The morning air on Planet Aster carried a crisp, metallic scent, a lingering reminder of the world's ancient wars. In a secluded clearing miles from the village of Glan, the only sound was the rhythmic shshsh of wind-swept leaves. I stood in the center of the grove, my breath visible in the cool air of Maizara.
With a sharp exhale, I willed my Atara to surge. From the spiritual essence within my soul, a pair of rugged, matte-black Steel Gauntlets manifested over my hands. This was my Artifact—a physical manifestation of my will. As I clenched my fists, the cold metal hummed with potential.
In front of me stood a jagged boulder, five meters of solid granite. In my previous life as Ryuji, I couldn't even stand up to a high school bully. Here, I was a creator of my own destiny.
"Circulation... activate," I whispered.
I visualized the Atara energy as a golden river flowing from my core, through my shoulders, and into the gauntlets. The air around my fists began to shimmer with heat. I lunged.
BOOM!
The impact didn't just crack the stone; it pulverized it. Dust and gravel rained down like hailstones. My knuckles didn't feel a thing, protected by the Artifact's durability, but my Atara reserves dipped slightly. I needed to push harder. I spent the next four hours repeating the strike, forcing my spiritual pathways to widen. To become a legendary Slayer, I couldn't just rely on blessings; I needed the muscle memory of a warrior.
Later that day, I stood by my father's carriage at the Boro city gates. The atmosphere was heavy with an unsaid goodbye.
"I'm staying in the city, Dad," I said, looking him in the eye. "I need to be closer to the Guild. I need to grow."
My father, Sable Asgard, looked at me with a mixture of shock and profound sadness. He knew I was different from other ten-year-olds, but the finality of my decision hit him hard. "Your mother... she'll weep for a week," he sighed, his voice thick with emotion. "But I've seen the way you look at the horizon, Kaelo. You don't belong in a farmhouse. Go. I'll make her understand."
He gripped my shoulder one last time before his carriage rattled away, leaving me alone in the bustling maze of Boro.
The Slayer Guild was a hive of frantic activity when I entered. Slayers of all ranks were crowding the windows, whispering in hushed, reverent tones.
"Make way! The Crimson Vanguard is back!"
The crowd parted like the Red Sea. A group of five warriors walked in, their armor scorched and stained with monster blood. At their head was a man who seemed to radiate power. His long, crimson hair was tied back, and his eyes were as sharp as the massive claymore strapped to his back. The sheer pressure of his Atara was suffocating—it felt like standing too close to a sun.
"An SR 4 Slayer," a nearby veteran muttered, his voice trembling. "The only one in this sector. He just cleared a Rank 4 dungeon solo."
I watched them disappear into the VIP chambers. My heart hammered against my ribs. That's the peak, I thought. That's where I'm going.
To fuel my journey, I walked to the Rank 1 board and snatched a contract: Exterminate the Steel-Jawed Fox. It was a routine hunt, but I needed the funds for a permanent room in the city.
The hunt was swift. Deep in the Buster Woods, the fox—a creature with teeth reinforced by natural iron deposits—tried to ambush me from the brush. I didn't even use my gauntlets. A simple wooden staff and a burst of Visualization fire were enough to end its life. I reached into its chest and pulled out a thumb-sized White Atara Stone. It was dim, but it was profit.
I was about to head back when a curdling scream tore through the forest canopy.
"HELP! IT'S TOO STRONG! SOMEONE!"
I sprinted toward the source, my boots chewing up the forest floor. I broke into a clearing and froze. Three Rank 1 Slayers—young men not much older than my previous self—were backed against a cliff. Towering over them was a nightmare clad in emerald-green fur.
A Giant Forest Bear.
It stood five meters tall on its hind legs, its claws dripping with the blood of a fallen Slayer. This wasn't a Rank 1 beast. The density of the mana surrounding it confirmed my fears: it was a Rank 2 Calamity.
"Run! Get to the city and bring a suppression team!" I roared, stepping into the beast's line of sight.
The Slayers didn't hesitate; they scrambled away, leaving me face-to-face with the monster. The bear let out a roar that physically pushed the air out of my lungs.
Artifact: Manifest.
The Steel Gauntlets materialized, glowing with a faint blue light. I funneled my Atara into the metal, utilizing the Adaptive Learning blessing to perfectly sync my Circulation with the Artifact's resonance.
The bear lunged, a massive paw swinging with the force of a falling tree. I didn't dodge. I raised my left gauntlet, catching the blow. The ground beneath my feet shattered, sinking me inches into the dirt, but I held.
"My turn," I growled.
I unleashed a barrage of punches. Each hit felt like a hammer striking an anvil. The bear's hide was thick, but my gauntlets were harder. I ducked under a swipe that took the top off a nearby oak tree and drove my right fist into its ribs.
BOOM!
The bear recoiled, a rib snapping with a sickening crack. Enraged, it went into a frenzy, its emerald fur standing on end. It lunged for my throat, its jaws wide enough to crush my head in one bite.
I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, visualizing the core of a sun. I channeled that heat into my right fist, combining Visualization with Circulation.
"Solar Strike!"
My fist connected with its solar plexus. A pillar of white-hot flame erupted from the point of impact, cauterizing the bear's chest and sending it flying twenty meters backward. It crashed through three trees before finally skidding to a halt, motionless.
The silence that followed was deafening. I walked over to the carcass, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I used a hunting knife to open the chest cavity. Resting near the heart was a stone the size of a golf ball, glowing with a brilliant, steady Yellow light.
A Rank 2 Atara Stone. This alone was worth a fortune.
When the Guild's reinforcement team arrived thirty minutes later, they expected to find three corpses. Instead, they found a ten-year-old boy sitting on the head of a dead Rank 2 bear, calmly cleaning his gauntlets.
The news spread through Boro like wildfire. By the time I reached the exchange counter, the whispers had started. Who is he? The boy who killed the Emerald Bear?
I handed the stones to the clerk. "12,000 Riya," the man stammered, his hands shaking as he counted the coins. "Kid... you just made more in one day than most Slayers make in a month."
I took the pouch of coins and turned to leave, but a booming voice stopped the entire hall. High on the balcony stood Albert Gora, the Guild Master. His eyes were fixed on me, a predatory glint of interest in them.
"Attention, Slayers!" Gora shouted. "The harvest is over, and the season of blood begins! Next month, on the 1st of Chatalee, the Great Boro Tournament commences. Any Slayer Rank 1 or higher is eligible. The prize is 100,000 Riya and a seat in the Capital Academy!"
I gripped the pouch of coins, a cold smile spreading across my face. On Earth, I was a loser. On Aster, I was a storm.
The tournament was in one month. I had thirty days to master the remaining eight paths of Atara.
Author's Notes: The Chronology of Aster
To help readers track Kaelo's progress, here is the official timekeeping system of Planet Aster:
The Metric of Time:
50 Seconds = 1 Minute
50 Minutes = 1 Hour
50 Hours = 1 Full Day (Day/Night Cycle)
The Calendar:
10 Days = 1 Week
5 Weeks = 1 Month (50 Days per month)
10 Months = 1 Year (500 Days per year)
The Ten Months (The Circle of Asto):
1.Haritara
2.Herota
3.Maizara
4.Chatalee
5.Ramaya
6.Hikoro
7.Taijiro
8.Kamira
9.Tesura
10.Akkori
Author's note: 10/?score "How many points out of 10 would you give?"