Venix moved his hand through the air repeatedly, as if trying to grasp something unseen.
Something faint brushed against his senses, and immediately, he felt an unusual surge. It was like a thin wave touching his skin.
"Is this because I can now see the Origin Energy dispersed around me and feel its faint touch?" Venix muttered softly, his voice filled with awe.
The sight of Origin Energy in the real world mirrored what Venix had seen in the Virtual World.
However, in the real world, the sensation was far more intense. Every movement of his hand felt more tangible, like touching the still surface of water, creating gentle ripples in the air around him.
It was completely different from what Venix experienced in the Virtual World, which only gave his eyes the ability to perceive something beyond normal sight.
"It seems... the Origin Energy here is much thicker and more abundant than in Numan World," Venix murmured, his tone laden with amazement.
The Origin Energy in Numan World felt so thin compared to that in the real world, which had just entered the Era of Origin.
Seeing something like this naturally solidified Venix's belief that humans on Earth who became Awaken would truly surpass the Awaken stage and become Seedbound!
"Damn!" Venix growled, staring blankly at his hand, which suddenly felt so heavy.
"Why is all this happening at once?" He quickly rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the headache spreading through his head.
Casting aside the overwhelming thoughts in his mind, Venix opened the curtains of his room and gazed outside.
"That..." The moment Venix looked out his window, a shocking sight greeted him!
A massive vortex had appeared in the sky! Like a terrifying tornado, capable of easily destroying the buildings around it.
Yet, this tornado did not damage the surrounding structures—not even a scratch.
"Origin Energy? Someone is receiving an Origin Blessing!? And... why is its size so enormous?!" Venix cursed under his breath.
At this moment, a massive tornado vortex hovered above the sky!
This signified that at least one person was receiving an Origin Blessing there!
"No way... this... is too fast," Venix whispered, drowning in the fear creeping over him.
He felt a tightness in his chest, as if the world outside his window was trying to swallow him whole.
Quickly, he pulled the window curtains shut, deciding not to look any further, though the tension still gnawed at him.
Venix was terrified at this moment. The thought of stepping outside and witnessing more vortexes in the sky would only heighten his anxiety.
---
Meanwhile, at the Police Department.
Jasper and a dozen others sat meditating together in a special room.
The tornado vortex Venix had seen earlier originated from these people—not newly awakened Awaken!
Jasper kept his eyes closed, intensely focused.
Within his body, Jasper could feel his Seed Origin strengthening further, reaching another level of evolution!
"Origin Blessing is indeed as powerful as they said! Not only new Awaken, but every human on Earth who has already been exposed to the power of Origin receives a Blessing that significantly boosts their Seed Origin!" Jasper thought to himself, feeling a surge of enthusiasm in his heart.
The immense growth in his power made Jasper more confident: "With the strength I now possess, maintaining order will become much easier!"
The process that Jasper and the others underwent lasted for about thirty minutes before it finally ceased, and the tornado vortex above the sky rapidly dissipated.
Jasper opened his eyes, a flash of golden light shining within them.
"Congratulations, Captain," a woman's voice echoed, "You have reached the level of Rootbound!"
Jasper was momentarily silent, his wide-open eyes revealing his astonishment. However, as the golden light flickered within them, pride began to replace his confusion.
Upon hearing the woman's words, the dozen others behind Jasper were stunned, gazing at him with deep admiration.
They immediately stood up in unison, bowing toward Jasper.
"Congratulations, Captain!"
Jasper waved his hand casually, dismissing their excessive reactions.
"I didn't expect the Origin Blessing to be so powerful that I easily surpassed the Seedbound level and became Rootbound!" Jasper thought, marveling internally.
After calming his mind and maintaining his composure, Jasper stood, tidying his wrinkled clothing.
At that moment, a shadow landed in front of him—a striking woman with long black hair in formal attire stood before Jasper.
Jasper glanced at her briefly while continuing to adjust his clothing. "Have any new Awaken been found?"
The woman, her expression serious like that of a soldier, responded, "We've located two Awaken and brought them with us. Initially, they resisted, but after being subdued by our strength, they eventually surrendered and agreed to come along."
"Two people, huh? In just one day, there have already been a dozen Awaken appearing in the city I oversee," Jasper remarked with a slight nod. "What about the first Awaken who interrupted the Origin Blessing process?"
Venix's earlier actions had drawn significant attention from Jasper.
In addition to maintaining order in his region, Jasper's duties also included recruiting all newly awakened individuals within his jurisdiction.
"There's no information we've been able to uncover so far. If we conduct a more meticulous search, examining every individual within the area, we might find them," the woman replied.
"Examining every single person? No, that would draw unnecessary attention." Jasper shook his head. "Lord Asori speculated that peace will only last for a week before chaos starts to unfold. Our task is to recruit as many new Awaken as possible to our side before they form their own factions to oppose us."
"Understood, Captain!" the woman replied earnestly, then added, "However, it seems the Captain should personally inspect one of the Awaken we've detained."
"Hm? Is one of the new Awaken particularly powerful?" Jasper asked, intrigued.
"No," the woman shook her head. "But this woman is very unique. She has the ability to awaken others or, more accurately, to accelerate the process."
Jasper frowned, dissatisfied with the vague explanation. "Explain it properly. It's your duty to assess the abilities of each new Awaken."
The woman grew slightly nervous and quickly clarified, "When this woman became an Awaken and received the Origin Source Blessing, she became a Seedbound. At that moment, she held someone's hand in fear."
"However, when this happened, it seemed as though she unconsciously activated her ability, using it on the person she touched."
"To our astonishment, that person immediately transformed into an Awaken and received the Origin Blessing directly."
Jasper listened to the explanation, his expression filled with amazement. "She can turn ordinary humans into Awaken directly? Even before their time?"
