I looked at him.
Confusion was clear on my face.
"…Authority?"
What was he talking about?
My body had already returned to normal.
Blue eyes.
White irises.
Human form.
Only my tail betrayed me.
It flickered behind me, restless.
Excited.
The battle still echoed through my blood.
Around us—
Chaos continued.
The trainees who could still stand fled the chamber.
Those who couldn't—
Were dragged out by the others.
The smell of burnt metal lingered in the air.
Smoke drifted through the ruined training ground.
Then—
Caelion spoke.
"I have to report this…"
His gaze remained fixed on me.
"…to the Patriarch."
His voice was low.
Firm.
But his eyes—
They held something new.
Not just interest.
Not just calculation.
Fear.
Our gazes locked.
Neither of us moved.
A silent exchange passed between us.
A question.
A warning.
Then—
The moment broke.
A familiar blue screen appeared before me.
«[User Info]
Name: Velzahar
Race: Blue-Eyed White Tiger
Pure Beast Blood: 100%
Accessible Power: 50%
Threat Classification: ???»
I stared at it.
Then another notification appeared.
«[System Notice]
Good job, Master 👍😊»
"…What?"
I blinked.
Emojis?
I stared at the screen.
Of all the things I had expected—
That wasn't one of them.
Before I could process it—
"What is your name?"
Caelion's voice cut through my thoughts.
I blinked again.
"…Velzahar."
The answer came instinctively.
Caelion gave a small nod.
Then turned.
And walked away.
No more words.
No more smiles.
Only silence.
Behind him, the nanomachines had already begun restoring the chamber.
Metal reformed.
Walls sealed.
Cracks vanished.
The destroyed battlefield slowly returned to its original state.
As if nothing had happened.
But something had.
Something irreversible.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Then—
I spoke silently.
System.
What just happened?
And why did my accessible power jump to fifty percent?
A pause.
Then—
«[Reply]
Increase due to Host's comprehension…»
"What?"
I opened my eyes.
"Comprehension of what?"
The system paused.
Longer this time.
Then—
«[Authority.]»
My eyes narrowed.
"…Authority?"
More questions.
No answers.
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my thoughts.
"What is an Authority?"
Silence.
The training ground felt emptier than before.
Even the air seemed to wait.
One second.
Two.
Five.
Ten—
Then—
The system responded.
But not like before.
Not mechanical.
Measured.
Deliberate.
«An Authority… is a law.»
A pause.
«A self-made law.»
Another pause.
«A law that breaks all other laws.»
My brows furrowed.
"…What?"
But the system continued.
«A law that proves laws.
A law that breaks laws.
A law that declares—
Strength… is law.»
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Then—
«The Law Above Laws.
The one that defines them…
The one that shatters them…
The one that proves—
Strength is the only truth.»
I stared at the screen.
Blankly.
Like a child staring at something far beyond understanding.
"…System."
My voice was flat.
"What are you saying?"
Silence.
Then—
«…You will understand when the time is right 😅»
I facepalmed.
"…Unbelievable."
I exhaled slowly.
"Then explain this."
"Why did my accessible power jump to fifty percent?"
"And what do you mean by 'good job'?"
This time—
The system responded instantly.
«Power increase due to partial comprehension of Authority.»
Another message appeared.
«You have begun to define your own law.»
I frowned.
"My own… law?"
«Yes.»
Another line appeared.
«Fifty percent of your bloodline power is now fully yours.»
«Under your control.»
«No risk of berserk.»
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So that loss of control before…"
The answer came immediately.
«Will not occur at this level again.»
A pause.
Then—
«[Warning]
The remaining fifty percent will be over a thousand times more difficult to comprehend.»
I let out a quiet breath.
Of course it would be.
Nothing about this was simple.
I looked down at my hands.
Opened them.
Closed them.
"…I feel… normal."
Too normal.
After that level of power—
I felt nothing.
No instability.
No backlash.
No violent impulses.
Only control.
Absolute control.
Then another notification appeared.
«[CONGRATULATIONS]
Authority acknowledged.»
"…Acknowledged?"
That word again.
Authority.
It was starting to irritate me.
I shook my head slightly.
"…I'll figure it out later."
There was no point forcing it.
Not now.
Not like this.
I dismissed the system screen.
The training ground was fully restored.
Not a single trace remained.
As if the destruction earlier—
Had never existed.
"…Impressive."
I gave a slight nod.
Then turned toward the exit.
Each step was steady.
Controlled.
But inside—
Something had changed.
Something fundamental.
I reached the door.
Placed my hand against it.
Paused.
For a moment—
I didn't know why.
Then—
I pushed it open.
And froze.
Outside—
Silence.
Too much silence.
Dozens of people stood there.
Not trainees.
Not staff.
Elders.
High-ranking figures.
All of them—
Waiting.
Watching.
For me.
At the center—
An old man stepped forward.
His presence alone felt heavier than the entire training chamber before.
His eyes locked onto mine.
Sharp.
Ancient.
Unyielding.
His voice was soft.
But carried weight beyond measure.
"…So."
He studied me for several seconds.
Then—
"But carried weight beyond measure."
I frowned slightly.
He took another step forward.
"You're the one…"
A pause.
His eyes sharpened.
"…who touched Authority."