain experience fighting Legendary-level movement and domain control before facing the Verdant Serpent's regeneration or Bone Sovereign's army.

But there was another factor.

The Shadow Lion's prison was unstable.

If killing it destabilized the central containment system—

he needed to know immediately.

Kael wrote:

First: Shadow Lion.

Then:

Second: Verdant Serpent.

Then:

Third: Bone Sovereign.

He stared at the list.

For the first time—

it felt complete.

Kael placed another sheet of paper in front of him.

He wrote one title.

LEGENDARY IMMORTALITY — 100 HOURS

Under it:

Do not activate before entering Beast Territory.

Then:

Do not activate simply because death is possible.

Then:

Activate when retreat becomes impossible OR when a decisive battle begins.

Then:

Reformation location = death location.

Kael stopped.

That rule was the most dangerous.

He imagined dying inside the Shadow Lion's Darkness Domain.

If he reformed in the exact same location—

he might immediately die again.

That could become a loop.

The same against the Verdant Serpent.

The same against Bone Sovereign.

He needed to control where he died.

He thought about it carefully.

Then wrote:

Before activating Legendary Immortality, establish favorable death locations.

That meant preparing the battlefield.

For Shadow Lion—

an area with spatial anchors.

For Verdant Serpent—

solid terrain outside deep water or poisonous pools.

For Bone Sovereign—

near Soul Furnace access but outside the main army.

He needed his deaths to become tactical resets.

Not random ones.

Kael smiled.

“Even immortality needs strategy.”

Kael returned to the forge.

His ammunition stores were nearly complete.

He divided them into three sets.

Shadow Lion Arsenal

Spatial Anchor Rounds.

Mana Disruption Rounds.

Shadow Detection Rounds.

Physical Penetrator Rounds.

Verdant Serpent Arsenal

Armor-Piercing Rounds.

Regeneration Suppression Rounds.

Mana Disruption Rounds.

Void Crystal Penetrators.

Bone Sovereign Arsenal

Soul-Breaker Rounds.

Suppression Rounds.

Area Mana Disruption.

Physical Penetrators.

Kael stored each set in separate containers.

Then he created emergency universal ammunition.

Rounds that could be altered using Metal Control.

They weren't as specialized.

But they could be adapted during battle.

That flexibility might save his life.

Kael opened his medical storage.

He had one unfinished formula.

His father had written about it years ago.

Extreme Mana Recovery Compound.

Dangerous.

Highly concentrated.

Difficult to stabilize.

Kael had never needed it.

Against Legendary Beasts—

he might.

He gathered the ingredients.

Mana Crystal Dust.

Verdant Herb Extract.

Blackwater Essence.

Ashen Core Powder.

Mithril Filtrate.

He mixed them.

The solution began glowing.

Too bright.

Kael immediately reduced the mana concentration.

The glow weakened.

He continued.

One hour.

Two.

Three.

Finally—

the System scanned it.

[Potion created.]

Name: Darven Extreme Mana Recovery Elixir

Grade: 6 — Epic

Effect: Rapid mana restoration.

Additional Effect: Temporary Mana Recovery increase.

Warning: High internal strain.

Recommended use: Emergency situations only.

Kael created six.

No more.

Every ingredient was rare.

He stored them carefully.

Kael stood outside.

The moon was high.

He held the Origin Blade.

He had become stronger.

But his swordsmanship hadn't advanced at the same rate as his bloodline.

The Legendary Beasts would exploit that.

Kael remembered the first time he'd fought the six wolves.

Back then—

he had barely survived.

Now—

he needed something more.

He didn't invent a flashy ultimate attack.

He needed something practical.

Something he could repeat.

He studied the Origin Blade's Adaptive Edge.

The sword could change its structure while moving.

Instead of treating the blade as a fixed weapon—

Kael realized he could control its shape during an attack.

He practiced.

Straight slash.

The blade became thin.

Thrust.

The tip became denser.

Defensive parry.

The edge widened.

Counterattack.

The blade shortened.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Hours passed.

Eventually, Kael created a technique.

Darven Adaptive Edge

A sword technique allowing Kael to alter the blade's physical structure during an attack based on the target's defense.

Not a single move.

A combat method.

Kael smiled.

“This fits the sword.”

He practiced it against metal targets.

One.

Two.

Three.

The blade adapted.

The technique became smoother.

The System responded.

[Swordsmanship technique created.]

[Darven Adaptive Edge.]

[Proficiency: Beginner.]

[Compatibility with Origin Blade: Extremely High.]

Kael nodded.

One more tool.

Everything was ready.

Kael returned to his workshop.

He placed every item inside his Space Ring.

Food.

Water.

Medicine.

Ammunition.

Weapons.

Armor modules.

Potions.

Keys.

Notes.

The Legacy Key.

The pocket-world key.

Everything.

Then—

he looked at the table.

Only one item remained.

The ring.

Legendary Immortality.

Kael picked it up.

The System appeared.

[Legendary Immortality]

Duration: 100 hours

Reformation Delay: 5 seconds

Pain Perception: Active

Death: Possible

Permanent Defeat During Duration: Prevented

Uses Remaining: 1

Activation cannot be reversed.

Kael stared at it.

For a long time—

he said nothing.

Then he put the ring on.

Not activating it.

Just wearing it.

Tomorrow—

he would enter the pocket world.

Tomorrow—

the preparations would end.

And after that—

the Legendary Beast hunt would begin.

Kael walked to the portal.

He didn't open it.

Not yet.

He looked toward the dark horizon.

His father's face appeared in his memory.

The family estate.

The portal.

The last smile.

His father's final words.

Become stronger.

Kael closed his eyes.

“I did.”

He opened them.

His gaze was calm.

“But I'm not doing this just for revenge anymore.”

He looked at his weapons.

“At first, I wanted to return.”

Then the katana.

“Then I wanted strength.”

Then the ring.

“Now…”

He looked toward the pocket-world key.

“…I want to know what my family was protecting.”

Kael activated the portal.

The gateway opened.

Darkness waited on the other side.

For a moment—

three distant auras became visible.

Shadow.

Verdant.

Undead.

Three ancient powers.

Kael stepped forward.

But before entering—

one final System message appeared.

[Preparation Phase Complete.]

[Legendary Beast Combat Protocol unlocked.]

[Recommended host condition: Ready.]

[Next stage: Legendary Hunt.]

Kael smiled.

He stepped through the portal.

The gateway closed behind him.

And for the first time in thousands of years—

the prison received a new hunter.

The Legendary Beast Hunt had begun.