Life force

Emily could hardly believe her eyes. Her own brother—choking her. Her feet dangled above the ground as Alex lifted her effortlessly, his grip like a vice around her throat.

As an experienced hunter with an S-rank ability, she should have fought back. But she didn't. She couldn't. The shock was too much. Her sapphire-blue eyes filled with worry, not fear. Something was wrong—very wrong. 'Did something go wrong when he tried to learn that cultivation method? I told him to test it on others first...' She had offered to find people for the experiment. Alex refused. Not because he didn't trust her. But because he didn't trust the people she would bring. To him, no matter how strong she was—she was still his naïve little sister.

Emily's body grew weaker, her strength fading fast. She could feel her life force being drained. Strands of her golden hair turned white. Her hands trembled. She forced them up—not to break his grip. Not to fight back. But to touch his face. Tears welled in her eyes, sliding down her pale cheeks. Her lips moved, whispering broken words. "W…h… Why…?"

The moment Alex's lifeforce threshold hit ten percent, clarity snapped back into his mind. At first, everything was a blur. He only felt something warm on his cheek. Then "KING! WAKE UP!!!" Vesa's scream ripped through his consciousness.

Alex's entire body jolted. His vision cleared— And what he saw horrified him. Emily. Half of her hair had already turned white. Her once vibrant, rosy complexion—pale and lifeless. Her energy—flickering. She wasn't breathing. "What have I done…?" His voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. He let go immediately, catching her before she collapsed. He pulled her into his arms, his hands shaking as he held her close.

[King, she's still alive. Check her status.]

Alex snapped his focus to her status.

***

Name: Emily Campbell

Power Level: 7

Lifeforce: 10/150

Ability: Embodiment of Light Lv. 2

*** 

If the situation weren't so dire, Alex would have been stunned. She was stronger than Mingyue. That wasn't surprising. What caught his attention was the "Ability" tab. He had been the one to tell Vesa to update the system to track it. Even if the ability levels weren't completely accurate unless he drained someone's lifeforce, any data was better than nothing. But none of that mattered right now.

Emily's lifeforce was barely holding on. Like a candle flickering in the wind. Alex gritted his teeth. "Vesa… tell me more about this lifeforce. Can I return it to her?"

[Yes, King. But… not yet. It's one of the Progenitor's abilities, unlocked later on your path.] 

Alex clenched his fists. "Then tell me exactly what lifeforce is. How does it work?"

[Lifeforce is… complicated. But to put it simply—For humans, every numeric value of lifeforce is roughly equal to one year of lifespan.]

Alex's blood ran cold. His grip on Emily tightened. His sister—his only family left—had just lost forty years of her life. Because of him. Alex's hands shook as he cradled Emily in his arms. He understood exactly what this meant. His sister only had ten years left. And it wasn't just about her lifespan. 

When she woke up, her body would be frail—like someone who had already lived for 140 years but only had ten left. Her organs would fail faster. Her immune system would collapse. She would start developing illnesses that only affected the elderly. This wasn't just about years. She had lost her future.

[King, maybe you could try using the new cultivation technique on her since—]

But then she stopped. Because she could feel it. Alex's rage. It wasn't the usual irritation he showed when dealing with her. It was cold. Burning. Absolute. His voice came out like steel. "She is not a scapegoat." He exhaled sharply. "To raise my Progenitor level, I need more of his blood. Send me to one of those places—now. No—send me after I put her somewhere safe."

Alex adjusted his grip and started walking toward the facility. Vesa remained silent. His demand was absurd. The locations that housed Progenitors weren't weak. Each of them required a minimum power level of 20 to even stand a chance. Going there now was suicide. But Alex's voice cut through the silence. "Answer me, Vesa. If you don't, I'll find a way myself."**

[It's not that I don't want to, King. But I'll be blunt—You're too weak. If it were possible, I would have already sent both of you to another world to accelerate your transformation and rebuild our race.] 

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Both of us? Can't you just send me?"

[No !This limitation was placed by the last Progenitor. Both must be sent.]

[King, I understand your worry. Your fear. But sending you now would be suicide. If I had more energy, I could at least ensure that I could bring you both back if something went wrong.]

Alex's jaw clenched. "So, the only problem is that you don't have enough energy for multiple trips." His voice hardened. "What do you need to recover your strength, Vesa?"

In Edonia, Vesa's chubby mouth opened with a long sigh. She felt helpless. There were many things she had intentionally kept from Alex, hoping he would focus on strengthening himself first. But she knew him too well. Alex would never let this go. So she answered.

[I need lifeforce. Not just from anyone. I need one from a strong being—at least at the level of an Immortal in MingYue's world.]

Alex's mind raced. MingYue had told him exactly how strong Immortals were. By his estimate, that meant something on the level of a Category Five dungeon boss.

[King, don't be reckless. If you die—who will save Emily? And did you forget? MingYue will die with you.]

Alex scoffed. His voice was cold. "Don't lie to me, Vesa." He smirked bitterly. "You and I both know I won't die that easily. The only thing that can truly kill me is something strong enough to destroy my soul. And my soul—even if incomplete—is already at the Progenitor level."