News of the Apex Boss spread quickly throughout the settlement.

  Guilds and independent groups alike took the threat seriously, instructing their members to train relentlessly and prepare themselves for the impending battle.

  Among the chaos of preparation, Talia, Reese, Kai, and Owen took it upon themselves to share the knowledge they had gained from Kei—the methods of Aether manipulation and Force alignment he had taught them.

  However, to the disappointment of the leaders, very few people were able to grasp or apply those teachings effectively.

  The problem became apparent quickly.

  For too long, people had become overly reliant on the system, letting it dictate everything—from the way they manipulated Aether, to how they channeled Force when activating skills.

  Without the system’s assistance and structure, most found themselves completely lost.

  Was it due to a lack of understanding?

  Or perhaps an inability to instinctively control Aether and Force on their own?

  Whatever the reason, the majority failed to adapt.

  Instead of pushing forward and refining their abilities, people fell back into old habits—choosing to embrace the system’s convenience rather than struggle with something unfamiliar.

  It wasn’t long before opposition grew.

  Many openly dismissed the idea of bypassing the system altogether, arguing that the system’s guidance was far more reliable than the vague advice of some nameless individual who refused to even reveal his identity.

  And so, the majority clung to the system.

  For better or worse, they chose comfort over growth.

  Even the leaders themselves had to admit the difficulty of Kei’s methods.

  Despite their experience and skill, many found it incredibly challenging to break away from their reliance on the system’s structured guidance.

  Of the people who had been taught and trained, only a few truly grasped the natural approach to Aether manipulation and Force alignment.

  Among them, Kaito Ren, Jenny, and Jin Saito stood out.

  They took to the methods almost instinctively, adapting far faster than anyone else. Their performances in combat spoke for themselves—especially Jin and Jenny, who quickly became powerhouses in their own right.

  Jenny, however, preferred to remain hidden, avoiding attention while quietly honing her newfound abilities.

  As time passed, a division formed within the settlement.

  Two factions emerged—those who embraced the natural method of harnessing Aether and Force, and those who continued to rely on the system for their strength.

  The System Faction quickly became the overwhelming majority, boasting more than 9,600 members.

  For them, the system’s structured guidance, reliability, and accessibility far outweighed the effort required to master control over Aether and Force on their own.

  Meanwhile, the Natural Faction was a mere fraction in comparison.

  Though many supported the idea of self-reliance, very few were actually capable of putting it into practice.

  Even among its members, most found themselves reluctantly relying on the system for stability, unable to fully break free from its grasp.

  The divide was clear.

  And whether they realized it or not, this division would shape the future of power in this world.

  And the source of this divide?

  It could be traced back to one person.

  "Hey, I heard you do custom crafts. Can you make something for me?"

  The blacksmith-turned-craftsman glanced up from her workbench, eyeing the newcomer.

  "Sure. What is it?"

  She blinked when she saw the design Kei handed over.

  "A... calligraphy brush? That's an odd request, but okay, I guess. Shouldn't be too expensive—about 50 Bronze should do."

  Kei hummed in thought, then casually opened his inventory.

  "Here you go."

  He handed over the payment without hesitation.

  The craftswoman nodded, taking out her woodworking tools and quickly getting to work.

  Kei, standing nearby, watched closely.

  His eyes flicked to the chisel in her hands, studying the way she worked with the wood harvested from the Expanse.

  He observed every movement, committing them to memory.

  After a moment, he spoke.

  "Is the wood here more difficult to work with than the ones back on Earth?"

  The craftswoman let out a short laugh.

  "Very much so. Took a while to get used to, but it requires a lot more effort. The density, the grain—everything about it is just... tougher."

  Kei hummed again.

  Then, after a pause—

  "Can I see that woodworking tool?"

  She hesitated, then shrugged.

  "Um? Sure?"

  She handed him the chisel.

  The moment it touched Kei’s hands, something changed.

  Aether surged through the tool, causing it to glow faintly with an orange hue.

  The craftswoman’s eyes widened.

  Before she could say anything, Kei picked up a piece of the same wood she had been struggling with and effortlessly chiseled away a perfect slice.

  The movement was smooth, precise—flawless.

  "Wow..." the craftswoman muttered, her voice filled with disbelief.

  Then she shook her head with a small laugh.

