Not long after Vitalia left Kieran with this message, he vanished, sinking beneath the surface of the Almighty Tree of Provenance.

Once he was gone, Ayduin stepped beside Vitalia, gazing at the stump with a meaningful glint in his eyes. "Do you think he'll succeed? What flows through us.. does not flow through that human. Will he be receptive enough?"

"I.. have no idea," Vitalia muttered. A second later, she added: "But we must naturally have faith in Gaea's beliefs."

"That's a given. My question is not out of doubt for our great ancestor, it's out of concern for that young human. Based on Gaea's words.. this looming threat is something that has always existed. To be so young but have to go up against that opposition.. he is truly one of great misfortune," Ayduin sighed, feeling pangs of pity for Kieran.

However, Vitalia felt differently.

"Great misfortune? No, he's simply someone with a grand purpose—one that will ultimately forge his character. Either he will become a leader capable of unthinkable things.. or he will become a threat capable of unthinkable things. If you think about it, his circumstances almost seem to be that of someone seeking amusement."

Ayduin's perplexed and concerned expression deepened. "Are you insinuating that he's an instrument in some grand machination?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that question. All I can do is learn as you do and draw a conclusion later," Vitalia answered, calmly shaking her head.

Yet, due to her comment, Ayduin pondered the possibility deeply. So deep that his mind began to travel to other places while Vitalia stared at the tree stump with a complex expression.

..

Below the Almighty Tree of Provenance..

As Kieran followed Gaea's instructions, he wound up in an otherworldly space filled with specks of green and blue lights. The blend created a vista similar to laying eyes upon the Aurora Borealis.

Before Gaea could properly introduce the setting she had led him into, a notification appeared before Kieran's eyes.

historical

〈System: You have entered the: ?Eternal Manaspring?.〉

'This place is the reason the War Deity Council invaded the Forest of Gardenia? Though I can see why. Sometimes the soft approach is more beneficial than the rigid one. What a pity,' Kieran thought, shaking his head.

A few seconds later, a spiritual incarnation of Gaea rose within the Eternal Manaspring, created through the coalescence of the blue and green lights.

Following her appearance, Gaea smiled at Kieran.

Unlike before, in this incarnation form, Gaea gained definitive traits, resembling a Highborn elf with celestial white hair. "This place is known as the Eternal Manaspring. It's precisely what attracted me to this lesser boundary and it's what has sustained me. But.. because of my presence, something about it changed."

"Oh?" Kieran muttered, his eyes flashing with deep intrigue.

Following Kieran's comment, Gaea waved her hand, revealing a pool in the center of this ethereal environment.

"Yes. Due to my presence, the spring underwent a slight transformation, ultimately giving birth to this pool. I've come to call it the Peripheral Aether Pool. What flows inside of it is known as Quintessential Aether," Gaea said.

As he approached the pool, Kieran was surprised to find that the color of the pool resembled milk with hints of blue and green dropped inside.

Hence, contrary to his expectations of crystalline bluish-green waters, there were only hints of those colors.

But, aside from the color, Kieran also noticed the pool seemed partially empty.

"What is Aether?" Kieran asked. "And how come there's so little of it?"

"The aether could be considered a perfected form of Mana. Though inferior to genuine Divine Essence, it's a close second. As for why there's so little of it, it's because it's not meant to be utilized in large amounts. Only 100 drops of it condense every 1,000 years and to maintain my presence and power, I must consume almost a third of that number in the same period."

"Strange. You said your presence is responsible for its creation, yet you must consume it to stay alive? Shouldn't it be inferior to your quintessence?" Kieran questioned, momentarily glancing at Gaea.

A faint smile crept upon Gaea's face as her manifestation solidified further by feeding off some of the ambient energy. "A good question, but I think you're overestimating my abilities. I am no longer related to my original body and my transcendental quintessence has long since degraded. Because I was dying.. you could say that I depended on Xenith to nurse me."

"If that's true, how did people learn of the presence of this secret? Did one of your offspring leak knowledge of its presence?"

"No," Gaea answered. "Upon crossing a certain threshold, one becomes aware of the world on a deeper level. The people at this mentioned level sensed the abnormal energy signature underneath this power and lusted after it."

"Ah.." Kieran nodded, his expression lighting up. "Something like gaining World Awareness?"

Gaea nodded.

"Correct, that's precisely what it is. Furthermore, if we're being technical, this Eternal Manaspring is Xenith's Source. It's directly responsible for the purity of the Mana present in the world. So, in a sense, you could consider my race to be the protectors of Xenith's longevity."

