CHAPTER 60: ULTRA SENSE

{Ding!}

{New skill acquired from summon: Sixth Sense}

{Would the host like to apply the 10X Rebate?}

’Right... I leveled up to Level 2, so I can use the 10X reward again!’ Kieran realized, a flicker of surprise crossing his thoughts as the system notification appeared.

’No real need to use it right now—Alexa’s already doing a good job handling things. But still... a skill like that could be useful later on.’ With that, he accepted the system’s offer.

{Sixth Sense Upgraded to: Ultra Sense}

{Skill Description: Passive Skill. The host gains heightened perception—able to sense emotional fluctuations, imminent danger, and hidden intent. With Ultra Sense, fortune favors the aware.}

The system, as always, didn’t fail to leave behind a cryptic message. But by now, Kieran had grown used to it. Understanding the context wasn’t too difficult anymore.

With senses like this, he could avoid danger before it struck.

He could gauge the odds of winning a fight—

—and so much more.

Almost instantly, he felt the technique take effect.

He didn’t even need Alexa’s help anymore.

In fact, his senses now far surpassed hers.

Where hers ended, his began.

He could see the very flow of energy with his eyes.

Alexa’s aura glowed fiery red, like calm, blazing flames stretching out nearly two kilometers in every direction.

But his senses blanketed the entire hill... and even reached far below it.

’Should I tell her to stop? At this rate, I might not need her at all,’ Kieran thought, watching energy trails snake through the environment like threads of glowing silk.

Thanks to Ultra Sense, he had already located all the awakened nearby.

They were scattered across the mountain—

some wandering aimlessly, others searching for teammates.

Not only could he track them, but he could also distinguish their power levels by the size of their mana cores.

’That one must be the Iron-ranked awakened... his core’s way larger than the rest.’

He spotted a group of three not too far off.

The one in front had a core the size of a baseball, while the other two trailing behind had cores no bigger than pebbles.

Identifying them was effortless.

And then—

something changed.

Kieran’s body tensed as his head snapped toward a nearby tree’s shadow.

Stillness.

It hadn’t moved.

No sound. No breath. No life.

But something had been there.

’What was that just now... are we being watched?’

He scanned the forest carefully, eyes narrowing.

It had been fleeting, but he was certain he had sensed a presence.

Still...

Nothing.

’Maybe I’m just overthinking things,’ he finally told himself, though the uneasy chill clinging to his skin said otherwise.

"I can spot a group of three," Alexa reported, pointing out a small formation in the distance. The figures weren’t far off, but they were moving away—dragging Kieran’s attention with them.

He was just about to look away when something caught his eye.

The size of his own mana core.

’What the—?!’ Kieran’s heart skipped. ’How did it get so massive in such a short time?!’

His core now pulsed with energy nearly twice the size of the Iron-ranked awakened’s—the very one Jacob had assigned to guide them.

Kieran immediately checked his AFO band.

Since the bands were designed to detect mana growth, any significant increase would usually trigger a color change. When that happened, the individual had to report to the AFO for updated registration.

But to his surprise—

Nothing.

The tin-plated band remained unchanged, as if his power hadn’t grown at all.

’Is this thing broken? Well, good for me I guess...’ A smirk pulled at Kieran’s lips. ’Imagine their faces when they find out I jumped so many levels in just seconds.’

Even he was stunned by his sudden progress. What would the others think?

"Alright, let’s go meet up with them," Kieran said casually, feigning indifference toward the group he’d already spotted.

"Sure," Alexa replied, taking the lead.

Stan followed silently, his steps light, his nerves tight.

He wasn’t just afraid of the beasts that might be prowling in the shadows.

He was afraid of Kieran.

Something deep inside him screamed to stay back, to keep his distance.

And he listened.

Stan walked behind the two, keeping a cautious space between himself and Kieran. He didn’t understand why, but he wasn’t going to test that instinct.

As the trio moved on, the shadows behind them stirred.

From the dark shade of the tree they had just passed, a figure emerged—her form shifting like smoke, her presence nearly nonexistent.

Amaya.

Only her piercing sapphire eyes and faint silver whisker lines betrayed her form as anything more than a wisp of darkness.

Without those, she looked like a ripple in reality. A living shadow.

But she didn’t attack.

Instead, she stood still, eyes fixed on Kieran with curiosity—and something more.

Astonishment.

’Strange...’ she thought, watching his back. ’That human almost sensed me.’

Amaya was no ordinary creature.

She belonged to the Shadow Beast clan—a race of predators known for their unparalleled ability to vanish into darkness, merge with the environment, and erase their presence entirely.

They were swift. Lethal. And terrifyingly sharp.

Born for assassination.

Yet one thing caught her off guard—

Kieran almost detected her.

And that fact alone... intrigued her.

For someone to pull off a stunt like that, it was clear—they were no ordinary opponent.

Amaya narrowed her eyes, the weight of realization sinking in.

She knew better than to take Kieran lightly now.

’Even Master Castan couldn’t sense my presence until after he bonded with me...’ she mused, her expression tightening.

At first, she wanted to dismiss it as coincidence—perhaps a lucky glance or a fluke.

But no.

She’d seen it in his eyes when he turned.

That wasn’t the gaze of someone aimlessly scanning his surroundings.

That was the look of someone certain—someone who knew something was there.

It had rattled her enough to make her retreat into the shadows, dissolving completely into the veil of darkness for a while.

Now, her form flickered faintly, barely clinging to the edge of visibility, her sapphire eyes locked onto him like a predator watching another predator.

’If I attack him now... with senses like that... he’ll find me. No—he’ll be ready.’ Her mind raced. ’I’ll wait. I’ll strike when he least expects it.’

She didn’t know what Kieran truly was yet, but one thing was already clear—

He wasn’t like the others.

’His presence is the strongest on this entire hill.’

And with that thought, Amaya vanished—melting seamlessly into the surrounding shadows.

Unaware of the danger still lurking behind him, Kieran pressed forward through the trees, focused solely on finding his teammates.

Unknowing.

But no longer unnoticed.