CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: GODDAMN IT!

Chapter 49 — Goddamn it!

Morning passed, and Kaden sat at the edge of his cracking inn bed, hands curled under his chin, eyes lost in the void—silent, thoughtful, pensive.

He had already decided yesterday that he would start taking missions, earn money while training at the same time.

But here’s the thing—

For Kaden, training didn’t just mean grabbing Reditha and swinging it around or going on long runs or even perfecting blood skills with sweat and focus.

True, he’d do that too, obviously. But mainly...

"I think it’s time to die," Kaden muttered with a slightly strained expression.

His voice was calm. Steady. But his face gave him away—he still wasn’t completely used to dying.

Not because he feared death.

Not at all. He didn’t. Not anymore. Not now that he had enough Death Coins to die a couple of times.

But the pain...

The pain was the problem.

And Kaden never had a nice death.

It was always violent and brutal. A cruel ending every time.

And that’s why, again, just like always—

It was time to strengthen himself.

"So, let’s do that... I’ll allocate my points. Death, show me my profile," Kaden ordered.

Name: Kaden Warborn

Age: 15

Rank: Awakened (Saturated)

Origin: Bloodsoaked Sword King (Legendary)

Titles: Child of Blood

Traits: Corrosive Blood

STR: 175

AGL: 175

CONS: 190

MANA: 170

INT: 170

WILL: 190

PER: 150 → 175

Stat Points: 100

Fragments: Wolf’s Instincts, Silent Tears, Slothful Steps (Unique rank)

Quests in Progress: None

Death Coins: 1,000

Skills:

• Blood Reservoir [Awakened]: Every successful kill adds blood to your internal reservoir. This blood can be used as fuel—form, weapon, or recovery.

Techniques:

• Iron Fang Form (Rare Rank): A foundational technique created by The Ancestor and perfected over time. The core is simple: One strike. One kill. If you need to strike twice, you’ve already failed.

• Iron Step (Rare Rank): Every step is a decision. Every shift sets up the next kill. Move simply—but with purpose.

Kaden stared at his profile silently.

Not much had changed since the last time, except for his Perception stat, and the addition of two new Fragments.

"I’ve got 100 stat points now. That means I can push nearly everything to 200..." he muttered with a pleased little smile.

Because 200 was the cap.

The limit of the Awakened rank.

And only 1% of all awakened in both worlds reached that peak.

And Kaden was about to be one of them.

He grinned wide and eager.

"Death, raise Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Will... to 200."

CRACK!

The execution of the order was instantaneous.

"ARGHHH!!" Kaden groaned as pain suddenly lanced through his entire body.

A sharp, deep cracking echoed through the room as his body convulsed, bulging unnaturally—almost ballooning out.

His clothes tore apart. His muscles thickened and twisted—not just larger, but tighter, more refined. Lean but stronger, dense and flexible.

And just as fast, it all settled. His body returned to its normal shape.

At a glance, you’d think nothing had changed.

But you’d be wrong.

Very wrong.

Kaden had always had a lean physique—but now, it wasn’t just lean. His muscles were sleek, carved, and perfectly proportioned.

His skin gleamed pale white—smooth, flawless, but laced with strength. A deceptive mix of softness and hidden durability. Silky but unbreakable.

The kind of beauty that tricked you into underestimating him.

At first glance, he now looked like a sheltered noble. A young lord who had never held a sword, never suffered, never tasted hardship.

He looked...too clean.

But that wasn’t the Warborn way.

His father, Garros, and his brother, Dain, both had physiques like monsters—bulging with muscle, intimidating at first sight.

Kaden, though?

Kaden now looked like the noble they wished they could sculpt.

And when the transformation finally ended, Kaden lay naked on his back on the floor, his chest rising and falling.

"Ahh... didn’t know it would hurt that much," he muttered under his breath, still recovering.

But he wasn’t done.

He still had 30 stat points left.

He didn’t truly think of perception as right now, he believed it was enough.

And now came the dilemma—Intelligence or Mana?

Mana was straightforward. More mana meant more fuel for his abilities—longer fights, stronger skills, especially ones like Blood Reservoir, which relied on density and purity.

But Intelligence...

Intelligence made you learn faster. Think faster. Read patterns, adapt, calculate, plan. In high-level combat, it was a deadly edge.

He hesitated for a moment.

He weighed the pros and cons.

Eventually...

"Death, put the remaining 30 into INT."

Because right now, what he needed most was clarity. The ability to absorb, to understand rapidly what he would gain from dying, over and over again.

Plus—

"If I increase INT, I’ll learn to control my mana more efficiently, a win win situation." he murmured.

And instantly, he felt it.

A shift. A strange lightness in his skull.

Like his mind had... stretched.

Not bloated. Not heavier. Just—clearer.

Like now he could retain more.

But whether he’d understand more easily, though?

That was another story.

After all, retaining something isn’t the same as understanding it.

Nuance.

He stood up slowly.

There was a mirror in the corner—large, framed in dark silver. He turned toward it and stared at his reflection.

At first, his expression was calm, cold even and neutral.

But second after second, slowly...his lips curled up.

Until finally—his face broke into a cocky, arrogant smirk.

"Without being arrogant... I’m too handsome, aren’t I?" he said, half-serious, half-teasing, as he held his chin thoughtfully.

Then—his gaze dropped and landed... below.

And the smirk deepened into something worse.

Something almost devilish.

"Goddamn it," Kaden groaned in appreciation, already feeling sorry for his future wife.

At that thought, someone else came immediately to mind.

His fiancée.

Rea Thornspire

"I wonder if she’s in Fokay... and if yes, where?"

The question lingered. Just for a breath.

Then Kaden snapped out of it and pulled his usual black outfit from his space ring.

He dressed and then walked out.

Heading straight for the Tycoon’s Merchants.

It was time to be productive. Time to move forward. Time to get that damn Evolution Stone.

"One way or another..."

—End of Chapter 49—