Chương 72: Legacy

"Quantis and the System work together?" Gray asked. Then Tim's earlier words resurfaced.

"Machina! He told me he worked with the Primordial Machina to summon people from Earth!" He pressed a hand over his mouth.

"Wait. Did you catch that, or was it censored?"

"You're fine," Gozen replied.

"The System only conceals what it considers sensitive. It's public knowledge that Quantis Corp and its leader, Machina, are responsible for summoning humans here for the competition. Most people simply don't know why—or that the System itself is sentient." He glanced toward the passing cityscape.

"We know Quantis is obsessed with societal advancement. They probably view the System as a necessary cog to keep this world in motion."

"Enough politics." Gozen's tone sharpened.

"Tell me about the elixir." Gray hesitated, then turned the question back on him.

"Shouldn't you be telling me? What exactly did I take?" Gozen released a heavy sigh and motioned for him to keep walking. They resumed their pace along the broad city street.

"Power elixirs exist, and they do exactly what the name implies. But what you swallowed was an experimental stimulant called Surge. We know very little about it beyond the fact that it's synthesized by the Jade Lotus. Its primary ingredient is derived from the cores of Riftborn native to that mana-dense island." Gray's attention snapped toward him.

"You mean the island where the beasts absorb ambient mana at an accelerated rate to lower the cooldown on their abilities?" A cold prickle spread across the back of his neck. Gozen gave a grim nod.

"What the hell did Ivan give me?" Gray clutched the fabric over his chest, his fingers trembling.

"Is that why my Legacy awakened early?"

"I suspect so. Your body went into shock." Gozen pointed across the empty intersection, directing Gray onward.

"Forcing a premature awakening may have been your class's way of preserving its vessel." He waited until they crossed before continuing.

"Now tell me exactly how you felt after taking the stimulant. Leave nothing out." Gray rubbed the back of his neck, dredging up the memory.

"Honestly? I felt amazing. Invigorated, even. I might've been hallucinating, but I swear I could see actual streams of blue mana flowing into my body." His expression tightened.

"Right up until the crash." Gozen hummed thoughtfully, filing the information away.

"And the downtime between casts of your vortex? How long before the cooldown refreshed on your status screen?"

"Two seconds. And the regular cooldown on Gravity Well is ten minutes." Gozen dragged a hand through his hair and tipped his face toward the sky.

"That's essentially a full-blown reset to the cooldown," he muttered.

"Has Kasia completely lost her mind?" He lowered his gaze back to Gray.

"What about unlocking my master's Legacy? How did that feel?"

"Honestly, not like much." Gray turned his palms upward, trying to recall the sensation.

"It just felt… natural." He let his hands fall to his sides.

"About Shroud—what am I supposed to do with his Legacy? I felt incredible when I used it. Powerful, even. But I don't want this cursed smoke eating me alive." Gozen gave him a sidelong look.

"What do you want to do with it? Ultimately, the choice is yours. Shroud's power won't manifest without your consent—unless you drink one of those elixirs again, I assume." His expression remained firm.

"Besides that, you could leave it dormant for the rest of your life." Shelving the Legacy wasn't what Gray wanted. The power was immense—terrifyingly so—and with it, his potential seemed almost limitless. He caught himself at the thought. Was he actually considering testing those limits? Before unlocking Shroud's power, he had no desire to pursue the path of a Kaiser.

The burden of the Legacy had felt too heavy, another responsibility forced onto his shoulders when all he wanted was to disappear and escape everything being demanded of him. But experiencing the true capabilities of his class had sparked something within him. Was this what Tim had meant when he said Gray would eventually be convinced? That power capable of snuffing out all others would simply be too extraordinary to ignore?

"I want to use it," Gray admitted.

"But can I even control it? Tim said it took Rai ages to master, and he unlocked it at the Peak rank. If he struggled that much, I can't imagine what it'll be like for me." Gozen offered an encouraging smile as they passed a Strawberry-Pizza shop. A chef stood outside on a smoke break, cigarette dangling between two fingers. Gozen casually raised a hand in greeting. The moment the man realized who was waving at him, his face went pale.

He spun on his heel, bolted inside, locked the glass doors, and frantically yanked down the metal shutter. Gozen cleared his throat into his fist and continued walking as though nothing had happened.

"Anyway, I understand your concerns. But you shouldn't compare yourself to the previous bearer of Shroud—I mean, Shroud himself," he corrected smoothly.

"Living up to his legacy is impossible. The man has more than five thousand years of experience, after all." Gray tilted his head, studying his mentor.

"So you've accepted that Rai was the Primordial Shroud all along?" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Gozen gave a stiff nod.

"I have. The esteemed System and I had a little chat." He let the silence linger for a moment before glancing at Gray.

"Tell me, boy. Why do you want to hone this specific power? You'll eventually have plenty of other abilities in your arsenal after all." Gray fell quiet as they walked, taking his time to consider the question.

"To protect myself and the people around me from whatever comes our way," he finally said, meeting his mentor's eyes. For Gray, this had nothing to do with claiming a throne or becoming the strongest Kaiser alive. He knew exactly what Shroud's power offered him: protection. Once Hyun finally woke from his treatment, Gray could start returning everything his brother had done for him. After years of being sheltered, coddled, and protected, he could finally become the shield Hyun needed instead.

That was the true purpose of the Legacy in Gray's eyes. Gozen's expression remained unreadable.

"Go on."

"I've already made plenty of enemies, and the target on my back is only getting bigger." Gray's hands slowly curled into fists at his sides.

"The moment people learn what Shroud's Legacy can become, they'll try to stop me before I reach that point. They'll come after me, my friends, and my family. It's time I stopped running from the burden Tim forced on me and actually embraced it." A System prompt flashed across Gray's vision.;) Gray jabbed a finger at the empty air.