"A Worldly Source? I wasn't aware such a thing existed. Then, wouldn't that make this Quintessential Aether unimaginably valuable, especially with the extremely limited supply? Are you sure it's worth it to supply it to me?"

"Well, considering the next millennium will begin shortly, I can afford to assist you. All of the droplets form at once. It's not like one drop forms every 10 years," Gaea answered.

Afterward, she controlled the Peripheral Aether Pool by waving her hand effortlessly.

At the same time, she grasped a few of the blue lights floating nearby to create an organic contain capable of storing and preserving the droplets of Quintessential Aether.

"Though it's a minute surplus, there has been a surplus of droplets for several millennia. While you're here in this environment, I would suggest you refine your blood," Gaea said.

As she posed this suggestion, Gaea pushed the organic container into Kieran's hands. Once he grabbed it, Kieran received a notification.

〈System: Collect droplets from the ?Peripheral Aether Pool?. 25/10〉

Kieran stared at the container in his hand at a loss for words. Only a few minutes later did he succeed in forming a few coherent thoughts.

'Whoa.. I didn't expect Gaea to be so generous. There's more than enough to clear the quest objective. No, to be more precise, this is a quarter of what's created in a thousand years!'

However, Kieran also noticed that despite having pulled 25 droplets from the Peripheral Aether Pool, its volume didn't decrease by much. At least, not from what Kieran could tell.

"Before we let you refine your blood, I must take a look and evaluate your body."

"Must I get naked?" Kieran asked, smiling bitterly.

"Pardon?" Gaea muttered, her expression blank.

"Ah, nothing," Kieran hurriedly said, coughing to avoid suspicion.

Until now, every time he was evaluated, he was forced to strip.

Whether it was Isadora preparing the Elixir of Destructive Renewal or Hekaina planting the Imprint of Might on his body, he was more or less naked for the experience.

Unlike them, however, Gaea merely lifted her hand, which emitted a series of strange pulses a second later.

Kieran couldn't feel the undulations as they did their job, but he did notice that his blood seemed to vibrate as if urging him to let this energy pervade his body.

"Judging by your current body.. twenty droplets of Aether will suffice. That should create a bearable foundation."

"I'm sorry, Gaea. Did you say bearable? As in.., it will be painful?" Kieran muttered, holding back to sigh deeply.

"Well, I wouldn't call it painful," Gaea said.

This earned Kieran's premature sigh of relief, which was paused after hearing the rest of her words.

"More like.. you'll die if you try to intake too much Quintessential Aether. It's a refined and incomparably pure form of Mana, it's not something you should be attempting to meld with at this stage, but because of your legacy.. it should succeed. Come."

As Gaea beckoned for aghast Kieran to take a seat, she gestured her fingers in a way that prompted twenty droplets to rise and circle in the air without touching.

"Please keep your focus at all times. Stopping in the middle of the process is not advised," Gaea cautioned.

A few minutes later, Kieran exhaled and focused as intently as he could.

Once Gaea felt Kieran's focus was sufficiently vested in himself, she suddenly thrust her fingers forward.

A single droplet sped through the air and punctured Kieran's chest after moving so fast it resembled a needle.

The moment this Quintessential Aether met his heart, Blood Mania's Source Rune went haywire, immediately creating a bloody mist around Kieran's body.

Not too long after, Kieran began perspiring strangely. Though the consistency matched his normal sweat, the color seemed more like blood than anything else.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

In rapid succession, Gaea introduced five more droplets of Quintessential Aether to Kieran's body and monitored him.

Thick veins began to surface throughout his body as his heart reached a volume that rivaled someone beating on a drum.

'Such a vibrant heartbeat. You wouldn't expect it from an Intermediate Being, even if they're being refined by this Quintessential Aether. But, I guess this is the outcome of boldly accepting the blood of such a powerful being beforehand.'

As the hours passed and Gaea continued to assist Kieran in absorbing the Quintessential Aether, shock was felt on both ends.

Kieran was shocked by how comfortable the entire process felt after the initial difficulty.

Meanwhile, Gaea was shocked by the division of energy that occurred within Kieran's body.

Her earlier estimation of 20 drops left room for error since it was tough to accurately gauge what someone in Kieran's predicament could withstand.

After Kieran's blood finished consuming roughly 15 drops of Quintessential Aether, Blood Mania's Source Rune absorbed the additional vitality to fortify itself.

Now, when it came to the Source Runes within Kieran's soul, Blood Mania held an undisputed spot.

Once the process was finished, Kieran opened his eyes, mystified by what he experienced.

〈System: Your current physique has surpassed that of an Intermediate Being.〉