Kimichi.The Progression Arc (Part one)

  Chapter 6 : PROGRESSION ARC

  "The Confirgaration Gift"

  At Phoinex Arizona, in the hospital, Kimichi stared at the window. The water trickled down like tears from a child’s face, and his own expression mirrored the sorrow spilling from the sky. It was as if he had lost a family member. Suddenly, the air in the room shifted—intense, dense, and heavy. The walls felt like they were freezing, and Kimichi shivered as the blanket covering him turned cold. His legs felt numb, and he looked around just as a portal began to manifest in front of him.

  His expression shifted from sadness to fear, as if he were confronting his greatest nightmare. Yet, as the portal opened further, white paws emerged, followed by the familiar shape of a panda with vibrant orange, black, and white fur floating into the room.

  “Sun…bae!!!” Kimichi shouted, leaping towards the panda with arms wide open, as if to embrace an old friend.

  Sunbae the Panda backed away, stunned, and the portal closed behind him with a resounding bam. Kimichi tumbled to the ground, still holding onto Sunbae with fervor, rubbing his cheek against the panda’s luxurious fur.

  “Ohhh, I missed you… haha,” he exclaimed.

  Yet, Sunbae was less than pleased. “Let go of me!!!” he grumbled, frustration evident in his tone.

  Kimichi, undeterred, clung tighter. “Come on!” he protested, trying to snuggle closer.

  Suddenly, the door swung open, and Kuowon strode in confidently. “Yoh!!! My dude!!” he called out, his exuberance shifting to confusion as he observed the scene before him.

  “Uhmmm… Yoh!” he said, waving his hand to get Kimichi’s attention.

  Sunbae’s gaze turned to Kuowon, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “If it isn’t the Great Master of Beast!”

  Kuowon looked at Sunbae with palpable bewilderment. “Uhmm Kimichi… who’s the talking teddy bear?!” he inquired.

  “Ohhhh…” Kimichi blinked, caught off guard. “Kuowon, meet Sunbae… my spiritual guard… or whatever.”

  “What?” both Sunbae and Kuowon exclaimed in unison, their voices harmonizing in disbelief.

  Kimichi quickly recovered. “So why are you here anyway?” he asked, eager for an answer.

  “Wait, before I could tell you that… why the heck do you have an ancient magical beast?” Kuowon asked incredulously.

  Sunbae floated slightly above the ground, his tone regal. “Fear not, Beast Lord. The young Master is my mutual friend.”

  “Mutual friend? What do you mean by that?” Kuowon pressed, bewilderment etched on his face.

  “Yeah…” Kimichi echoed, curiosity igniting in his eyes.

  “Very well, then I shall recount how I came to know the young Master,” Sunbae declared, clearing his throat as if preparing for an important tale.

  With excitement bubbling over, Kimichi and Kuowon settled onto the bed like eager children awaiting a story.

  “Okay, listen carefully…” Sunbae began.

  Suddenly, the screen faded to black.

  In Legacies Secret Headquarters, located in Phoenix Arizona, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Three figures stood in a row, kneeling before an empty throne. As the room shifted, an illusion formed around them, and Zexus appeared, seated regally upon the throne. The transformation of the space completed, and the three men straightened up, their gazes fixed on their king.

  “SPEAK!” Zexus commanded, his voice echoing ominously, shaking the very foundations of the room.

  “I concluded my research, Master, and I’ve located the first magical artifacts within the custody of Queen Atlas of the Land and Sea Kingdom,” Baishon Ling reported.

  “VERY WELL,” Zexus replied, his presence dominating. “HAVE YOU FOUND THE STAFF YET?”

  Baishon Ling fell silent, prompting Yoriyoo to step forward. “Yes, Master, I have my suspicions, but I assure you I will find it. As we speak, four artifacts are in our custody,” he asserted.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “VERY WELL,” Zexus repeated, his tone unyielding.

  Reikon Jin took a step forward. “Master… Yoriyoo and I have found a candidate we believe could be him.”

  “OHHH REALLY?” Zexus replied, intrigued.

  “Yes,” Reikon Jin continued as a photo of Kai-raisu appeared behind the three men. “We present to you the Prodigy Kai-raisu, the youngest Saviour Agent. She bears the Flame gift of Hell.”

