Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

The EXP gain in the party varied greatly because the average level sat between Lv.47 and Lv.51, with the Lv.51 character naturally being Khaos and Bastion.

Despite the disparity in the EXP granted, everyone couldn't help but be shocked by what they discovered.

Based on the number of Incomplete Homunculus present, even if the EXP gain was minimal, everyone present was at least guaranteed to level up once. In Kieran's case, he felt he could at least do so twice.

'Because of the Conjured Deterrents, I wasn't too far from leveling up. Considering that more than 30 Incomplete Homunculus remain for us to deal with, this will be rather interesting for me,' Kieran thought. 

In the next moment, after settling the matter of EXP, Kieran shattered a portion of the ground with an extremely heavy step.

Thanks to the increase in body mass provided by the Imprint of Might, if he mustered enough explosive strength, shattering, or at the very least, damaging his surrounding, was no longer a task that required ample augmentation.

Coupled with the weight of Crimson Ashrune, Kieran's body was incredibly heavy, which was also why his basic attacks which lacked any form of additional augmentation, dealt evident damage to the Incomplete Homunculus.

Bang!

As Kieran performed a Surge Step, he suddenly rotated his body, which created a rotating torrent of incredible vitality. The blood energy materialized around Crimson Ashrune but also within the air directly beside Kieran's position.

"Crimson Current!"

BOOM!

Rather than move forward, the Crimson Current traveled a vertical path before reaching a substantial height of 10 meters.

Upon reaching that height, the condensed deluge came crashing down with intense force frightening enough to fracture the ground beneath everyone's feet in several areas.

A subtle tremor rocked everyone's stable footing, leading them to question how monstrous a single attack from Kieran had become.

The Health Bars of many Incomplete Homunculi plummeted as everyone worked together to handle the monsters at an agreeable pace. It was neither fast nor slow, but the EXP gain was constant thanks to how rhythmically Kieran mowed down the monsters.

Roughly two minutes later, Kieran received his first notification.

〈System: You have received 269,850 EXP.〉

〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! [Lv.45→Lv.46]〉

〈System: You have received 20 Unassigned Attribute Points and 12 Skill Points.〉

As soon as the system mentioned his level-up reward, Kieran froze in action and stared at the notification skeptically. Something was extremely wrong. He had leveled up once but his rewards didn't align with what they should be.

'If my math is proper, I should receive 16 UAPs and 8 SPs, so where did this extra come from? While I'm not complaining about the advantage, I'd at least like to know so that I may prepare myself beforehand,' Kieran thought.

As a result, Kieran was forced to scour through his user information that he previously escaped his mind. He naturally recalled that War Crest of Champion increased the number of UAP he received every level by 4, so he wasn't worried about that.

What he wanted to find was the source of the 4 additional UAPs and SP.

When he tried to receive information on the Archaic Verity Compendium, nothing came up. Or rather, the message that appeared was liable to give anybody a headache.

〈System: Before you may gain access to the «Archaic Verity Compendium»'s true information and abilities, you must first locate the related «Lost Presence» and gain its completed loyalty.〉

While the Archaic Verity Compendium had agreed to merge with Kieran's soul and become his Mystic Gate, it didn't agree to submit. Hence, even its Ego did not interact with Kieran. 

Of course, Kieran wasn't aware that the compendium held an Ego because it didn't demonstrate the signs that generally highlighted the presence of one.

Perhaps it felt the current Kieran was too weak, but nevertheless, it was clear the compendium was willing to help in times of need as seen by the situation with Illiad.

While reading the message, Kieran scratched his head absentmindedly. 'What exactly is a Lost Presence? And if it is lost… how exactly do I begin going about locating it? I feel as if meeting with the Wykins had truly opened a path where I am but a clueless newborn in need of ample guidance.'

Since the Archaic Verity Compendium was of no assistance to him, Kieran could only shift his attention to the only other notable change that was unexplained—the matter of his Racial Transition.

After exhaling softly, Kieran tapped on the (?) icon next to his High Human racial identity.

〈System: …Generating information regarding your identity as a «High Human»〉

〈System: …Information generation… COMPLETE!〉

┌───────────────────

«High Human» - Inferior Ancient Race

Description: High Humans are an ancient version of the humans of today who walk the path of spirituality alongside developed bodies. This path of spirituality translates into the apparent unearthing of latent potential. As a race of high affinity but somewhat lacking physique, the soul becomes its second focal point to split the burden. High Humans are erudite beings capable of incredibly sagacious actions.

