Kael slowly withdrew his senses, his brows knitting together as his thoughts churned.
Contrary to what one might expect, he wasn’t particularly shaken by the revelation that the monsters within the pocket dimension could seemingly return after death.
In fact, there had long been similar theories regarding monsters within the rifts as well.
For decades, countless rifts had remained open across the world. During that time, awakeners had entered them relentlessly, slaughtering monsters by the millions. Yet no matter how many were killed, the creatures never seemed to run out.
It was as though every rift possessed an endless supply.
Some researchers believed rifts constantly created new monsters.
Others argued the opposite.
Rather than creating new life, they theorized that rifts simply revived those that had already died, trapping them in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.
Neither theory had ever been proven.
After all, every rift contained an enormous world of its own. There was every possibility that those worlds simply possessed thriving ecosystems far too vast for humanity to completely eradicate.
No one truly knew the answer.
But after everything he had witnessed here, Kael’s beliefs couldn’t help but start leaning toward the resurrection theory as well.
His focus then shifted back to the instance, since this place had been built as the Seat of Authority of some unfathomable existence. If that entity possessed power beyond imagination, then reviving the monsters serving within it hardly sounded impossible.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
"...I finally understand."
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
The reason he had nearly been erased.
The reason that terrifying gaze had descended upon him.
The reason Varek had called him unbelievably lucky.
Had he simply destroyed the Page Wraith, the creature likely would have returned eventually, restored to continue fulfilling whatever role it served inside this Seat of Authority.
But enslaving it...
That was an entirely different matter.
By claiming the Page Wraith with Sovereign Claim, Kael hadn’t merely killed one of the guardians.
He had stolen it.
Taken it away from the Seat of Authority entirely.
There would be nothing left to revive.
Nothing left to replace its position.
In other words...
He had unknowingly punched a permanent hole into something that clearly held immense importance to its creator.
Kael couldn’t help letting out a bitter laugh.
"...No wonder."
He now felt that being lucky was a massive understatement. He had been extraordinarily fortunate just to survive what he had done.
He couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if someone ever tried to steal or tamper with his Multiplier Talent, the greatest asset he possessed. He certainly wouldn’t sit back and watch.
He would kill them.
Without hesitation.
Viewed from that perspective...
The mysterious existence had actually shown remarkable restraint.
Thinking this far, the lingering tension inside him gradually eased.
As long as he didn’t interfere with the fundamental structure of this place again, then he wouldn’t attract that terrifying gaze another time.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Kael looked toward Varek.
"I thought you planned on using the core to recover your strength."
Varek calmly nodded.
"I did."
"But I only needed enough energy to stabilize my current state."
He glanced toward the crystal core.
"Advancing beyond this point would require an astronomical amount of energy. Compared to what I truly need, what’s left inside that core is insignificant."
"So there is no point draining it dry."
"It still contains enough energy to sustain this pocket dimension for several more decades."
Kael nodded thoughtfully.
That made perfect sense.
Since the topic had shifted toward cultivation anyway, another question surfaced in his mind.
One that had been bothering him for quite some time.
"Varek."
"What exactly is a Law?"
He folded his arms.
"I’ve seen you manipulate shadows."
"It resembles the elemental manipulation abilities possessed by elemental awakeners."
Fire mages manipulated fire.
Water mages manipulated water.
Earth mages manipulated earth.
Every elemental awakener relied on manipulation as the foundation of their abilities. As their mastery deepened, they learned to compress, reshape, and control their elements in increasingly sophisticated ways.
From what Kael had observed, Varek’s shadow manipulation seemed similar in principle.
Perhaps more refined.
Perhaps vastly more powerful.
But fundamentally...
It still looked like manipulation.
"So what makes Law different?"
Varek smiled faintly before replying.
"Laws are the foundation upon which existence itself operates."
"Everything in creation follows certain rules."
"When someone comprehends one of those rules, they gain authority over it."
He paused before continuing.
"Take a water mage as an example."
"A sufficiently skilled one can gather moisture from the surrounding air, condense it, and shape it into weapons or defensive techniques."
Kael nodded.
That much was common knowledge.
"But imagine they’re fighting a powerful fire user."
"The flames become so intense that every drop of moisture in the surrounding area evaporates."
"What happens then?"
Kael immediately understood.
"The water mage loses their source."
"Exactly."
Varek nodded approvingly.
"That limitation exists because they manipulate water."
"They still require water to manipulate."
"But someone who has comprehended the Law of Water..."
"They don’t rely on existing water."
"They draw strength directly from the very concept of water itself."
Kael’s eyes widened slightly.
"The concept itself..."
"Yes."
"They aren’t borrowing water."
"They are invoking one of the fundamental principles that govern reality."
Kael slowly inhaled.
Varek continued, "Of course, that is merely the surface. The applications of the Law are endless."
"As one’s understanding deepens, they eventually gain the ability to construct a Domain."
His tone grew noticeably more serious.
"Within a Domain..."
"The user’s Law becomes dominant."
"The surrounding world bends toward their understanding."
"Every competing Law is suppressed."
"For that brief period..."
"They stand as absolute rulers."
Kael silently absorbed every word.
The more he learned...
The more absurd Laws sounded.
If elemental manipulation represented skill...
Then Laws represented authority itself.
After several moments, another question surfaced.
"How do you comprehend one?"
# #
[AN_ Happy New Month, my dearest readers!
Here’s to a month full of growth, momentum, and new milestones. Let’s take this book even higher. Thank you for riding with me. Love you guys.]