Kael had no idea what Wystan was thinking.
Dragging his fragile, constantly fatigued body, he only felt like he'd rested endlessly on the journey—but still couldn't recover the energy he'd lost.
In contrast, the looming threat from the Evernight bloodline and Count Reizel didn't feel so pressing anymore.
After all, he was well-informed.
The developers of Eclipse of Aetherion were notorious for embracing chaos in their narrative design. Once players entered the Calamity Era, danger increased exponentially—and scenarios like this political turmoil were merely the opening act.
In the end, it was just another battle.
The Fourth Disaster had always been this way. If you didn't understand the plot? Skip it. The game would fast-forward into pure chaos soon enough.
"I don't know who I am. I don't know where I am. All I know is that I want to kill."
Thinking about his reckless, action-driven past as a player, the urgency and tension in Kael's chest eased a little.
He stretched out a hand and lifted the curtain of the carriage.
Outside, golden wheat fields shimmered in the sunlight, spotted with humble farmsteads and winding streams that sparkled like glass threads. As the carriage moved on, more people began to appear, along with scattered clusters of cottages.
Kael knew then—his father's fief, Arkwyn County, was near.
…
Outside the carriage, the neigh of the lead horse echoed crisply, and the once-swaying vehicle gradually slowed.
"Young master, we've arrived. You've been pushing yourself too hard—get some proper rest today."
Wystan knelt beside the cushioned seat and reached out to support the weak and sluggish Kael.
Perhaps due to the fusion of memories, their personalities had begun to intermingle. The current Kael was no longer purely Lucien nor wholly the original Kael, but something in-between.
So, he didn't resist Wystan's attentiveness, and let the old butler help him down from the carriage.
The carriage had pulled up in front of a quiet, graceful manor. Beyond the iron gate lay a courtyard adorned with blooming tulips, and behind them, a corridor led toward a long-neglected stretch of lush forest shade.
The environment wasn't bad.
Once the servants cleaned and prepared his quarters, Kael—exhausted from the road—ate a quick meal and retreated to his room to rest.
But what he truly needed wasn't sleep.
He needed a private space—somewhere quiet enough to process what he now knew.
From the memories he'd inherited, he could confirm the current time: it was the 778th year of the Chronos Calendar.
If the players arrived the same way they had in his memories… then in about one year's time, he would encounter the first wave of the Fourth Disaster.
Would they really come again, now that he had entered the game world?
Lucien—Kael—shook his head.
There was no point in worrying about that now.
Whether they would come or not, the only thing that made sense was to prepare in advance.
He began combing through the original Kael's memories, locking onto the timeframes for key early-game events—the kind only a veteran player would remember.
The Human Kingdom of the Evara Concordant, where he now resided, was in the embryonic stage of the Age of Exploration.
The New World had just been discovered.
The Concordant's oceanic expedition fleet had recently launched from the largest port of the Principality of Virelia, setting sail westward toward the legendary Lost Sea.
The Santa Marien, Juneflower, and Goddess of Victory—three of the largest sailing vessels ever constructed by humankind—were among the ships on that voyage.
Merchant fleets crossed the Seven Seas.
The slave trade was flourishing.
And the tides of history had begun to shift.
The naval fleets of the Seven Realms had not yet evolved into the state-sanctioned piracy vessels that would emerge in later generations.
On the once-dominant Westwind Armada, the thunderous roar of ironclad steamships echoed across the deepwater ports.
This was an age where ignorance and enlightenment wove together, a chaotic tapestry of discovery and decay. And if the players did arrive—just as they had in established history—then the spark of irreversible change would be ignited, not by kings or prophets, but by the reckless hands of those lawless agents of chaos:
The Fourth Calamity.
Kael sighed lightly.
The next national war campaign?
Sure, the loot would be good.
But the people... the people would already be gone.
Being reincarnated into the game world wasn't the worst fate.
Even becoming a half-succubus wasn't intolerable—if anything, it gave him an edge.
For now, he could take advantage of the intel bonus before the players arrived.
And when they did arrive?
Well, then it was time to learn the art of farming noobs from none other than the infamous "Base Trash Lord"—and aim not just to survive the calamity…
But to dominate it.
To become a true protagonist of the era, rather than just another unlucky soul crushed beneath the Fourth Calamity's heel.
If that were possible...
But as the saying goes—"If" means it probably won't.
Standing at the window, Kael subconsciously twitched his third "hand."