  "You're one of those ‘Natural’ supporters, huh? Gotta admit, that’s really useful."

  She wasn’t wrong.

  "Natural?" Kei echoed, tilting his head slightly.

  He considered it for a moment, then shrugged.

  "I guess. If you’re interested, I could teach you. It’d make your work a lot easier."

  The craftswoman’s eyes lit up with interest.

  "That’d be great! Thanks."

  Without hesitation, Kei began guiding her through the process.

  He showed her how to circulate Aether more efficiently, following the predestined paths within her body, ensuring a smoother flow and allowing it to manifest externally with far less effort.

  With each step, she felt the difference—the resistance fading, the control increasing.

  And just like that, another person had stepped onto the path of the Natural Faction.

  Now, in her hands, the tools she worked with glowed—a faint but noticeable pinkish tint of Aether radiating from them.

  Excited to test out her newfound control, she returned to Kei’s request, eager to see the difference.

  And immediately ruined it.

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  She had completely misjudged how much easier the work had become, her tools cutting through the wood too smoothly, too effortlessly. The brush handle splintered in her hands.

  Silence.

  Kei gave her a placid look, his expression practically saying:

  "Really?"

  She let out a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head.

  "Uh… it’s free?" she offered awkwardly.

  Kei shrugged. "Sounds good. I’ll walk around and check things out for a bit—"

  She barely registered his words, already focused on redoing her work, excitement gleaming in her eyes as she looked forward to using her tools properly this time.

  Kei, watching her enthusiasm, sighed internally.

  Before leaving, he added:

  "By the way, do you know where I could buy calligraphy scrolls? Or maybe have them made?"

  Without even looking up, she waved him off.

  "I can make those too. Free, of course."

  Kei paused.

  Free?

  He wasn’t about to argue.

  With that settled, Kei left the craftswoman to her work, letting her experiment with her newfound control over Aether.

  As he stepped away, something caught his ear.

  A few people were discussing a variant hare they had encountered in the forest.

  Intrigued, Kei erased his presence, blending into the surroundings as he silently followed them.

  They spoke about its unusual speed and the difficulty of tracking it. As they prepared themselves to handle the creature, Kei memorized the coordinates they shared.

  The moment he had what he needed, he was gone.

  Kei moved swiftly through the settlement, heading toward the marked location.

  With Zephyr Wind aiding his steps, he pushed forward at full speed, his 18 Agility points put to absolute use.

  If anyone saw him move, they’d never believe his agility was only 18.

  To them, it would seem impossible.

  As if he had dumped every single stat point into agility.

  If he ever revealed the truth, that he had barely invested stat points into agility and instead had grown his physical abilities naturally, they’d sooner call him a liar than believe what they were seeing.

  But that was fine.

  Kei had no interest in proving himself to them.

  All that mattered was getting to the hare first.

  And that he did.

  Kei arrived at the location faster than the others, his presence erased, his steps silent.

  And there it was.

  A massive hare, far larger than any ordinary one. Its fur was a deep storm-gray, faint streaks of crackling electricity running along its limbs with every twitch of movement. The air around it hummed with residual energy, as if the creature itself was a living conduit for lightning.

  Kei narrowed his eyes, relying on his observation to gauge its strength.

  [Stormclaw Hare]

  Level: 10

  Force Alignment: Thunder Veil (Minor Law – Lightning Affinity)

  His gaze flicked over its stance, the way its muscles coiled like compressed springs, the static flickering between its paws.

  The others hadn’t arrived yet.

  Kei had time.

  And so, he made his move.

  Kei pulled out his Windpiercer Needles, grasping them between his fingers as he prepared to strike.

  Then—

  A thunderclap.

  A blur of motion.

  Before he could react, his world spun violently.

  CRASH.

  Branches snapped, leaves scattered, and pain erupted through his chest as he found himself buried in a tangled mess of trees.

  His breath hitched. His ribs ached.

  A notification flickered across his vision.

  [Kei Yuichi]

  [HP]: 30/40

  "Ugh… that really hurt."

  Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to sit up, his right arm screaming in pain.

  It was fractured, blood seeping from torn skin.

  Kei let out a slow exhale, already making a mental note.

  "Note to self: teach myself to be ambidextrous."

  His mind refocused immediately.

  He turned his gaze toward where the Stormclaw Hare had been.

  It wasn’t there anymore.