Racial Traits:

«Liberated Potential» - Decreases the time it takes to perform actions that require a certain level of mastery. The stronger your Spirituality, the greater your Liberated Potential. [Weakened]

«Accelerated Growth» - Increases the number of UAP and SP received upon leveling up by 25%. (The number varies on the state of your Accelerated Growth.) [Weakened]

«Deep Brilliance» - Learning hidden arts, secret arts, and developing unique practices become more likely as do your chances of pioneering new or reinstating old paths. [Weakened]

«Spiritual Sublimation» - [SEALED]

Racial Abilities

«Impartation» - …

…

Note: A High Human thrives on Spirituality, linking the soul to many aspects. The secret to unearthing your potential resides within this power.

└─────────────────── 

'So that's why my Constitution wasn't affected. Many race changes have to do with the Constitution Attribute changing, but becoming a High Human is strictly limited to the applicative abilities of the soul. I believe this touches upon the belief that as the soul is the foundation of humanity, it's a truly limitless power source that requires genuine skill to tap into,' Kieran mused.

Though a lot of the information was vague and severely weakened due to his insufficient Spirituality, Kieran received enough knowledge to deal with his suspicions.

As a High Human, he now possessed a trait regarded as Accelerated Growth.

While the numbers weren't definite, they explained why he received more UAP and SP without advancing his class.

However, this made Kieran question what would happen once his Class Advancement successfully occurred.

The anticipation he felt grew as he thought about this possibility.

'Every class has a base limitation in terms of UAP and SP, but that's only the base. It's possible to increase it through external means.'

Aside from the matters of his UAP and SP, Kieran also noted another important factor.

Liberated Potential and Deep Brilliance worked amazingly well together. If he came across a hidden practice that required ample practice, these two Racial Traits would naturally assist him in learning them.

Again, the extent was unclear, but Kieran understood the practicality of any level of assistance at that stage.

'Now that I've ensured that nothing is amiss, let's get back to the task at hand. These Racial Traits have undoubtedly incentivized me to increase my level with haste. Besides, I've been frozen for too long, giving folks the false impression that they're free to overcome me,' Kieran thought.

The look in his eyes changed, becoming increasingly dominant as Kieran revealed his sharp fang-line canine in the form of a menacing grin. The energy surrounding Crimson Ashrune grew chaotic until a storm similar to a blood hurricane enveloped Kieran's body.

After developing his mind to the point that controlling Sanginuem Tempests felt unusually easy, Kieran wanted to try his hand at manipulating a greater amount of them. After all, the skill description said that additional tempests could be created.

From one, a blood squall surrounding Kieran's body split into two, and from two, into four. This action had already shattered his previous limits in terms of creation speed and the power found in the tempests.

Despite the focus required to merge the tempests, it was surprisingly not as taxing as Kieran's assumed it would be. In fact, Kieran's felt his mind teeming with mental energy was capable of additional feats. 

'It must be related to the remnants of Arcane Energy that I sense from the Archaic Verity Compendium. Merely its presence alone is helping me immensely. I await the day when it completely submits to me, I wonder what that outcome will herald,' Kieran thought.

A moment later, Kieran raised a single hand high above his head and a fifth Sanguinem Tempest formed and began to writhe and snake around the room.

Amidst its riled activity, Kieran plotted a safe course for the bloody tempests.

"Howl, bloody winds," Kieran directed.

Swoosh!

The four immense Sanguinem Tempest ripped through the area, mutilating the ground without a shred of remorse.

Despite having plotted a safe course that would avoid his team members currently in combat, everyone quickly retreated after sensing incoming dread. 

"This skill… it has to be an S Rank Skill, right? There's no way a low-ranking skill can create this much mayhem," Khaos muttered, his eyes filled with a crimson hue.

Many of the remaining Incomplete Homunculus had their reinforced bodies shredded in an instant as Kieran stood amidst the destruction and mutilation with a nonchalant expression.

As the others looked at him, they felt a wave of incomparable might radiating from his body. This wave wasn't physical, it was a byproduct of Kieran's mental state manifesting around him.

As he mentioned to himself, it was nigh time that he made it clear that he had no intentions of being overtaken. Whether it be players, denizens of Xenith, or other allies and foes, his rise was unstoppable.

His existence was impetuous.

His mental state… inconquerable.

"The zenith is my aspiration and the journey is my fulfillment. Neither shall be interrupted."

All of a sudden, Kieran clenched his fist and the Sanguinem Tempest condensed into four blood blades that severed the remaining Incomplete Homunculus.

Effortlessly, the room had been cleared!