Chapter 89: Megaera's Stormwind Awakening

Kwaaaaaah—!

I watched the miraculous scene unfolding before my eyes, chills racing across my entire body. The two worlds that had split the heavens—one filled with lightning, the other with wind—were merging into one.

Crackle! Whoooosh! Zap!

The vast sea of ether was blanketed in thunderbolts, fierce gales whipping across its surface. Dragon-like waterspouts erupted sporadically, crackling with lightning as they spewed forth brilliant blue light.

'Ah...'

My mouth fell open, a voice filled with rapture slipping out. Every single cell in my body began filling with new energy.

'I can see it.'

The path I must follow. I welcomed the ecstatic sensation, like soaring above the clouds, embracing the changes surging through my entire being. My consciousness flickered, time losing all meaning. In my hazy mind, I examined every corner of my body down to the cellular level.

How much time passed like that? The seemingly eternal moment finally ended, and a system message appeared before my eyes.

With that message, the world before my eyes crumbled, a new one beginning to unfold.

* * *

"No way... is he molting right here and now?"

Koon noticed the changes starting in Aleck's body, which had been motionless in lotus position for so long.

"This guy's something else!"

Koon stuck out his tongue in awe as he watched Aleck. He hadn't expected him to master Wind Thunder Qi Gong so quickly, let alone proceed straight into molting on top of it. That was a probability even lower than one in ten million.

'What the hell is this kid's true identity?'

The way Titanoptera had reacted to Aleck was unmistakably one of fear. Koon, who had uncomfortably coexisted with the creature for over a century, had never seen it behave like that before.

'What did it see in him to make it so terrified?'

Koon shook his head, unable to make sense of it no matter how much he pondered.

'But one thing's clear.'

His eyes gleamed sharply as he gazed at Aleck.

'He's the one from the prophecy.'

Koon was the greatest shaman of the Shinseon Butterfly clan. His sorcery was unrivaled across the entire Abian Continent, and he excelled in divination based on precognition.

'A massive dark cloud will engulf this continent, but a brilliant sun will emerge to drive it away.'

He had repeated the divination countless times from ten years ago until now, always yielding the same result.

'At first, I thought I was that sun.'

Titanoptera was a being capable of annihilating the continent once its seal broke. Koon had been the one holding it back alone.

'But no.'

Initially, he could only assume the ominous cloud was Titanoptera and the sun dispelling it was himself. But he knew better than anyone that his power couldn't surpass ancient species. Sealing them was his best and his limit. And recently, he'd learned something even more dire.

'There isn't just one ancient species...'

Discovering others as powerful as Titanoptera scattered across the continent had filled him with despair at the insurmountable wall.

'One day, they'll awaken too. When they do, even the four great lords combined might not hold them back!'

He had tasted profound hopelessness at the darkening future of the continent. But now...

He finally understood who the prophecy's "sun" truly was.

'If this kid grows further, he might not just seal the ancient species—he could eliminate them entirely.'

Koon shuddered repeatedly at that glimmer of hope. For that day, he resolved to give everything he could—Harmony Qi Gong or whatever else.

'A little mantis is still a mantis... if I support him well... Wait! Mantis?'

A sudden memory of Mantis Lord Karimru's request surfaced. He'd asked for a divination about a child to entrust the clan's future to, without even naming him...

'It had to be Aleck. The fate he bears—for the continent's future—is too immense, so the divination veered off.'

Koon's conviction grew that Aleck was the prophecy's sun.

'The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mantis Hall already figured it out long ago... What a relief. My burden feels lighter.'

Koon realized the weight he'd carried had eased. He silently watched Aleck's molting for a long time.

* * *

Golden waves surged before my eyes, forming the message of successful molting.

A power incomparable to before welled up throughout my body.

'Ah.'

I murmured softly, feeling the overflowing strength. But the changes weren't over.

A welcome message appeared, followed by a scorching heat like molten lava stirring my cells once more.

'Limit Break!'

The supreme trait that had elevated me to the top in my previous life. Experiencing its unlock again in this one filled me with indescribable joy.

'I didn't expect to reach Growth Stage this quickly.'

The enlightenment of thunder clouds fusing with Wind Qi Gong had raged like a storm. The moment the system chimed, I instinctively knew: a little further, and I'd succeed in molting.

'Hoo... and I claimed it just like that.'

I stabilized the excitedly boiling ether inside according to Wind Thunder Qi Gong's formula.

'...!'

Wind Thunder Qi Gong had become a skill! My enlightenment in Wind Qi Gong, Norton's in Thunder Qi Gong, and even Koon's essence of encompassing Harmony Qi Gong. Its depth was at least as profound as Wind Qi Gong, if not more—so I figured it would take ages for me, who hadn't even skillified Thunder Qi Gong. Yet I'd obtained it already. I couldn't stop marveling.

