The Lord's Determination and Wings of Freedom
"He's leaving."
From the top floor of the towering palace, Karimru watched Aleck depart from the Sama Battleground.
"You look awfully reluctant, my lord."
"Do I?"
Karimru smiled faintly at Norton's words. It was true enough. If he had his way, he'd keep Aleck glued to his side.
He's always been a gem worth coveting, but now...
Karimru shuddered as he recalled Aleck's prowess in battle.
Activating the genetic factors of an ancient species... Does that make him an ancient one?
Karimru had come across records of the ancients before. It was common knowledge across the continent that those ancient beings possessed far greater power than modern common species. They had flourished a civilization bold enough to challenge the gods themselves—only to vanish in an instant for reasons unknown.
And a Megaera Mantis at that...
As the lord encompassing all mantis clans in the Sama Battleground, Karimru had access to secret histories passed down only to lords like him. Among them: the most powerful of the ancient species had been the Megaera Mantis.
Of course, he'd dismissed it as embellished legend—hard to believe, given how mantises were kicked around like punching bags these days. Sure, mantises ranked high now, but their middling position often turned them into mere combat gauges. They lacked the impenetrable exoskeletons of top-tier armored bugs, nor did they boast attacks optimized to pierce such shells.
It had taken countless ancestors' efforts for mantises to claim their title as combat specialists.
"We have to snag him, no matter what."
"Hm? Ah."
Karimru steeled his resolve and spoke. Norton eyed him quizzically at first, then nodded in understanding.
"You're serious about pairing him with Robed, aren't you?"
"Exactly. Fortunately, it seems she's had feelings for him for a while."
"You've raised a fine daughter, my lord. Sharp eye for men."
"Haha, she takes after her mother—who picked me, after all, with that keen judgment."
"Kuhaha! Can't argue with that."
Karimru and Norton traded barbs, bursting into roaring laughter.
"You agree too, right? No one fits Robed better than Aleck."
"Absolutely. Setting everything else aside, that kid Aleck... he's a once-in-history prodigy, no doubt. Even scouring the entire continent, I doubt you'd find anyone with his potential and talent."
"Exactly!"
Karimru's eyes gleamed, his conviction deepening at Norton's words.
"You have no idea how shocked I was this time."
"This time? What happened?"
"Well, my Heavenly Thunder Swordsmanship, right?"
Norton raised his hand and swung it through the air.
Pzzt-zzt.
Sparks flew, faint thunder energy crackling. Even a mere mimicry with his hand revealed the technique's extraordinary nature.
"He absorbed the whole thing in just four days. Including Praying Mantis Swordsmanship: Extreme. If I'd only taught him Heavenly Thunder, he might've grasped the essence in two days flat."
"...For real?"
Karimru's eyes widened. As Norton's liege and longtime comrade, he knew full well how intricate and grueling that swordsmanship was. Two techniques in four days? If Norton hadn't said it himself, he'd have called it nonsense.
"I haven't even mastered Praying Mantis Swordsmanship: Extreme yet... Heh, do ancient genetic factors grant such genius?"
"Maybe. But from what I see, Aleck himself is the exceptional one. You've watched him since infancy—he stood out even then. Remembering that kid makes his awakening make perfect sense."
"Heh heh heh."
Karimru chuckled heartily at Norton's words.
I have to—absolutely have to—secure him for Robed!
He'd reaffirmed it countless times today alone. Aleck was talent they couldn't let slip away. Karimru stared at the receding figure, his gaze burning fiercely.
* * *
Shiver!
"Hm?"
The moment I left the Sama Battleground, an inexplicable chill washed over me.
It's not cold out...
Was I just tense? Fair enough. Time to get serious.
I shook it off and pulled a rune from my pouch—a wing-shaped one glowing blue. High-Speed Flight (A+).
After leaving the treasury, I'd consumed the Tyrosine Pill but held off on the rune. My rapidly growing abilities needed time to settle. With Norton training me anyway, it worked out perfectly. Runes weren't urgent, so I'd absorb them one by one after leaving.
Maybe because I'd taken so many already, I no longer felt the need for elaborate prep.
Gulp.
I swallowed the rune stone mid-stride without pause.
High-Speed Flight (A+) has been registered.
Flight power infuses into Immature Wings.
A tingle prickled my back with the system message. I immediately partial primalized my wings.
A pair sprouted from my back—not fully grown, but reaching my waist.
Even with the High-Speed Flight rune, these tiny wings looked woefully inadequate for real flight.
But.
My eyes sparkled as I tensed my legs.
High Jump!
Boom!
My body rocketed upward like a bullet.
Once more.