A slender, flesh-toned tail emerged from behind him, its heart-shaped membrane flicking slightly at the tip.
Turning to the mirror, he watched it swish—delicately, rhythmically—with a faint rustling sound.
…It was kinda cute.
He suddenly had the urge—
—to reach out and grab it!
A tingling jolt of electric stimulation surged up from the tip of the tail, climbing his spine and lighting up his brain.
He groaned lowly.
Not good… that sound… that was a little too real!
But wait... had he really transmigrated?
Back in Eclipse of Aetherion, after the Human Integration patch, players over the age of sixteen could toggle their blood color from green to red. But there was still one hard limit:
You could not—under any circumstance—feel genuine pleasure.
If you tried? The screen would instantly blur into mosaics and holy light.
The tactile feedback system, otherwise brilliant in combat, would shut down entirely.
Do it too many times and the system would just boot you offline.
But this?
This subtle tingle from touching his succubus tail...
He exhaled sharply through his nose.
That was a real feeling.
That wasn't something the game could simulate.
Moments later, he felt his stamina start to fade.
And just as he was worrying about his weakening body, a crisp system prompt echoed in his mind:
> "Essence Value -1"
"Warning: Succubus bloodline awakening entering Stage II. No external essence source detected. Now consuming host essence..."
Kael's eyes lit up with surprise.
The system… it's still here?!
"Open personal panel!"
A phantom scroll unfurled before him, its surface etched with golden runes and flickering glyphs.
---
...Personal Panel...
Name: Kael D. Evernight / Lucien Ardent (Soul and body merging)
Gender: Male
Race: Human · Succubus (Hybrid) · Unknown Anchor
Version: 1.0 [Rebellion of Separation]
Countdown to Public Beta: 299 days
Level: 1
Profession: [Main – Warlock Lv.1 (41/1000)]
Secondary Profession: None
Free Attribute Points: 0
Health: 77/1500
(The lower the health, the closer to death.)
Energy: 3/110
(Represents stamina. Low energy limits physical action.)
Mana: 50/400
(Magical energy. Varies by class.)
Attributes:
Strength: 1.1
Dexterity: 2.3
Endurance: 1.1
Perception: 3.0
Intelligence: 2.2
Willpower: 0.7↑
(Strength = Physical force; Dexterity = Reaction speed; Endurance = Combat stamina & energy cap; Perception = Environmental awareness; Intelligence = Spell potency & skill learning rate; Will = Mental resistance and personal resolve)
…Expertise / Passive Abilities…
[Medium Charm] – Your aura and appearance have undergone a significant enhancement. (As the old saying goes: beauty is a feast for the eyes—and you, my dear, are clearly the centerpiece on the table.)
[Magic Affinity Lv.2] – Your sensitivity to magical energy is heightened. (Though... let's be honest—that is not a place where mana is supposed to reach.)
---
…Skill Column…
[Sweet Fragrance] – The succubus tail releases a hallucinogenic pheromone mist. (Think of it like perfume... or maybe a marinade if you're feeling bold.)
[Power Drain] – When your tail strikes an opponent and successfully latches on, you absorb their bodily stamina, reducing their movement and sapping their will to fight. (Every enemy of the succubus learns, to their horror, that the more they struggle... the tighter the snare becomes.)
[Tail Injection] – Your heart-shaped tail can inject volatile magical elements into a target. This has a chance to randomly apply one of the following effects: Vivid Hallucination, Tactile Overload, or Mindburn. (Legend has it the Succubus Queen once whispered to the Witch King, "Witches taste divine,"—and the Witch King, mighty as he was, blushed.)
[Slick Field] – Designate a surface area to become extremely slippery, hindering enemies' footing and mobility. (Also handy when you need to dodge bills in certain establishments.)
[Water Jet Burst] – Fire a high-pressure water stream to repel enemies with force. (You're still far from mastering the full elegance of this "aqua art.")
[Frozen Pulse] – Emanate a chilling aura to freeze enemies within 2 meters around you or project a wave 10 meters forward. (Pro tip: Try chilling yourself first—your brain, not your tail.)
---
…Evaluation…
As a half-blood succubus, your refusal to draw energy from external "sources" has hindered your bloodline's evolution. During your second awakening, you resorted to biting your own tail to extract essence—
a ridiculous, self-harming act that continues to drain your vitality.
Your instincts cry for fulfillment. Your mind resists. And in between them both, your body suffers.