From his past life, he knew what was coming. In the coming month, Minor Runes would begin appearing one after another. And while many of them would fall into the hands of high-ranking forces, a few would end up with smaller families. And because these minor ruins granted only modest benefits, the upper echelons were usually willing to let them go.
During that period, a wave of promotion would ripple through society — unranked families achieving Bronze status, Bronze families pushing to Silver, and so on.
That was the moment Kaito was waiting for.
When the world turned its attention to the mass surge in family rankings, the Ren family's breakthrough would be hidden in the crowd.
It wouldn't seem suspicious — just another family rising with the tide.
...
After confirming that the spiritual index of Earth was steadily rising, Kaito immediately began revising his timeline and strategy. He had originally expected a slower progression — one that would require careful patience over several months. But now that the timeline had advanced by nearly two years, he had to compress all his plans into the remaining four weeks.
If the Ren family was to stand at the level of a Silver Grade household or even higher within just one month, then every hour counted.
He began adjusting and fine-tuning their internal development plans. He wasn't aiming for publicity or recognition — just sheer strength. And if they surpassed the Silver threshold while remaining unknown ? Even better.
After making several modifications to the family's overall development plan, Kaito turned his attention to the ancestral estate.
Before making the journey, he planned to purchase something. This might prove essential to convince the ancestral branch of the Ren family to come out of seclusion and join their efforts in Silvercrest. He knew well that appealing to their logic and emotion wouldn't be enough. He needed to show results, offer resources, and prove that the current Ren branch had risen far beyond its unranked status.
And more importantly, he had to warn them.
Because even if the ancestral estate had remained hidden from ordinary surveillance for decades, it wouldn't stay that way for long.
"That region was already under the monitoring scope of the Sioren family," Kaito thought grimly.
The Siorens were another Silver Grade family, like the Kaelas, but their influence was concentrated in the western sectors — and their intelligence division was notorious. Unlike the Kaelas who operated through dominance, the Siorens prided themselves in their information channels and their various control strategies.
And even if the ancestral Ren estate was deep in the wilderness, it was still within the zone of influence of a Silver Grade family.
If they wished to investigate… no amount of hiding would be enough.
Because whether hidden or not, they still weren't truly powerful.
Kaito was well aware that the strongest member in the ancestral branch was only a Rank 4 martial artist—his eldest granduncle. Despite being considered a martial genius of his time, he had been held back by the lack of resources and access to proper cultivation environments. Even his own grandfather once told him:
"If my elder brother had the backing of a Bronze Grade family let alone a Silver family resources back then, he'd have reached Rank 6 by now."
It was precisely that thought—that vision of wasted potential—that had driven Kaito's grandfather to leave the estate and explore the world. He had sworn never to be bound by stagnation and silence. Now it was time for Kaito to return with the results his grandfather had once chased.
.....
Descending from his room, Kaito entered the central hall of the villa.
Everyone was already awake and bustling with energy.
His cousins had logged out of Glory and stood in casual training outfits, already preparing for their morning martial routine. Mei Rin stood among them, stretching her limbs and chatting lightly with Aika, who seemed more eager than usual.
In the open courtyard, he could see several members of studio even his younger cousins— engaging in various martial poses under the guidance of his fourth aunt. She was demonstrating posture transitions with precision, making corrections as they went. Clearly, she had taken to her role as instructor.
Their efforts weren't in vain.
The advanced medicinal bath recipe discovered by his grandfather from the books from the ancient library ruins—designed to accelerate body conditioning and enhance innate constitution, enabling the younger generation to begin martial arts training early—was now taking effect.
Every family younger member had received their share of the newly brewed bath solution. With it, even the children under 15 could begin martial training earlier than normally allowed, while the ones who were already near that threshold, like his cousin Hiroto, were progressing at astonishing speed and can also start their martial arts practice in 1 or 2 days.
….
As the morning martial arts training session wound down, Kaito gathered his cousins and Mei Rin inside his room. Their shirts were soaked with sweat, faces flushed from exertion, yet each of them wore a spark of pride in their eyes. Their progress was visible. Tangible. And most importantly, it was accelerating.