Triangle Leap!
Thud, thud, boom!
Exaggeration aside, I soared near the clouds. Trees shrank to finger-sized specks.
Then I unleashed the new power.
Shhhwhoosh—
My adorably stubby wings unfurled wide. Instead of plummeting, my body sliced forward through the wind.
Screeeee—!
It works!
It felt more like gliding than true flight, but the wings' occasional flaps extended my airtime toward actual flying.
This sense of liberation!
No mantis—not even in full primalization—could revel in sky-soaring like this. Sure, it paled against true fliers, but a mantis like me flying was undeniable fact.
"Hahaha!"
A cool thrill surged from deep within, bursting from my lips.
In that moment, I knew I'd never need to borrow pathfinder primal bugs for travel again. Ground routes couldn't compare to air, even if speed fell short.
I figured a convenience rune was fine with slots to spare, but this was a brilliant pick.
Not that I'd chosen it just for ease, but it exceeded expectations—satisfying.
If these wings fully grow...
Dragonfly-level? No, at least bee-free flight. Grinning at the fantasy, I flapped again.
* * *
Long ago, known for the descent of divine wrath, the southern region—now stronghold of the Amar King Centipede clan—erupted with a sudden explosion.
Kabooooom!
A skyscraper scraping the heavens crumbled in ruin.
"Graaaaaah! You trash third lords! Excluding me, is that it? Dare to cast aside Craig himself?!"
The instigator: Craig, one of the four great lords. He bellowed his rage at the other three.
Shaaaaaa—!
Viscous dark-green energy burst from him again.
"Gaaah!"
"C-Craig, sir..."
"S-Save..."
His horrific, ultra-toxic ether melted nearby subordinates into puddles of blood. Screams filled the air amid the carnage.
"Kuhuhu."
Craig finally caught his breath after rampaging.
"Kuremlin."
"Yes, you called?"
Kuremlin rose shadow-like from the ground.
"Did those Chung Hak Gwan vermin really declare war on me?"
"...Yes."
Craig's voice dripped killing intent. Kuremlin tensed, sensing his life hung by a thread.
"Kuhuhuhu, Bardru—that damned firefly bastard... Gnash!"
Bloodshot fury filled Craig's eyes.
The Amar King Centipede clan's plight was the worst since founding.
Where did it go wrong?
Ever since Kiria raided the lab, things spiraled.
Her rampage had already stirred chaos, but then the culprits got nabbed.
Sigh, too much at once.
Distracted for once, he'd overlooked details. Result: the clan finger-pointed by all.
Seizing the moment, subjugated minorities halted tributes, showing unrest. Even the other three lords—supposedly obligated to back them—went silent, as if the Amars could rot.
They want to boost their influence by letting us crumble. Fleas... Gnash.
Craig's teeth ground again. Real trouble followed.
Until then, fixable—but Sama Battleground exploited the chaos, plotting rebellion.
Unacceptable. Their growing power threatened even the great lords.
Planned to wipe them out and install a new lord.
Enter Duraan: pillar of the clan, excluding guards—the mightiest Poison Centipede Legion, one of four legions. As its commander, sorting Sama should've been trivial.
But.
How did Kun—that flapping fairy butterfly fucker—crawl out?
Sealed against ancients, no less. The unforeseen variable toppled prized weapon Duraan—Craig could only watch.
He'd considered intervening personally to raze Sama and retrieve Duraan, but.
Bardru, you're blocking my path again—!
Bardru of starry light: Forturis firefly clan, Chung Hak Gwan guardian. Top-tier ultimate body, one of the continent's thirteen absolutes alongside Craig.
Led by him, Chung Hak Gwan declared war on Amar King Centipedes.
Thus, war's curtain rose between Chung Hak Gwan and the four great clans.
An educational-research institute, yet its guardians were battle-hardened veterans. Even Amars couldn't underestimate that might—especially now, minus a pillar, with others hostile.
Fail this crisis, and the four clans' supremacy might shatter.
"Kuremlin, smash Chung Hak Gwan with full force."
"Understood."
Craig resolved: gift despair to these fools daring to challenge him and his clan.
With this...
He opened his clenched fist, revealing a raw stone pulsing ominous energy.
* * *
Shwoooooosh—!
Streaking straight across the continent via sky, I arrived faster than expected at my rendezvous with Katt.
No wonder Craig obsesses over the skies.
First time fully feeling High-Speed Flight in Abian Continent life, I burned to evolve it to full flight.
Hm?
Mid-flight, my eyes caught a massive gathering midway up a mountain.
Night insect soldiers...
Assembled like an army for war. Sensing trouble, I veered toward them.