The corridor was silent.
Only the distant footsteps of departing prodigies echoed through the vast training facility.
I remained still.
My thoughts refused to settle.
Caelion's lesson had ended...
Yet it continued replaying inside my mind.
"Power without control..."
"...is the fastest path to destruction."
A slow breath escaped my lips.
"...System."
The familiar blue light shimmered before my eyes.
Like ripples spreading across a calm lake.
Then—
A translucent screen materialised.
---
> [Host Information]
Name: Velzahar
Race: Blue-Eyed White Tiger
Bloodline Seal Integrity: 95%
Accessible Bloodline Power: 5%
Threat Classification: ¿¿¿
---
My gaze lingered on the fourth line.
Five percent...
The number felt wrong.
The last time I had checked...
It had been lower.
Much lower.
Two percent.
My expression slowly darkened.
"I didn't release more power..."
"So why did it increase?"
The blue screen remained motionless.
Cold.
Unfeeling.
As if waiting for me to understand.
Then—
Another notification appeared beneath the first.
---
> [Warning]
Host Bloodline Seal Stability is decreasing.
Recommendation: Increase overall strength to reinforce the vessel.
---
Silence.
I read the message once.
Then again.
And again.
Every word carried a different meaning now.
"Increase overall strength..."
Not cultivation.
Not spiritual energy.
Overall strength.
Body.
Mind.
Soul.
Everything.
My brows gradually furrowed.
"The seal..."
"...isn't breaking because it's damaged."
"It's weakening..."
"...because I'm becoming stronger."
The realisation settled heavily in my chest.
The System wasn't warning me about an injury.
It was warning me about growth.
Every breakthrough.
Every improvement.
Every battle won.
Would strengthen my body...
While simultaneously allowing more of my bloodline to awaken.
A blessing.
And a curse.
I lowered my gaze toward my hands.
They looked no different than before.
Yet now...
I couldn't help wondering what truly flowed beneath my skin.
Blood?
Or something far older?
"The closer you are to your bloodline..."
"...the closer you are to the beast."
Caelion's words echoed once again.
At first...
I thought he was speaking metaphorically.
Now...
I wasn't so sure.
I slowly clenched my fist.
The movement felt natural.
Normal.
Yet somewhere deep within my veins...
I imagined something stirring.
Not moving.
Not awakening.
Simply...
Waiting.
Watching.
Patient.
A faint smile crossed my lips.
Not one of amusement.
Understanding.
"So..."
"This is why the System kept forcing me to strengthen my body."
Gravity.
Endurance.
Pain.
Recovery.
Again.
And again.
I had believed those trials existed solely to increase my combat ability.
But perhaps...
That had never been their true purpose.
Perhaps they had been preparing something else.
Preparing...
The vessel.
If a lake continued filling with water...
Strengthening its banks became essential.
Otherwise...
It would burst.
The same principle applied to me.
My body wasn't merely growing stronger.
It was becoming a prison.
One that had to become stronger...
Every single day.
Or its prisoner...
Would eventually escape.
A cool breeze drifted through the corridor.
I barely noticed.
My attention remained fixed upon the glowing screen.
Another question surfaced.
One that disturbed me far more than the warning itself.
"If my seal weakens whenever I become stronger..."
"...then what happens..."
"...when it reaches zero?"
The System remained silent.
No answer appeared.
Only the quiet glow of the interface.
"...Figures."
I sighed softly.
It had never been fond of explaining things before I discovered them myself.
The blue screen slowly faded.
Disappearing into countless particles of light.
Silence returned.
Yet the unease inside me remained.
Stronger than before.
Five percent.
Such a small number.
Ordinary people would consider it insignificant.
But I knew better.
The difference between two percent...
And five percent...
Was more than double.
If that rate continued...
Then one day...
Ten.
Twenty.
Fifty.
One hundred.
The thought alone was enough to send a chill down my spine.
No.
I couldn't allow myself to think that far ahead.
One step at a time.
One battle.
One lesson.
One improvement.
Control.
That had to come before power.
Otherwise...
Everything would become meaningless.
I slowly looked toward the end of the corridor.
Sunlight streamed through the towering windows, illuminating the polished stone floor with streaks of golden light.
For the first time since arriving at the Gathering of Prodigies...
I wasn't worried about stronger enemies.
I wasn't worried about rival clans.
I wasn't even worried about death.
The greatest threat...
Was walking beside me.
Hidden beneath my own skin.
I took a slow step forward.
Then another.
The corridor remained empty.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Yet...
For reasons I couldn't explain...
The silence felt...
Different.
As though something unseen...
Had begun watching me.
— End of Part II —