Jade continued moving through the wilderness.
The ancient citadel slowly disappeared behind him.
He didn't look back.
For now...
There was no reason to.
He had survived Kelvin.
He had secured the Elemental Stone altar.
And most importantly—
He had discovered another piece of the mystery surrounding himself.
Jadeborn.
The word remained inside his mind.
He still didn't understand it.
But he would.
Eventually.
For now, there were more immediate problems.
His essence pathways.
His leaking essence.
And his next rank.
Jade moved through the forest cautiously.
The Spiritual Realm was enormous.
Even after everything he had experienced, there were still countless regions he had never explored.
Every tree could hide a monster.
Every cave could contain a treasure.
Every shadow could conceal something capable of killing an Initiate.
Jade didn't underestimate anything.
Especially after fighting Kelvin.
That battle had taught him something important.
Raw strength wasn't enough.
Knowledge mattered.
Preparation mattered.
And sometimes...
The strongest person wasn't the one who attacked first.
It was the one who prepared the battlefield.
Jade continued walking.
Several hours passed.
Then—
A roar echoed through the forest.
Jade stopped.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
Something was approaching.
He immediately summoned Obsidian Vine Shadow.
Dark crystalline vines wrapped around his body.
His senses expanded.
A creature emerged between the trees.
An enormous beast covered in gray scales.
Its claws were thick enough to crush stone.
Its mouth opened.
A deep growl echoed from its throat.
Jade studied it.
Initiate.
Not particularly strong.
Not particularly dangerous.
But useful.
He smiled.
"Perfect."
The creature charged.
Jade didn't even summon his greatsword.
His fist ignited with crimson flames.
He stepped forward.
BOOM!
One punch.
The creature's skull shattered.
Its enormous body collapsed.
The familiar System notification appeared immediately.
You have slain an Initiate Beast.
Fragments acquired.
Jade blinked.
That was different.
Normally, after killing a creature, he would still need to consume its body to absorb the remaining fragments.
But now—
The System had automatically given him fragments the moment the creature died.
Jade stared at the corpse.
"...That's new."
He opened his profile.
The fragments had already been added.
No eating.
No absorption process.
No waiting.
It was instantaneous.
For a moment, Jade felt relieved.
Then he noticed something.
The creature's corpse still contained essence.
And fragments.
He could feel them.
They remained inside the flesh.
Untouched.
Jade crouched beside the corpse.
He placed one hand against it.
Nothing.
He couldn't absorb them.
His expression slowly darkened.
"So that's the downside."
The damage Kelvin had inflicted on his essence pathways had changed the way his body interacted with pure blood fragments.
Before...
Jade could consume monster flesh and extract the fragments hidden within it.
Now...
The System automatically rewarded him with fragments when he killed a creature.
But the remaining fragments trapped inside the corpse...
Were inaccessible.
Jade sighed.
"That's annoying."
He looked at the enormous corpse.
There was still plenty of useful essence inside it.
He couldn't use it.
For the first time...
Jade genuinely missed the old method.
The automatic reward was convenient.
But the quantity was noticeably smaller.
If he had been able to consume the creature normally, he would have received far more fragments.
Jade shook his head.
"I guess nothing comes for free."
His damaged essence pathways had given him a new method.
But they had also taken something away.
He stood.
"Fine."
"If that's the only way I can absorb fragments for now..."
"...I'll just kill more."
And so—
He hunted.
---
Days passed.
Then more days.
Jade traveled deeper into the Spiritual Realm.
One creature.
Then another.
Then another.
Every time he killed one, the System immediately rewarded him with fragments and essence.
You have slain an Initiate Beast.
Fragments acquired.
Essence acquired.
Another.
You have slain an Initiate Mystic.
Fragments acquired.
Essence acquired.
Another.
You have slain an Initiate Demon.
Fragments acquired.
Essence acquired.
The process was different now.
Cleaner.
Faster.
But also less rewarding.
The bodies still contained fragments.
Jade simply couldn't reach them.
Sometimes he stared at the corpses afterward with visible frustration.
"All that wasted..."
Then he would sigh.
There was nothing he could do.
At least...
His essence leakage had slowed.
It was no longer pouring out of him.
Instead, it was a slow drain.
Manageable.
For now.
Jade also remained alert.
Kelvin could still be following him.
He never allowed himself to forget that.
Every time he rested...
He checked the surroundings.
Every time he entered a cave...
He inspected every exit.
Every time he killed a creature...
He immediately moved.
But Kelvin never appeared.
Days passed.
Nothing.
Weeks passed.
Still nothing.
Eventually Jade understood.
Kelvin had gotten the message.
The fact that Jade had defeated him...
And then deliberately walked away without killing him...
Had meant something.
Kelvin understood what Jade had done.
It wasn't mercy.
It wasn't forgiveness.
It was a second chance.
Jade had essentially told him:
Become stronger.
Next time...
Don't lose.
Kelvin understood.
And perhaps...
That was exactly what he wanted.
Somewhere far away, Kelvin probably thought of Jade's survival like planting a seed.
Let the seed grow.
Let it become stronger.
