Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

The girls began to say their goodbyes, their faces marked with relief and a tired smile. Irelia was the first to rise, adjusting her clothes with the usual elegance, but with a soft look she didn't often show.

"Rest, Kael. We'll give you some time to recover. Don't think this is the end of your apologies." She said with a light smile, running her hand through her hair before silently walking out of the door.

Amelia moved more slowly, her eyes still glistening. She hesitated for a moment, looking at Kael as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end, she simply gave his shoulder a brief touch.

"Don't forget to rest. We don't need to worry about you anymore... for now." She murmured, her voice softer than usual. She then turned and left, leaving the room quieter.

Sylphie was the last to leave, her steps quiet and careful. She approached the bed, gazing at Kael for a moment longer than necessary, her eyes reflecting a mix of concern and something else... something Kael couldn't define. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"I... I'll be back soon. Just... just be okay." Her words were almost a whisper, an unspoken promise. She left without making a sound, and Kael found himself alone in the room, the weight of silence around him.

He remained there for a moment, still with the strange feeling that something had changed within him. His body felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, but the lightness came with a different pressure—a new responsibility, a new awareness that he was no longer just himself.

Without much effort, he glanced at the corner of the room where the mana crystal still glowed softly before picking up his interface system and activating it. The screen appeared before him, the same interface he was starting to get familiar with, but there was something new: a title.

[Beast Monarch]

The description was simple, even disappointing.

Beast Monarch: You have become the Monarch of Beasts, a being who has transcended the realm of the hunter and forged a primordial connection with the creatures that have inhabited the world since the beginning. The title grants you affinity with all forms of beasts and monsters, allowing you to communicate with and command them. The true extent of this power is yet to come.

Kael furrowed his brow, studying the description. It was vague, broad. There was nothing that helped him understand exactly what this meant for him, but one thing was clear: the word "Monarch" wasn't something taken lightly.

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his thoughts accumulate, trying to piece things together. What did this mean for him? What more would he have to learn or face? The connection to the "beasts" was... intriguing, but also a little frightening. After all, he wasn't sure what it meant to be this "Monarch" and what he would have to hunt or command with this power.

Kael closed his eyes again, feeling his mind try to process it all. He didn't know what the future held for him, but there was something inside of him that felt... stronger. More aware. Like something primal had awoken, and he could never go back.

The sound of the wind softly blowing through the windows was the only sound filling the room. The feeling that something was about to happen, something beyond what he could comprehend, lingered in the air.

Kael slowly got up from the bed, feeling his body much lighter than before. He felt a wave of energy coursing through his muscles, as if he were more in tune with his body. Even so, something still wasn't clear. Something was still missing.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring into the emptiness, lost in his thoughts. There was something bothering him, a doubt that had surfaced some time ago and now, more than ever, seemed to demand an answer.

"Umbra." He called, his voice low, almost a whisper. It had been some time that he wanted to know something about her, something that bothered him from time to time.

"Yes?" Umbra's voice echoed, before her figure appeared in the air, a small wyvern hovering with an ironic lightness. "Finally awake, Prince Charming." She mocked, but the teasing disappeared the moment her eyes met his. She immediately stopped, her tone changing with the intensity emanating from Kael.

There was something he needed to understand, something that had been bothering him since the first time Umbra mentioned basic healing, a skill he still didn't possess. Since that moment, a question had formed in his mind, a constant doubt. He wondered: did she have any connection with the World Tree? Could she see the blessing he had received, or did she somehow have access to the system?

She had already called him "Hunter" once or twice, or at least referred to him as a hunter, and that only made him more confused. How could she associate him with a hunter if he didn't act like one? If he didn't even have the hunting skill she seemed to suggest?...

"You can see it, can't you?" Kael asked, his eyes fixed on the system tab floating in front of him.

"See what?" Umbra replied with an indifferent tone, but Kael noticed the subtle shift in her posture. For a split second, she glanced toward the screen, something he didn't miss.

"I see... so you know about the System." Kael said, the conclusion forming in his mind.

Umbra furrowed her brow but quickly tried to cover it with a smile, looking away and starting to whistle, as if she wasn't listening or didn't care.

"What are you talking about?" She said, trying to maintain the façade. But Kael already knew.

"Playing dumb, huh?" He asked, a tone of irony in his voice, observing how she avoided direct contact with the system.

Umbra stopped whistling, her eyes now more alert, the mask of disinterest falling for a moment.

"Ah... yes, I see. Happy now?" Umbra replied, her tone more direct, but still trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude. She floated in the air, watching Kael with an enigmatic smile, as if waiting for a reaction from him.

Kael narrowed his eyes, still processing what she had just admitted. The feeling of being observed unsettled him, but there was something more in those words that made him question.

"What do you mean, you see the System?" He asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. The weight of the previous words still lingered in the air, and he wasn't satisfied with vague answers. "When you say you see, what exactly are you seeing?"

Umbra gave a low laugh, as if she were enjoying the seriousness of Kael. "You're really persistent, aren't you?" She landed on the ground with a lightness that seemed disproportionate to the size of her body, her delicate claws touching the ground without making a sound. "Since the contract was made, my soul connected with yours. What that means, Kael, is that I share a part of what you are... or rather, what you've become."

Kael furrowed his brow, feeling an uncomfortable sensation with that. He had never thought of his bond with Umbra in such a deep way, as if she truly had access to something beyond what he could control.

She continued, as if she sensed his thoughts. "I'm not a mere creature... I'm more than just a tool or a shadow following you. From the moment the connection was sealed, I began to see everything you experience. Your System, your abilities, even your thoughts, at times."

Kael felt a chill run down his spine. He vaguely remembered the sensation of his soul being touched when they formed the contract, but he never imagined it would be so deep. She was somehow connected to the system itself, seeing everything he saw. He looked at her, trying to understand it better.

"Then you've always known what was happening to me? You know everything?" He questioned, his gaze fixed on the creature that, no matter how enigmatic she was, always seemed to be one step ahead.

Umbra blinked, her expression now more serious. "I see everything you see through the System. Since you activated your own access, I can observe the updates, the abilities you acquire, the titles you receive..." She paused, smiling mysteriously. "But... I'm not a spy. I don't interact with what you do, I just observe. I can't interfere directly... nor harm you, otherwise, I would die because of the contract where our souls are sealed." Umbra spoke.

Kael took a deep breath, reflecting on the implications of this. So, she knew everything. Every progress, every new level, even the strange changes he was experiencing. "You... you know me better than I know myself."

Umbra smiled, her eyes glowing with an intense gleam. "Not quite..." She murmured.

"Well, at least now it's good to know you can see. Makes things more practical." He said, standing up and stretching. "Ah... I need to train..."