  Movement.

  Kei’s Breeze Force surged, wind currents sharpening his senses.

  Above.

  He reacted instinctively.

  Flipping backward just in time, he dodged as the Hare’s charged foot slammed into the ground, sending a burst of electricity rippling through the dirt.

  Before he even landed, Kei let his needles fly.

  They streaked through the air, slicing forward with deadly precision—

  Targeting the joints of the Stormclaw Hare.

  A sudden jolt of pain shot through the Stormclaw Hare’s body.

  It flinched, confused, unable to immediately register what had struck it.

  Then, it noticed.

  Its movements were sluggish, its limbs stiff and unresponsive.

  Kei had left the Windpiercer Needles buried in its joints, restricting its mobility—and he had no intention of letting up.

  He moved.

  Launching himself forward, Kei closed the distance, his body twisting mid-air.

  Using the force of his momentum, he drove the needles deeper with a series of precise, brutal kicks.

  His right arm was useless, fractured and barely able to move.

  So he adjusted.

  Instead of punches, he switched entirely to kicks, delivering a relentless flurry of strikes from various martial arts styles.

  Each impact forced the needles in further, locking the hare’s joints, further disrupting its movement.

  But the Stormclaw Hare wasn’t finished.

  Though hindered,

  Suddenly—

  Lightning surged.

  Bolts of static energy exploded outward, rippling through the air in chaotic bursts.

  Kei gritted his teeth.

  The electricity alone was dangerous, but there was something even worse.

  With every burst, a thunderclap followed, deafening and disorienting.

  It wasn’t just the force of the lightning keeping him at bay.

  The sound itself was disrupting his focus, making it harder to track the hare’s movements, harder to push forward.

  For the first time since the fight started—

  Kei was being forced back.

  As if a magnetic field had suddenly formed around the Stormclaw Hare, the Windpiercer Needles began to forcefully eject from its body.

  The static bursts of lightning crackled through the air, repelling the metallic projectiles like polarized forces rejecting one another.

  Kei narrowed his eyes, recalling the needles to his grasp.

  Metallic structures don’t mix well with charged fields.

  That was a problem.

  But it wasn’t his only option.

  Without hesitation, Kei launched himself forward, twisting mid-air in a ballet of kicks, each movement fluid, sharp, and precise.

  His form was impeccable, a testament to the acrobatic techniques he had learned from Zeph.

  Each kick was infused with Aether, his feet glowing with a faint orange hue, enhancing both speed and impact.

  Despite the relentless static pulses, he kept up the pressure, his strikes forcing the Hare back step by step.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  The constant bursts of lightning made closing the distance dangerous, every attack becoming riskier as the pulses threatened to throw off his rhythm.

  With a quick leap backward, Kei adjusted his approach.

  Zephyr Wind surged.

  From his left hand, blades of wind lashed out, razor-sharp currents cutting into the Stormclaw Hare’s flesh.

  The beast recoiled, its movements faltering as fresh wounds opened across its body.

  But it wasn’t finished.

  Snarling, the Stormclaw Hare gathered power in its hind legs, preparing to spring forward and deliver a punishing kick.

  But then—

  Its muscles locked up.

  Its limbs twitched uncontrollably.

  It tried to leap—and failed.

  Confusion flickered in its glowing eyes as its own body betrayed it.

  Kei landed lightly, watching as realization dawned on the beast.

  His grin was sharp, amused.

  "Finally… those nerve toxins I put on the Windpiercer Needles are kicking in."

  Activating Tempest Convergence, Kei merged with the wind.

  His speed skyrocketed.

  A sickening crunch echoed through the forest as his left fist slammed into the Stormclaw Hare’s head, the impact launching it backward with tremendous force.

  Bang.

  Bang.

  Two sudden splurts of blood erupted from the hare’s eyes.

  Kei exhaled, shaking out his fist.

  "Haven’t done that in a while."

  The Hare landed hard, but this time, it wasn’t just hurt—it was enraged.

  Its entire body trembled, not from injury, but from the sheer amount of power it was about to unleash.

  The surrounding air thickened with tension as it summoned every last drop of its strength.

  Sparks of volatile energy arced across its fur, static discharges igniting the ground beneath its feet.

  It wasn’t planning to just attack Kei anymore.

  It was going to level everything in the area—Kei included.