  “HMMM…” Zexus mused.

  “She’s not just the third strongest Saviour Agent but controls the staff willingly ever since she was young. Somehow, the staff chose her as its wielder,” Reikon Jin elaborated.

  “NOW THAT’S INTERESTING…” Zexus leaned forward, captivated by the revelation.

  Clap Clap!!

  The sound of Fuji, the masked man, slicing through the silence drew attention as he sauntered toward the three men.

  “What an interesting report you have there, Jin,” he said, a sly grin hidden beneath his mask.

  “Fuji, you’re late as always… so what was it you were doing this time?” Yoriyoo teased, eyebrow raised.

  “Yeah, I’m also curious,” Baishon Ling added.

  “Do you have a problem with my report, Fuji?” Reikon Jin challenged, his voice edged with irritation.

  “No, not at all, but are you—” Fuji began, only to be cut off by Zexus.

  “SILENCE, FUJI!” Zexus roared, his voice striking fear in all present.

  “I apologize, Master… if I made you—” Fuji started, but Zexus interrupted yet again.

  “YOU’LL ONLY SPEAK WHEN COMMANDED!” he thundered.

  “Understood, Master,” Fuji replied, subdued.

  “YOU MAY PROCEED, JIN,” Zexus commanded.

  “Very well, Master,” Reikon Jin resumed, “where was I? Ah, she is the perfect candidate for him.”

  Zexus fixed his piercing gaze on Kai-raisu’s image. “If I may, Master,” Fuji interjected.

  “SPEAK,” Zexus commanded, his tone brokering no argument.

  “Thank you, Master. As I was saying, there’s another candidate,” Fuji stated, a mischievous glint in his eye.

  “IF I MAY, MASTER…” Reikon Jin began, but Zexus’s glare silenced him.

  “WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK!” Zexus bellowed, causing Reikon Jin to tremble in fear.

  “My apologies…” he muttered, shaking.

  “PROCEED, FUJI,” Zexus ordered.

  “Very well, Master,” Fuji continued, raising his arms to reveal a picture of Kimichi behind him. “I present to you, Kimichi—a talentless human who bears no gift, no real parents, no past; just a normal human,” he declared with a smirk.

  Baishon Ling erupted in laughter. “You have to be joking, Fuji! How can a human be a candidate?” he scoffed.

  Fuji’s smile widened. “Well, I’m not done explaining—”

  “YOU’RE EXCUSED!” Zexus barked, and the room returned to its original setting before the three men could voice their protests.

  “Wait… Master!” Fuji called out, but Zexus had already vanished.

  The three men walked away, laughter echoing in the corridor. “I told you the Master wouldn’t approve of your candidate,” Reikon Jin taunted as he passed Fuji, who remained rooted in place.

  In the Fallen Kingdom, Zexus sat in his throne, deep in thought.

  (A prodigy and a normal human. I wonder…) he pondered.

  [Flashback]

  Twenty-five years ago, high above the fallen kingdom, Zexus floated in the air, gazing down at the devastation—thousands lay dead, the land in ruins. A man, wielding a staff, climbed the remnants of what was once a staircase. Zexus’s eyes narrowed as he lowered himself toward the figure.

  “Who are you?” Zexus demanded.

  The man smiled slowly. “Me? I’m just a spectator, a normal human being!” he replied, glancing up at Zexus with a mix of defiance and amusement.

  “A normal human being, you say?” Zexus echoed, his voice laced with skepticism.

  The man grinned, swinging his staff playfully across his shoulders. “Tell me then, are you here to challenge me as well?” Zexus questioned.

  “I’d be crazy to challenge a King,” the man replied, but then added, “But who would stand against God if a human were to challenge Him?”

  Zexus’s eyes glimmered with intrigue. “God would win, obviously!” he declared, both men grinning at the absurdity of their conversation.

  As Zexus unleashed an immense wave of Kinshin Energy, the remnants of the kingdom disintegrated. Yet the man remained unyielding.

  “Well, let’s test that theory of yours. Shall we?” he taunted.

  (How is he still standing after I released that amount of energy? What exactly is this human?) Zexus mused.

  At the present day, in The Unknown Destination, also known as the Kaharahara in Beast Language, chaos reigned.

