Just as Kael was still basking in the excitement of his Physique Awakening, another notification suddenly appeared before him.
His smile froze.
---
[Warning]
Due to excessive strain placed upon your body, the Talent: Infinite Reward Multiplier will enter a one-month cooldown period.
During cooldown, maximum multiplier output is limited to x100.
---
Kael stared at the notification for several moments.
He wasn’t quite sure how he felt.
A x100 multiplier was still absurd by any standard. In fact, if another Awakener heard him complain about such a thing, they would probably think he had gone insane.
Yet compared to what he had experienced before, it felt strangely underwhelming.
After all, he had just enjoyed what was essentially limitless growth.
Going from that to a cap of one hundred felt like falling from the heavens back to the ground.
Still, after thinking about it carefully, Kael found himself slowly nodding.
Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing.
Earlier, during the Gravity Chamber Trial, he had spent some time examining the changes within his body while studying the Primordial Genesis Sutra.
What he discovered had alarmed him.
His strength was increasing too quickly.
At first glance that sounded like a blessing, but beneath the surface, problems were already beginning to form.
His foundation wasn’t stabilizing.
It wasn’t adapting.
Instead, it was constantly being forced to keep up with explosive growth.
The feeling was similar to constructing a skyscraper atop wet concrete. No matter how impressive the building became, the unstable foundation underneath would eventually create problems.
And those problems would only become worse as he grew stronger.
Kael had originally planned to slow down for a while.
He intended to temporarily stop climbing the Tower and focus on consolidating everything he had gained.
Now it seemed the cooldown had made that decision for him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
At least this way he wouldn’t need to stop progressing entirely.
A x100 multiplier was still enough to provide substantial gains from ordinary activities.
The Tower, however, was a different matter.
Its rewards were simply too valuable.
Entering now with a heavily restricted multiplier would be a waste.
No.
He would wait.
One month wasn’t long.
Considering that he had achieved what many Hunters spent decades chasing in less than a week, a single month was barely anything at all.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was satisfied with his current strength.
Far from it.
The few entities he had encountered recently had shown him just how vast the world truly was.
There were powerful beings lurking in places he hadn’t even begun to explore.
Still, acknowledging that fact didn’t mean he had to downplay his own achievements.
He had earned every bit of his current power.
Besides, whether he liked it or not, the cooldown was already active.
Complaining about something completely outside his control wouldn’t change anything.
With that thought, Kael quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind.
Instead, he opened his status window.
Immediately, a familiar blue screen materialized before him.
---
[Name: Kael Voss]
[Title: Cataloguer]
[Class: Void Sovereign]
[Class Perks: Void Absorption, Null Field, Sovereign Claim, Echo Strike]
[Skills: Eye Of Judgment (SSS), Interference (SSS)]
[Level: 67] [0%]
[Health: 300,067]
[Mana: 150,000]
•—Stats—•
[Strength: 10,000]
[Agility: 10,000]
[Endurance: 10,000]
[Intelligence: 10,000]
[Vitality: 10,000]
[Constitution: 10,000]
•—Stat Points: 380—•
•—TC Balance: 100,059,034,000—•
•—Talent: Infinite Reward Multiplier—•
---
Kael stared at the numbers for several seconds.
Then he slowly inhaled.
"This is ridiculous..."
Even after seeing it with his own eyes, it still felt unreal.
He had expected growth.
What he hadn’t expected was this.
Every single stat had reached five digits.
His health and mana reserves had exploded to absurd levels.
Even his Tower Coin balance had become something most people would never accumulate in their entire lives.
Thankfully, he was still inside the Tower’s starting room.
The room had been designed to withstand powerful Hunters, allowing him to avoid witnessing the full consequences of his newfound strength.
Had this upgrade occurred back in his apartment, the results would have been disastrous.
With his current lack of control, merely taking a few steps might have shattered the floor beneath him.
A careless movement could have damaged an entire building.
The thought alone made him thankful the breakthrough had happened here instead of outside.
Leaning back slightly, Kael fell into thought.
With his current strength, he should easily qualify as an A-Rank Hunter.
Possibly even higher.
Maybe it was finally time to update his rank with the Hunter Association.
Previously, he had avoided attracting attention whenever possible.
Now things were different.
Against ordinary A-Rank Hunters, he was confident he could win without much difficulty.
And if he used everything at his disposal...
Interference.
Eye of Judgment.
All of it.
Then even an S-Rank Hunter wouldn’t be untouchable anymore.
A faint spark appeared in his eyes.
The pinnacle of power.
At least, that was what the world currently believed.
Kael knew better.
After everything he had experienced, it was obvious that S-Rank wasn’t the true limit.
There were probably few hidden expert stronger than that.
Fortunately, he wasn’t facing those unknown heights alone.
His thoughts drifted toward Varek.
The Instance Core was still being absorbed.
Once the process finished, Varek’s strength would undoubtedly increase tremendously.
Kael still couldn’t accurately estimate how powerful the former Quasi-Trascendent would become.
However, after witnessing fragments of Varek’s memories, he knew one thing.
Even recovering a fraction of his former power would place him among the strongest beings on Earth.
Possibly beyond all current Awakeners combined.
A smile formed on Kael’s face.
Looking back now, meeting the weakened Varek had been one of the greatest strokes of luck in his life.
Not only had he gained an extraordinarily powerful subordinate, but the Primordial Genesis Sutra had also come from Varek’s memories.
The benefits were immeasurable.
Speaking of rewards...
Kael suddenly remembered something.
There was still one item from the trial he hadn’t examined yet.
Without hesitation, he opened his inventory.
A flash of light appeared.
The next moment, an exquisite lantern materialized in his hands.
Its frame was forged from a silver-like metal covered in intricate engravings.
Within the lantern burned a golden flame.
The fire swayed quietly, yet it carried an indescribable sense of authority.
It felt absolute.
As though it existed solely to judge.
Kael’s interest was immediately piqued.
Without wasting time, he activated Eye of Judgment.