  Kei’s eyes narrowed.

  "I guess it’s time to try this."

  He raised his arm, positioning his hand into a familiar shape—mimicking the head of a sheep.

  The moment the form was made, a shift occurred.

  It was as if his Force Alignment had suddenly changed.

  Ebb and Flow Force surged through his hand.

  The air around him distorted, rippling with unseen energy.

  Aether coalesced—taking shape.

  A spectral, jet-black sheep’s head manifested over Kei’s outstretched hand.

  Its marble-white horns curled elegantly, glistening under the storm-lit sky.

  The Stormclaw Hare froze.

  It sensed it.

  A pulling force—an unnatural, inescapable gravitational weight forcing it to acknowledge its opponent.

  And then, it felt something even worse.

  An immense surge of Aether gathering, drawn toward Kei—no, toward his hand in particular.

  "I knew it was a smart idea to make friends with Wooloo."

  Kei grinned.

  Then—

  The astral sheep projection launched forward, propelled by an immense force of Aether.

  The black ram-like projection crashed into the Stormclaw Hare, disrupting the massive attack it had been charging—

  Forcing it to a complete stop.

  Witnessing the destruction his astral projection had caused, Kei whistled in amusement and mild shock.

  "Much stronger than I thought it was going to be, if I’m being honest."

  His eyes flicked back to the Stormclaw Hare, its body motionless on the battlefield.

  But he wasn’t fooled.

  "Come on now, I know you're not dead. Shake off the neurotoxins and get up."

  The Hare twitched.

  It had hoped to play dead and wait for an opening to escape, but now that its deception had been called out, it slowly lifted its head and glared fiercely at Kei.

  Kei smirked.

  "Alright, alright, don’t look at me like that. Here you go."

  Without hesitation, he shoved his broken right arm into its mouth.

  The Hare stiffened at first, but then—

  Its entire body shuddered with bliss.

  A surge of unfiltered Aether coursed through its system, revitalizing it in an instant.

  "Hehehe… thunder rabbit, I wonder how cool that’ll be."

  Kei grinned gleefully, like a child waiting for a grand reveal.

  Then, his expression shifted as he glanced toward the distant treeline.

  "Alright, you better get going. There are people coming to kill you."

  The Hare’s ears flicked, its gaze lingering on Kei for a moment before it obeyed, hopping away into the depths of the forest.

  Kei exhaled, then erased his presence, slipping into the shadows of the trees.

  Minutes later, the sound of approaching footsteps filled the area.

  "What the hell happened here?"

  "Where’s the Hare? It was just here not too long ago!"

  "No clue. Looks like a fight took place… but against what? This whole area is wrecked."

  Kei remained hidden on a high tree branch, silently committing each person's face to memory.

  Once he was satisfied, he left—returning to the settlement.

  Kei made his way back to the craftswoman’s shop, stepping inside.

  "Hi there," he greeted casually.

  The craftswoman glanced up and smiled.

  "Just in time. Here’s your calligraphy brush and scrolls."

  Kei inspected the items. The craftsmanship was excellent—precise and sturdy.

  "These look great. Thanks again."

  Then, his gaze shifted toward the wood carving tools nearby.

  "Also, can I buy those wood carving tools from you?"

  The craftswoman waved him off with a grin.

  "Treat it as a gift for the lesson. Besides, looks like you could use some good luck—what happened to your arm? It looks really banged up."

  Kei shrugged.

  "It’ll be fine."

  Pocketing his new tools, he waved goodbye.

  "Take care, and thanks again."

  With that, he left the shop, already thinking about his next move.

  "Odd fellow."

  Lisa, the craftswoman, murmured to herself as she watched Kei leave.

  Just then, the shop door swung open again.

  "Hey Lisa, that’s a nice glowing pink tool in your hand. Looks like you’ve shifted to the Natural side, huh?"

  Jenny strolled in casually, her gaze flicking toward Lisa’s Aether-infused tools as she greeted her.

  Lisa shrugged.

  "Yeah, some guy came in asking for a calligraphy brush and scrolls, then just casually taught me how to circulate Aether properly. Weird day, to be honest."

  Jenny smirked, tilting her head.

  "But you’re always weird, though."

  She raised an eyebrow playfully.

  Lisa let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her head.

  "Yeah, yeah… guess I walked into that one."