Venzula Empire.

Richtchard City.

Castelan District.

Dafor Street.

Kailen Darkhaven’s Villa.

"Looks like there’s trouble ahead. With this bit of fame, there’s bound to be trouble."

Kailen didn’t know what lay ahead. But his experiences since the beginning of his journey as an awakener were not for nothing.

"I need to be more careful from now on," Kailen thought. "I know it’s risky. But it’s about time I start to hunt some chaotic beasts and earn some principle fragments. If I decide to only complete missions and wait till I’m on the premium ranking list before I can have access to principle fragments, it will take a while. Also, during this period, assassins will be after me. I can’t afford to be weak. It’s a pity my gold coins are not enough to hire mercenaries to protect me. I suppose I will have to visit the mountain range again."

Kailen’s figure melded with the void.

He reappeared once again at the edge of the Southern Mountain range.

Kailen entered the mountain range. Trees were everywhere. The mountain range was not only a mountain range, but there were dense trees everywhere, too. Some spread across mountains and others spread across the perimeter.

Currently, Kailen was at the perimeter. This meant that if he entered deep into the mountain range, he would be moving along highlands, and even several cliffs, and at the same time, in a forest, too.

Kailen activated the Principle of Space. He scouted the place. He spotted several rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beasts clustered in groups. At some deeper places into the mountain range, too, he spotted several rank 2 novice-stage chaotic beasts. The places where rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beasts were in groups, and where there were rank 2 chaotic beasts, were places Kailen decided to avoid at all costs.

At the moment, his focus was to find a place where a single rank 1 chaotic beast was. He would attempt to deal with that. He didn’t want to overestimate his strength, attack several groups of rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beasts, or a rank 2 novice-stage chaotic beast, and get himself into unforeseen trouble. He wanted to take one step at a time. He needed to grow stronger urgently, but that didn’t mean he should be stupid.

Another reason why he didn’t want to attack a place where rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beasts were in groups was because, even if he were to manage to kill one of them and the chaotic beast left a principle fragment behind, he would have to comprehend the principle right where it was left. It could not be moved anywhere. Was he supposed to appear in the midst of the other associates of the chaotic beast he killed, especially right after they had been alerted, to use the principle fragment the dead chaotic beast had left behind?

No... he didn’t want to die.

"Also, I need to make sure I find a rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beast with the Principle of Space," Kailen thought. "If I kill a chaotic beast with a different principle and they leave a principle fragment behind, I can’t comprehend it if it’s not a Space Principle fragment. Looks like this is gonna take a while."

Kailen melded with the void and disappeared. He reappeared in a very large cave. The cave was completely empty and safe; there was no one inside it.

Kailen decided to observe the mountain range. He monitored as several chaotic beasts clashed with one another. Some transcendents were also hunting chaotic beasts in groups. However, the moment principle fragments appeared, they would turn on one another. It was pretty much to be expected considering the situation. Kailen was not surprised by this.

Kailen observed several chaotic beasts and the use of their principles. Only by doing this would he discover the target he was looking for.

A month passed by in a flash. Kailen had still not discovered his target. He had come across several rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beasts with the Principle of Space; however, they were all in groups. So, Kailen naturally didn’t make a move. Kailen waited and kept observing the mountain range calmly.

Very soon, Kailen saw a very ginormous chaotic beast melding with the void and reappearing somewhere in the sky. The creature looked like some sort of sea dragon. It was a rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beast. Also, it was alone. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Kailen had finally found his target. He decided it was time to make a move.

"A rank 1 novice-stage chaotic beast is naturally more powerful than an ascendant at the same level. I can’t face it head-on. I should attack from this spot," Kailen thought.

However, it was as if the chaotic beast had sensed something as Kailen was monitoring it. It almost stared in the direction of where Kailen was from where it was. Kailen quickly deactivated his Principle of Space.

"That was close," Kailen thought. This chaotic beast had the Principle of Space; it was only natural that it sensed spatial fluctuations in the environs. Had Kailen not deactivated his principle, he may have been discovered.

"I suppose I need to keep observing it more. Dragons like to take long naps—at least from what I’ve observed when I used to hunt a lot in the pocket world in the past. I hope it takes a nap and I can attack it then. I can’t attack it at the moment."

Kailen didn’t complain. He kept observing the dragon from his cave. Another month passed. The creature was still melding with the void and reappearing in the sky. It had been doing this without taking any naps. However, Kailen was terrifyingly patient.

At this moment, the dragon let out some sort of roar. Its eyes revealed a dizzy expression. There was a waterfall and a river below where it was floating. The dragon descended gently on a large rocky place where the waterfall was. It closed its eyes and yawned weakly.

It had fallen asleep.