The Monarch

Kayden had a straightforward approach when it came to training his students—he aimed for the absolute peak, but he wanted his students to be capable of reaching that peak on their own. Kayden wouldn't carry anyone forward by himself, and Kayn had that capacity—he was capable of pushing himself to that level.The more time passed, the more Kayden was impressed by the raw diamond he had found in that random place. Kayn possessed not only talent but also an insatiable will to surpass everything. His effort was triple that of common people and double that of geniuses.The other mages on the ship were also special. Kayden could see that each one had an insane level of genius within them—but something was missing. A minimal detail. A race. A broken mind seeking the impossible.Kayden continued to train all the others. He didn't neglect his duties—but he also didn't do it in his unique way. He merely offered them directions to follow. With Kayn, however, he was simply beating him and completely altering his soul.It took two entire decades for Kayden to finish everything he had to do with Kayn's soul. His talent exploded terrifyingly. His understanding of his law nearly tripled during that period, and that directly increased his strength, without him having to do anything differently."This is the maximum I can alter your soul," Kayden began one of his speeches again. "If you want to go beyond this, you'll have to bring me your soulmate for a sacrifice." Kayn looked at Kayden, shocked. What he was proposing was completely insane."Is it worth it?""Yes. Your natural talent will grow at least five times more than it is now." Kayn looked at Kayden again, stunned. Five times more than it already was? That didn't even make sense to him—his peak strength would become completely legendary.Kayn's strength at that point had reached an absurd level. He was able to summon around ten clones of himself, each with strength equivalent to 70% of the original. That made no sense. His law was an enigma of nature—Kayden had taken many years just to begin to understand it.It was something that made reality itself begin to recognize those clones as real beings who would act in the same ways. It was simply insane—a law that should not have been capable of being created by a mere mortal. Either it was ancient knowledge, or Kayn had a terrifying potential for the future."Gather here," Lucius called out to everyone at a random moment. "We're going to stop at one of the oldest ruins in this sea. It's a tower with several floors, each of them several billion kilometers wide, and in the center, there's a portal either leading out or to the next level. Only mortals can enter."Lucius threw a book onto the map for each mage. It contained an explanation of the 10 basic levels and a bit about the next ones. Additionally, it had rules and regulations from major organizations about being inside the tower, the first of them being not to destroy the ecosystem on each floor.Each floor had unique treasures born from entire systems of distinct laws. But there were mortals capable of destroying that—at least those on the lower levels. In the upper ones, such destruction was practically impossible."Only mortals can enter, so I won't be able to protect you inside. That's why each of you will receive an emergency orb," Lucius said as he tossed a small golden sphere to the mages. "If you break this, you'll be teleported directly to my side, ignoring all the tower's laws."Kayden watched all of it while wondering how he would enter the tower as well. He was a mortal—but didn't want to reveal that just yet. It was better to keep his secrets hidden for now.As soon as they stepped outside the ship…The tower looked like an ordinary structure, made of dark stone worn down by time, a little over twenty meters high, with no sign of grandeur. There were no symbols, no visible protection—it looked abandoned in the middle of the sea, ignored for ages. But inside, each floor was distorted by spatial laws, opening portals to vast, unique environments—impossible to fit within that limited space. Its interior defied logic, as if entire worlds were hidden in the folds of reality.All around, dozens upon dozens of ships surrounded the tower from every direction, forming an almost impenetrable ring of wood, steel, and magical energy. It was a silent, anxious crowd—drawn from unknown factions, legendary groups, and forgotten kingdoms—all seeking to enter first.The entrance was small but guarded by a group of gods from various factions. Nothing in this universe was free—there was no such thing as a free lunch. Everything had its price, and something was definitely being charged for entrance there.Lucius floated alongside everyone toward the entrance. His arrival silenced the surrounding conversations—both because of his unmistakable strength and the symbol he bore. His family was well-known across the Great Sea, as his kingdom encompassed much of it. His entrance, of course, would not be charged."The Sea Giants salute the Ody family." Lucius simply smiled and did not respond to the greeting. He was far above that. It was like a king acknowledging a beggar."You have fifty years to explore this tower," Lucius said, and the mortals, along with him, began entering after his command. This was a good opportunity for them."Lucius, I'm going in too. I have a way to lower my strength and aura to that of a mortal," Kayden communicated this directly to the god and didn't give him time to respond. None of the nearby gods paid much attention to Kayden sneaking in.Inside, Kayden began unleashing his spiritual sense in every direction. The entire first floor was swept by his mind in seconds, and… there was absolutely nothing special here.Kayden found dozens of treasures—some of them untouched for billions of years. There were many points not marked on the maps of the great organizations. But in the end, nothing was particularly relevant to Kayden. He simply collected a few unique treasures he found worthwhile.