"Fuck off! I'm not doing this for you. Find someone else to fight your battles!" Gozen frowned at the sudden outburst, but his expression eased once he realized who Gray was shouting at.

"Good answer," he said, cutting through Gray's anger.

"If there had been even a hint of malice or destructive intent behind your reasoning, I would've snuffed out both you and my master's Legacy right here. That power killed half the Primordials, after all." A bead of sweat slipped down Gray's temple.

"But understand that the ability to devour mana isn't everything," Gozen continued.

"The class is remarkably versatile. Even without that particular trait, its capabilities dwarf those of most Kaisers." His voice grew quieter.

"My mentor defeated me without ever drawing on Shroud's power, after all. Right before he allowed me to kill him during the fall of the Altair Clan." Gray swallowed hard. The admission only reinforced how terrifying the class truly was—and deepened the mystery surrounding why Rai had orchestrated the clan's destruction in the first place.

"But you are right!" Gozen suddenly declared, shattering the tension with a booming laugh.

"You've made an impressive number of enemies for someone who hasn't even been in this world for a month. Which is exactly why your generous master is going to teach you how to wield that power before you so much as set foot in the Kaiser Entrance Exam!" Gray's head snapped toward him.

"Really? You'd teach me?" His excitement quickly dimmed.

"But I haven't even reached Peak Rank yet…" Gozen waved the concern aside.

"I can't guarantee anything. Rai spent the entirety of the Peak Rank—and even part of his time as an Ascendant—focused almost exclusively on control. He had to be cautious with Shroud. One mistake, and the smoke could've devoured him whole." Gozen raised a finger for emphasis.

"Honing his Shroud Mastery ability was his highest priority. He needed to put a leash on the smoke. Once he perfected that control, he could push the spell to its limits without worrying about whether he'd be able to reel it back in." Gray furrowed his brow.

"So I need to master Shroud Mastery before I can properly control the actual Shroud spell itself?"

"That would be ideal," Gozen replied.

"But you won't have enough time to master Shroud Mastery before the exam. That's where I come in." Gray narrowed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable catch.

"My master forced me to learn how to manipulate his smoke using my own control over clouds," Gozen explained.

"It wasn't easy, but he always insisted I would need the skill someday. Evidently, he wasn't preparing me to use it for his benefit—not on his final day in this world, at least." He extended an open palm toward Gray.

"I can only assume he was preparing me for the next vessel destined to inherit his Legacy." Gray rubbed the side of his neck as the pieces clicked into place.

"So… I don't need to master Shroud Mastery yet because you're basically going to act as my fire extinguisher while I repeatedly set myself on fire?" Gozen gave a low grunt of confirmation. Gray pressed a hand to his chest.

"But what about the core itself? The spell pockets? How are you supposed to manipulate the smoke lingering inside me and stop the corruption from eating away at my mana?" Gozen released a fraction of his aura. White energy flared around his body, curling from his skin in wispy tendrils. Gray instinctively flinched at the sudden pressure. Nearby shopkeepers and passing civilians froze midstep.

Within seconds, the sidewalk cleared as pedestrians scattered and merchants hurried into their stores, locking the doors behind them.

"This is called an Aura Flare." Gozen raised his forearm and pointed to one of the ghostly white tendrils drifting from his flesh.

"It burns the mana stored within your Mastery spell pocket to project its pressure outward. It's also closely tied to emotion. A sudden spike of rage can trigger it subconsciously. You'll learn how to use it once you reach the Peak Rank." He shifted his attention back to Gray.

"Now tell me. Why am I showing you this?" Gray shrugged.

"I don't know. To prove your dick is bigger than mine?" Gozen clicked his tongue and fixed him with a flat, expectant stare, silently demanding a serious answer. Gray stiffened beneath his master's scrutiny and hurried to find the connection. Then the pieces clicked into place.

"Shroud's aura," he said.

"When I activated the spell, that black smoke radiated from my body in almost the same way." Gozen gave an approving nod and extinguished his aura. The oppressive pressure vanished with it.

"Correct. But there is one fundamental difference. An Aura Flare burns through the internal mana reserves stored in your spell pocket. Shroud, however, draws mana directly from the atmosphere to sustain itself. In other words—""If you snuff out the flame on the outside," Gray realized, "the fire dies inside too."

"Exactly." Gray mulled that over for a moment.

"Okay, can I ask about a few inconsistencies I've noticed with Shroud's power?" Gozen gestured for him to continue.

"Go ahead."

"The smoke from my standard Mastery ability was already dampening magic before I ever unlocked Shroud. The goblin's fireballs at the club, Gwen's wind attack, even Ivan's enchanted chest plate." Gray counted each example off on his fingers.

"So how does this new Legacy ability change anything? Do I even need to activate Shroud to get the anti-magic effect?"

"The anti-magic nature of Shroud has always been part of you," Gozen explained.

"It simply existed in an unawakened, inferior state. Now that the Legacy has fully awakened, however, the ordinary smoke that comes from your Shroud Mastery spell pocket can no longer dissolve mana unless you use it in tandem with the Shroud spell toggled on." Gray frowned.

"That kind of sucks. So I already had a way to counter mana without relying on this creepy aura, and now I don't."

"You did, and I understand your frustration." Gozen met his gaze evenly.

"It may seem inconvenient now, but once you master the spell, Shroud, it will be a much superior version of the basic smoke used in your race. Not only that, it will function as a blanket enhancement for the rest of your smoke-based abilities as well." He paused.

"Including Hollow." Gray's expression tightened.

"Hollow? Look, I only used that because William deserved it. I'm not planning to make a habit of suffocating people every day." Gozen nodded.

"I understand. But there's something you need to realize." His expression grew serious.

"Suffocation isn't that ability's purpose."