"Alright," Kaito said, his voice calm but resolute. "Go back to the villa and start packing. We'll be heading to the ancestral estate soon."
The younger ones exchanged excited glances.
He then turned to Mei Rin and said, "For the next two days, the studio is in your hands."
Then Kaito said no more. He simply gave a nod and turned, waving for Jin, one of the family's trusted guards, who was also assigned his driver to follow him.
They made their way to the garage, where a matte black hover sedan awaited them — one of the older models still maintained by the Ren family. As the vehicle hummed to life and ascended over the low hills surrounding their farmland estate, Kaito sat quietly in the backseat, gazing out over the fields below.
His destination today was the Silvercrest City main district.
This time, his goal was simple — to purchase new cars for the family.
True, keeping a low profile was wise. That had always been the foundation of the Ren family's survival until now. But even he understood that a strategic display of wealth could have its own advantages. Sometimes, letting others know you had strength — and the means to sustain it — was the best deterrent of all.
Especially now.
"When I return to the ancestral estate," Kaito thought, "I want them to see with their own eyes — we've grown strong. Strong enough to support everyone."
He didn't need to brag.
He also one more thing that had happened there which could help him in convincing the elders there.
Then he would let the results speak for themselves — through the quality of resources, the strength of their martial artists, and even through something as seemingly superficial as a fleet of high-grade vehicles.
As the hover sedan glided through the skyline toward the heart of Silvercrest City, Kaito leaned back in his seat, fingers steepled under his chin. The windscreen's translucent interface displayed the incoming route data, but his thoughts were already elsewhere — inside the game.
He couldn't afford to stop now.
"Even while I'm away at the ancestral estate… I can't afford to miss a day in Glory."
The early stage of the game was the most crucial. Every decision laid the foundation for future domination — for Genesis, for his family, and for everything he planned to build. And more than that, he had the pending deal with Selvera.
While he might not be in Silvercrest physically, his presence in the game had to remain unwavering.
As the hover sedan coasted toward Silvercrest City's gleaming auto sector, Kaito tapped the interface embedded in the door. A blue projection blinked to life as Kia responded.
"Kia," he ordered, "place an order for 100 Bronze-grade Virtual Cabins — full-dive capable, maximum endurance modules. Deliver them directly to the ancestral estate."
A soft chime echoed. "Understood. Bronze-grade cabins verified. Each priced at 1 million credits. Total: 100 million credits. Shall I proceed?"
Kaito nodded.
"Confirmed. Placing order now."
A second later, Kia updated: "Purchase successful. Delivery expected within 24 hours. Current account balance: 50.721 million credits."
If he wanted the ancestral branch of the Ren family to follow him into this new world, then wealth — displayed in just the right measure — was the fastest way to prove their strength and capability. It wasn't just vanity. It was persuasion.
Within seconds, Kia replied, "Order confirmed. Sorting through verified suppliers. Estimated delivery: 24 hours."
These cabins weren't for luxury. They were an investment.
Each one allowed 24/7 full-dive gameplay. And once delivered, they'd enable his cousins, uncles, aunts — even his oldest kin —at the ancestral estate to join Glory and help build the Ren family's virtual legacy. He didn't just want them to witness the world changing — he wanted them to be part of it.
With that task done, Kaito's gaze turned back to the Silvercrest skyline. The towering buildings now gleamed with neon brand logos and company banners. The vehicle sector of the city came into view — a sprawling commercial district dedicated entirely to hover cars, airbikes, transports, and luxury RVs.
Row after row of storefronts, each with its unique logo, stretched into the distance. But Kaito had already made his choice.
He signaled Jin to land in front of a sleek, high-end showroom: Sky Drift Motors — known for their performance-class hover vehicles and luxury custom commissions for high society.
Inside, the polished showroom floor shimmered under white-blue lights. The models on display were nothing short of art — hover sedans that gleamed like glass, armored off-road cruisers, and floating speedsters that could rival military crafts.
The doors parted with a hiss. Kaito stepped inside, greeted by a spotless gallery of glistening futuristic vehicles arranged like works of art beneath silver lighting.