  SWINGG!! An axe sliced through the air, narrowly missing Kimichi’s hair as he deftly dodged. He was fighting two orcs, his heart racing with adrenaline.

  Kimichi leaped onto the axe as the orc swung it with incredible force. With a backflip, he landed gracefully on the ground. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a shadow loomed above him—the second orc was coming in for the kill.

  BOM! The ground shook as the orc crashed down, but Kimichi was already on the move.

  “Woah… I wonder if he’s okay?” Kuowon wondered aloud, peering into the dust cloud. “Well, he’s dead,” he concluded, pessimistically.

  Sunbae materialized beside Kuowon, a calm demeanor in contrast to the chaos. “The Young Lord is still warming up,” he assured.

  WOW! Kuowon exclaimed, taken aback. “Where did you come from?”

  “That’s not important right now. Just watch and see,” Sunbae replied, his eyes glued to Kimichi.

  “Okay,” Kuowon said, his mind racing. (Kimichi said this panda pet of his came to him after he awakened his gift. But what does Sunbae stand to gain from being with the descendant of Loki?) he wondered, looking at Sunbae suspiciously.

  The orc locked its eyes on Kimichi, who lay sprawled on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth. (My ribs are broken. Even with a barrier, it broke right through and smashed my ribs apart.) Kimichi thought, frustration bubbling within him.

  (What am I doing wrong? This Confirgaration Gift is still new to me, but everyone expects me to be the strongest human alive. How can I be the strongest if I can’t even make sense of my own gift?)

  [You don’t need to understand it, my Lord,] Sunbae’s voice echoed in Kimichi’s mind.

  [What?] Kimichi responded, surprised. [Sunbae, is that you?]

  [Focus, my Lord. Your power doesn’t come from you; it comes from your surroundings,] Sunbae instructed.

  [The energy around me?] Kimichi repeated to himself, starting to feel a flicker of hope.

  With newfound determination, he smiled as the orc lifted its hands to crush him. “Kimichi!!! Move—” Kuowon shouted, but Sunbae silenced him.

  “Do you feel it, Master of the Beast?” Sunbae asked.

  “What?” Kuowon questioned, realization dawning. (Wait a minute, the energy flowing out of me is being pulled—absorbed. Not just me; it’s the energy around us!)

  BAM! The orc struck Kimichi, and he felt the impact like a shockwave. Yet, when the dust settled, he was still standing, hand gripping the orc’s weapon tightly.

  “Are you done?” he asked, his tone transformed, filled with an intensity that sent a shiver down the orc’s spine.

  “Arghhh…” the orc muttered, confusion etched on its face as it processed Kimichi’s calm demeanor.

  Suddenly, another orc charged in, axe raised high, but Kimichi’s gaze sharpened. He raised his left hand toward the oncoming threat.

  BOM! The orc struck Kimichi, but he remained steadfast, his hand pointing at the axe and stopping it in mid-air.

  Huff He exhaled, smoke billowing from his mouth. “Negative Energy in Contact with Positive Energy… REPEL!” he chanted, a spell formed in the heat of the moment.

  The axe glowed orange before shattering into pieces, leaving the orc stunned.

  Swoosh!!

  BOM!!

  The orc slammed into the wall with astonishing force, and Kimichi turned his attention to the second orc, now paralyzed by fear. “You’re next,” he warned, his voice cold and merciless. “REPEL!” he commanded again.

  The orc’s body convulsed as its limbs broke apart from the inside, a grotesque explosion of power.

  BOM!

  The orc’s left side disintegrated, leaving a gaping hole where it had once been. Kimichi walked toward Kuowon and Sunbae, blood on his hands, a fierce resolve in his eyes.

  (The Confirgaration Gift—one of the strongest gifts a person could bear. The true power of Zero. A gift that allows the user to manipulate Kinshin Energy that flows around them, using it as an anchor to chant any spell they conceive, as long as it adheres to the laws of physics. Right now, Kimichi is operating at 15% of his potential,) Kuowon thought, fear mingling within him.

  To Be Continued…

  Character Development of Fuji

  The Masked Man

  Gift: Unknown??

  Age: 35 years old

  Interest: The God of Mischief “Loki.” Understanding his powers and weaknesses; his interest in the present day is Kimichi.

  Hobby: ???