'My current body shouldn't have been capable of...'

Muttering in bewilderment, I suddenly realized my physical structure differed drastically from what I remembered at Growth Stage.

Flick.

I snapped open my eyes and raised my hands to check. Then my arms, legs, feet.

'I expected to grow bigger, but this...'

Caught off guard, I stood with wide eyes.

'How'd I get so tall?'

Even at Juvenile Stage, I'd grown, but this was excessively huge.

'They'd believe I was king or shield mantis.'

Unable to hide my shock, I called up my status window.

'The race has finally changed!'

Little mantis was gone, replaced by Megaera Mantis. The "Awakening" status had shifted from "in progress" to active, with a progress bar starting at 1%.

It seemed the little mantis genes had vanished, accelerating my physical growth dramatically. Even at D+ stats like other elite clans, as an ancient species, I'd overwhelm them.

'Still just 1% progress.'

But I'd entered the true orbit of awakening Megaera Mantis power.

'Empathy trait up to D-rank... and a new rune slot!'

This confirmed that each molting and stage-up would grant at least one more rune.

"You're awake."

As I marveled at my transformed status, Koon's voice came from behind.

Turning, I saw him smiling at me—then his eyes widened like saucers.

"Molted successfully and got even more dashing... Huh?"

"You... weren't you little mantis clan?"

* * *

'Is it because the race changed?'

I stroked the spot under my ear where the clan mark was etched, murmuring to myself.

I'd wondered if the mark would change upon Megaera awakening... but it happened sooner than expected, leaving me unprepared.

Koon stared at the altered mark in shock too.

'This... even for me, who's lived ages, it's a first. So you really weren't an ordinary mantis.'

He muttered as if he'd anticipated it. Faster to accept than my momentary fluster.

Good—no need for lengthy explanations. And luckily, I'd awakened beside trustworthy Koon.

'But... you're just gonna walk around with that mark showing?'

His question flustered me again. The new mark, visible through introspection, was strikingly unique—emerald, abstract, glowing. No trace of the little mantis' plain scythe shape. It symbolized something unfinished, unknowable. But it stood out too much.

Transformation arts couldn't alter marks, so I was at a loss. I couldn't visit Estelle right away, and mentioning mark changes would shatter trust built over time. Plus, any procedure would expose I wasn't little mantis.

'Made it on a whim, but who knew it'd come in handy.'

But our secluded grand sage Koon had a plan. I glanced at the silver plain ring on my index finger—his gift.

A spell etched to alter one's true mark! Plain-looking, but the inscribed illusion array made it priceless, top-tier.

'No sorcerer below my level will notice.'

Koon had boasted as he handed me this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠artifact with Illusory Formation.

Thanks to it, I disguised as Growth Stage little mantis again.

'...Can't do anything about the size.'

Not perfect—the mark was little mantis now, but my build was unmistakably too large for one.

Shrinking with reverse arts would drain too much ether, so I decided to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go as-is. Mark said little mantis; size didn't matter.

'They'd buy king mantis.'

A chuckle escaped. In my past life, Limit Break made me bigger than average little mantis, but still smallish. Now? Top tier among all mantises.

'Not bulky though... actually suits me.'

I never favored brute strength. My style was speed and refined technique. Taller but still sleek and toned—no hindrance, even enhancing my strengths.

'Mark issue solved... but now another problem.'

I gave a wry smile at Elder Hose before me.

"Heavens! You must reach Chung Hak Gwan within five days?"

"Yes."

"Heavens."

Elder Hose looked troubled at my words. Molting took far longer than expected. I'd thought a day or two... but ten days had passed.

'Ten whole ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠days.'

Thus, I couldn't arrive on time via the original route.

'Even with pathfinder ancient species, it'd be tight.'

Detouring around Jayang River to Chung Hak Gwan caused the delay.

"There is one way..."

Elder Hose, pondering my plight, broached hesitantly.

'Oh, a way?'

My eyes sparkled; he continued.

"A shortcut, straight across... but extremely dangerous. Horrifyingly so."

"I'll take the risk."

I answered instantly. No time to be picky. Missing Chung Hak Gwan's entry would be worse.

"Your resolve is firm, so I'll tell you the path. Ah, a guide would help clear it—I'll assign one."

"I'd be grateful."

A guide... Did refined Shinseon Butterflies have such?

"Parkinson! Guide him across Jayang River to Chung Hak Gwan."

Ah.

'Parkinson... it was that guy.'

I stifled a laugh at Parkinson approaching with a deadpan face to Elder Hose's call.