"More or less, that's the nature of her ability," the woman confirmed with a nod.
"Fascinating!" Jasper clapped his hands, a wide grin spreading across his face. "You've captured a valuable asset! I'll personally report your accomplishment to Lord Asori, Lucy."
Lucy, the woman, felt a surge of pride upon hearing Jasper's praise.
"Let's meet this woman. With her ability, we can recruit more Awaken within this one week," Jasper said, brimming with enthusiasm.
---
Elsewhere, Venix locked himself in his room, unwilling to glance outside.
"Where is that kid? Has something happened to him?" Venix muttered as he held his phone, trying to contact Ronan to check on his whereabouts and situation.
It was already 3:00 a.m., and for some reason, Venix felt an overwhelming worry about Ronan.
He kept trying to call Ronan repeatedly, even sending him text messages to inquire about his condition.
"If something happens to Ronan..." The thought struck sharply, sending a chill down his spine. A gripping fear clawed at his throat, and he held his breath, hoping it was just his imagination.
After countless attempts, the call finally connected.
"Where are you!? Don't you know how unsafe it is outside right now!? Look at the police patrolling the streets—it's clear they're monitoring for some sort of danger!" Venix lashed out, his voice filled with frustration.
But in the next moment, a woman's voice responded on the other end of the line.
"The Ronan you're referring to is currently occupied. Would you like to leave him a message?" she said calmly.
The unfamiliar voice made Venix's face pale instantly. This wasn't Jiyu's voice—this was someone completely different. A sense of unease clawed at his heart.
"Who are you? Where is Ronan right now?" Venix demanded, his tone cautious yet riddled with worry.
"You can call me Lucy, and Ronan is currently at the Police Department for certain matters," the woman, Lucy, replied evenly.
Hearing this, Venix's heart sank.
The Police Department!?
If a faction wielding Origin powers already existed on Earth, the Police Department was likely its stronghold!
And Ronan was there!?
"Are they okay? What happened to him? Is he in danger? And what about Jiyu? Didn't Ronan leave with her?" Venix asked hurriedly.
"Your friend is fine, and he's not in any kind of trouble. Besides, he is indeed with his female friend named Jiyu. So, you can relax," Lucy replied calmly.
Venix's face darkened immediately.
He took a deep breath, trying to stay composed and spoke as though his concern was purely about Ronan and other trivial matters, avoiding any odd behavior.
After asking questions for a full two minutes to express his concern, Venix ended the call.
As soon as he hung up, he exhaled heavily.
"There's no trouble or violation from Ronan or Jiyu. This means there's a 70% chance that Ronan or Jiyu has already become Awaken," Venix thought, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Of all the people in this city, why does it have to be Ronan!?
Venix opened his system and quickly checked his Inventory. Several bottles of Awaken Elixir were lying there, but it wasn't enough. There was nothing that could help him save Ronan if things got worse.
No item could protect Ronan from a life-threatening situation like this.
"I'll have to borrow money from Luna later to buy rare items in Numan City that can save someone's life when they're in danger," Venix muttered under his breath. "If Ronan becomes an Awaken, his power would surely reach Seedbound. And I, just a minor Awaken, wouldn't even stand a chance against him!"
Guilt crept into Venix's heart.
Maybe it was because of the system that allowed Venix to access the Virtual World earlier, connecting him to the power of Origin.
However, the real world's developments moved much faster, leaving Venix little time to grow further.
"Even if I receive the Origin Blessing, it won't make a difference. Only specific items I can get in Numan World might help Ronan if he's truly become Awaken," Venix thought grimly.
If the Police Department only had Seedbound-level strength, chaos would already have broken out today.
But since the situation was still under control, it meant they could suppress a Seedbound with ease!
Venix glanced at the clock on his phone screen.
"I'll reach Numan City around 5 a.m. There's still a little over an hour to go," Venix muttered.
After pondering for a moment, Venix decided to enter the Virtual World through his system.
There was nothing he could do in the real world, but in the Virtual World, Venix could ask Luna to teach him the basics of Technique knowledge to make it easier to learn Techniques in the future.
Entering the Virtual World, Venix slowly opened his eyes.
He stood up from his chair and saw Luna busy talking to someone on a holographic screen through the watch on her wrist.
"What!? That doesn't make sense! I was the one who found it first, and the contract has already been approved! Why are you trying to take it from me!?" Luna's voice rose, her face red with anger.
"We're willing to pay a high price for you to relinquish it," the man on the holographic screen said, making an offer to Luna.
"No! Forget it! If you keep insisting, feel free to contact Grandmaster Ardyn!" Luna snapped furiously and ended the call abruptly.
Venix looked at Luna with confusion and curiosity. "It seems like that person made you really angry."
This was the first time Venix had seen Luna this upset.
"Yeah, he always acts so entitled!" Luna said, gritting her teeth, her face still flushed with anger.
"Sorry if I disturbed your rest," Luna added, sounding a bit apologetic.
Venix walked closer and sat at the same table as Luna, shaking his head. "No need to apologize. You didn't disturb my rest at all."
After all, Venix wasn't actually sleeping here.
"How much longer until we arrive?" Venix asked, his tone calm but still firm.
As for Luna's earlier issue with the man, although Venix could guess what it was about, he wasn't interested in getting involved.
Venix did care about Luna, as her actions had been very helpful to him from the beginning.
However, he had no desire to delve deeper into the problems of this Virtual World unless absolutely necessary.
"For about an hour more, we'll arrive," Luna replied calmly.
On the other hand, Luna felt slightly relieved that Venix didn't ask further about the matter.
Venix nodded and said, "Then, for the next hour, can you teach me the basics of Technique knowledge so I can master Techniques more easily in the future?"
Venix's desire to learn was burning stronger now than ever before!