Let it develop.
Then...
When the time came...
He would harvest it.
The stronger Jade became...
The more valuable Jade's abilities would become.
And when Kelvin eventually killed him—
Everything Jade had accumulated would become Kelvin's.
His memories.
His soul.
His body.
His powers.
His knowledge.
His blood.
His secrets.
Kelvin wasn't afraid of Jade becoming stronger.
He welcomed it.
Because in his mind...
A stronger Jade meant a greater reward.
Jade didn't know exactly what Kelvin was thinking.
But something inside him told him...
Their next meeting would be very different.
---
Weeks passed.
Jade continued hunting.
His body changed.
His movements became sharper.
His combat instincts became more refined.
His control over Blood Control improved.
His Shadow Control became smoother.
His Obsidian Vine Shadow became more responsive.
And slowly...
The fragments accumulated.
His power climbed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until finally—
The System appeared.
Rank Advancement Successful.
Initiate Mythic Achieved.
Jade froze.
He stared at the notification.
Then slowly smiled.
"Finally."
The pressure inside his body changed.
His essence became denser.
His Soul Core stabilized.
His physical strength increased.
His senses became sharper.
Even his damaged essence pathways seemed slightly stronger.
Jade clenched his fist.
The surrounding air trembled.
He looked toward the horizon.
Then toward the direction of the citadel.
A familiar thought appeared.
The Shadow Knight.
Jade's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the creature.
He remembered the terrifying pressure it had released.
But now...
He felt different.
Stronger.
Much stronger.
Perhaps...
He could fight it.
Perhaps he could even survive its strongest form.
For several seconds, Jade seriously considered returning.
Then he shook his head.
"No."
Not yet.
The desire to test himself was strong.
But returning to the citadel now would be reckless.
He had already escaped once.
There was no reason to throw his life away simply because his strength had increased.
Jade turned away.
"Later."
"Once I'm stronger."
"I'll come back."
---
The following days were spent searching for a Citadel.
Jade needed a way back to the Human World.
He also needed a healer.
His essence pathways were still damaged.
The leakage had become slower, but it hadn't disappeared.
If he remained in the Spiritual Realm indefinitely...
Eventually the damage would become a serious problem.
He needed someone capable of repairing the pathways.
And the Human World had Masters.
Awakened.
Healers.
Experts.
Someone would know what to do.
Jade continued hunting while searching.
He hoped to encounter Awakened creatures.
He also hoped to find more Initiate creatures.
Every kill mattered now.
Every fragment.
Every bit of essence.
His strength continued climbing.
But the damage remained.
Eventually...
After several more days...
Jade saw it.
A Citadel.
Its enormous walls rose above the wilderness.
A faint protective barrier surrounded the structure.
Jade stopped.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Finally."
He walked toward the entrance.
The Citadel's transportation system recognized him.
Blue light surrounded his body.
His consciousness became weightless.
The Spiritual Realm faded.
The wilderness disappeared.
The monsters vanished.
Then—
Darkness.
Silence.
And finally...
Reality.
---
Jade slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was cool air.
Fresh air.
Human World air.
He remained inside the sleeping pod for several seconds.
Then—
Hiss.
The glass covering slid upward.
Fresh air flowed into the chamber.
Jade slowly sat up.
His body still felt tired.
His essence pathways still burned faintly.
But he was home.
At least...
Closer to home.
Jade stepped out of the sleeping pod.
The familiar hall of the Projection Residence surrounded him.
Rows of sleeping pods stretched into the distance.
Awakened instructors and medical staff moved between them.
Jade took a slow breath.
For the first time in weeks...
He didn't need to worry about a monster appearing from behind a tree.
A voice suddenly called out.
"Robin?"
He turned.
An Awakened instructor approached him.
The man looked slightly concerned.
"Are you okay?"
Jade nodded.
"I'm fine."
The instructor studied him for another second.
Then nodded.
"Good."
He checked something on his tablet.
"Actually..."
He looked back at Jade.
"Instructor Rock asked me to inform you."
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"Instructor Rock?"
"Yes."
The instructor pointed toward the exit.
"He wants you to meet him in his office once you're awake."
Jade nodded.
"All right."
He stretched his shoulders.
"But I'll freshen up first."
The instructor smiled.
"Fair enough."
Jade walked toward the exit.
His footsteps echoed quietly through the hall.
He had returned from the Spiritual Realm.
He had reached the Initiate Mythic class.
He had obtained more fragments.
He had survived Kelvin.
He had secured the Elemental Stone altar.
And yet...
His problems had only multiplied.
His essence pathways were damaged.
He still didn't understand what a Jadeborn was.
Kelvin remained alive somewhere in the Spiritual Realm.
The mysterious citadel was still waiting.
And the altar...
Was safely hidden inside his Soul Sea.
Jade stopped briefly before leaving the building.
He looked toward the sky.
"One problem at a time."
First...
He needed a healer.
Then...
He needed to become stronger.
Much stronger.
Because sooner or later—
He would return to that citadel.
And next time...
He intended to be strong enough to uncover every secret it was hiding.