Lightning

"Hmm."

Guen took a deep breath. An unprecedented force surged through his entire body as he punched the empty air. A strange vibration rippled through it, and the walls of a house dozens of meters away shattered with a thunderous crash, fragments flying everywhere.

This was the power of the Planetary Level!

Before reaching the Planetary Level, this room had been incredibly sturdy. But now, it was like it was made of paper.

The Meteor Light Blade.

Out of the corner of his eye, Guen spotted the dusty Meteor Light Blade beside him. This Second-order Force Weapon was the finest weapon on the planet. Guen owed no small part of his victory over the Vajra Ape to it.

Guen willed it, and an energy enveloped the Meteor Light Blade, lifting it into the air and bringing it to his hand.

"So this is Origin Power. Planetary Level Fighters can already make energy tangible. No matter what, an Apprentice Level Fighter's energy remains hidden inside the cells of their body. To use it, they can only make each cell do its part; they can't use the energy on its own. Planetary Level Fighters, on the other hand, can control that energy independently. It's called Origin Power. The equivalent for Spirit Readers is Telekinetic Power, which is invisible and intangible. In a sense, Apprentice Level Spirit Readers have already begun trying to control this force. No wonder they can fight above their level. Planetary Level Spirit Readers must be even stronger."

Guen was instantly fired up.

Spirit Readers' attacks were certainly more unusual and harder to guard against, but when it came to strengthening the body, Genetic Force was superior. Fighters' bodies were often remarkably tough; by comparison, Telekinetic Power did less to transform the body than Genetic Force did.

The thought gave Guen an overwhelming urge to find a Planetary Level Spirit Reader at the Crimson Moon Society and challenge them to a fight.

"No rush. My priority now is to get used to fighting at the Planetary Level as soon as possible."

Guen looked at the dusty Meteor Light Blade. As soon as it landed in his hand, its dull surface seemed to shed its grime, dark luster flowing across the blade. He also found it easy to leave a spiritual imprint inside it. Though the mark could be erased easily, it brought him much closer to the blade.

He gave it a light swing, and the air seemed to part like a wave.

"Incredible. If the Vajra Ape had faced me as I am now, I could've taken off one of its legs with a single slash."

After Guen reached the Planetary Level, the Force Weapon finally showed its true edge.

"Right, I should see what my special ability is."

At the Apprentice Level, Spirit Readers had an enormous advantage. Fighting above their level was as easy as eating or drinking, and even Guen had needed his Battle Suit to fight one.

But upon reaching the Planetary Level, the changes Genetic Force wrought in a Fighter's body granted them a "special ability."

These abilities were often broadly classified into eight types: fire, light, storms, lightning, and so on. They depended on the type of Cosmic Energy a Fighter absorbed. Since everyone's body was different, they absorbed different types of Cosmic Energy, which gave them different attributes and special abilities. Some were strong, others weak.

Some abilities were extremely powerful, like the Vajra Body, a metal-type ability that increased bone density and made the body stronger, improving speed, attack, and defense. Even among metal-type abilities, the Vajra Body was a rare and formidable one.

Others, like the fire-type Flame Man ability, allowed the user to set their body ablaze, so that flames accompanied their every move. It was not to be underestimated.

"But I hope my ability is 'Burning.' Whatever I don't like, I can reduce to ashes. And later, all the Origin Power I use will be on fire. Other people send out sword energy, but mine will be blazing sword energy. How cool would that be?" Guen chuckled.

But when he carefully sensed the Genetic Force inside his body, a strange look came over his face.

Guen fixed his eyes on the space ahead and suddenly dashed forward. One after another, afterimages flashed through the air. Everything returned to normal only when he came to a stop.

"It's actually the lightning-type ability, 'Lightning.'" Guen felt a little disappointed.

"Lightning" was simply a way of describing the ability. It meant that the ability was fast!

When activated, it was as fast as a bolt of lightning.

It greatly increased Guen's speed and was one of the better special abilities.

"If I had a fire attribute, it would pair perfectly with Flame Slash. But I don't, so Flame Slash is even more valuable as a reference. It'll be even harder to master that final strike." Guen sighed. "I still prefer those flashy abilities. Looking cool is what matters most. Right, I should ask Father and Mother what their abilities are."

Guen acted as soon as the thought came to him and immediately dialed his mother's number.

Elsewhere, in the boundless forest of savage beasts, a spaceship hovered in midair. None of the beasts paid it any attention, because it had disguised itself as a white cloud.

Suddenly, a figure rose from below and went straight to the spaceship. He opened the hatch and went inside.

"Hahaha, that felt great! Ever since Guen joined the Goddess Temple, I've finally been able to stop worrying and enjoy fighting these Planetary Level beasts. I feel like I'll be able to advance again in two years at most." Kolong took off his Battle Suit, revealing his streamlined muscles. Though exhausted, he proudly flexed for Ina.

"You can never behave when he isn't around." Ina rolled her eyes at Kolong, then smiled sweetly. "En'er just called. Do you know what he said?"

Kolong's eyes darted around. "Did he reach Apprentice Level 9? It's about time."

Ina's smile widened. "No. En'er just broke through to the Planetary Level. He called to ask what our special abilities are."

Kolong's eyes widened. He murmured, "How is that possible? It's only been—"

But when he saw Ina's smile and thought of Guen's personality, he knew it was almost certainly true.

"Damn it."

Kolong turned and headed for the hatch.

Ina blinked. "What are you going to do?"

"Obviously, I'm going to find a few more beasts to fight! At this rate, I can't let my son beat me. I'm reaching Planetary Level Seven this month!" Kolong grumbled, though a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. He left the spaceship and flew toward the vast Azure Sea Forest.

Ina cupped her face in her hands, unable to hide her smile. "Those two..."

Inside the Goddess Temple.

Guen sat cross-legged where he was. He had just learned that his mother's ability was the wood-type "Healing," which let her recover from wounds quickly, while his father had the fire-type ability "Burst," which excelled at unleashing explosive power. Somehow, the news had calmed his mind.

"I should go find the High Priest. I'm curious what benefit Goddess Temple members receive when they reach the Planetary Level. Apparently, they only get it once."