"Is my grandfather some kind of celebrity over there?" Alistair asked, his curiosity piqued.
"A celebrity? He's a god-tier legend on that continent," Uncle Takai replied. "But you're a long way off from being able to reach him. Like I said, in this world, if you haven't reached Transcendence, you're nothing. And once the World Gates open, ordinary Transcendents will be treated like stray dogs. You need to keep grinding."
Takai paused, reflecting. "Before your grandfather sent me here, he mentioned that the World was about to be plunged into war again. He's a High Mage, so he likely saw it through divination or prophecy. Don't slack off. With your talent, you could reach full Transcendence in two and a half years. The gates won't open for at least three, so unless someone has very specific tricks, nobody from that side can cross over yet."
"That powerful, huh?" Alistair wondered if he shared some legendary bloodline. "Uncle, do you know what kind of bloodline my family has? My grandfather can't be a normal human."
"Bloodline? I honestly don't know," Takai admitted, rubbing his bearded chin. "Your grandfather's origins are a mystery. If I had to guess, your lineage possesses a highly 'Universal' bloodline. I'm basing this on you—you have a chaotic mix of powers, yet there's zero energy conflict in your body."
Takai looked at Alistair intently. "I've been in this world a long time, and some of the energies in you are completely alien—and of incredibly high quality. Combined with your rare Devouring/Fusion trait, your bloodline is likely a top-tier variant of that. Just be careful not to overload your soul."
Alistair felt a bit awkward. He knew his "compatibility" wasn't a bloodline trait, but the work of the Tiger Talisman balancing his various Gacha-pulled powers.
"Don't overthink it," Takai slapped his shoulder. "With your current moves, you could ambush and kill a low-level Transcendent. I used to think you were just teleporting, but that Super-Acceleration combined with the Dragon's fire? That's a death sentence for most."
"Anyway, can you drink? A man's gotta handle his liquor." Takai pivoted the conversation.
"Sure. But I prefer beer over sake," Alistair replied. He didn't care about the legal drinking age; his father had started him on booze when he was eight back in his old world.
"Beer, huh? Just like that guy..." Takai reminisced with a scowl.
"A friend?" Alistair asked, pouring himself some tea.
"More like a colleague. He's a 'bro's bro'—a great leader to his men—but a total piece of shit to women. He views them as nothing but tools for pleasure and breeding. He's a mercenary captain, and quite powerful, actually."
"A mercenary group?" Alistair noted the classic fantasy trope.
"Yeah. Quite famous. I believe they go by the name... 'Kuroinu' (Black Beast)."
"Wait... WHAT?! Kuroinu?!" Alistair's voice jumped an octave.
In his old world, Kuroinu was a legendary "classic" in the adult animation world. He had... "appreciated" it many times. The Dark Elves and the Saints were his favorite tropes. He even remembered the Halfling girl who could take on giants. He suddenly wondered if he could use [Life Return] to... experiment with that.
"Is there something wrong with the name?" Takai asked, confused.
"No, nothing... it's just a very 'unlucky' name where I come from," Alistair lied through his teeth.
No wonder Grandpa said there's a war coming, Alistair thought. In the world of Kuroinu, if there isn't a war (and a lot of other things), it's not a normal Tuesday.