The SSS class adventurer is a divine cleric

Back to the present at the camps

Everyone stared.

The larger one groaned and muttered something unintelligible, then smacked his companion in the back of the head.

Yueyin didn't move. "They saw us... and kept fighting. Like we weren't even a threat."

"They don't know who we are," Zhao said.

Lianfeng stared at them, unblinking.

Lianfeng's voice was low. "Get ready,"

"They're either stupid… or they're strong enough to ignore fear. Both are dangerous."

The air was tense.

Wei Lianfeng stood in front of his people, arms crossed, body relaxed—but his eyes sharp as blades. Behind him, Yueyin and Zhao fanned out wide, hands near their weapons, ready for anything.

The two strangers on the beach seemed… unbothered.

The shorter one—the one with **wild black hair** and an **annoying grin**—stepped forward casually, waving again with both hands.

> "Hi. Hello."

> (He pointed at himself.) "Kaelen."

> (Then pointed at Neal.) "Grumpy."

The taller one—**Neal**, apparently—facepalmed.

The group didn't move.

Kaelen tried again, miming a fish with both hands and pointing at their wrecked ship.

Wei Lianfeng narrowed his eyes. The man was gesturing toward their supplies.

Yueyin leaned in. "Is he demanding tribute?"

> "Maybe food," Zhao whispered. "Or... compensation?"

Kaelen, blissfully unaware of the gathering alarm, kept pantomiming—holding his arms wide and making exaggerated chewing motions, pointing at his stomach with a pout.

Then he took **two bold steps forward**.

Half the Eastern group raised weapons instantly.

Neal shouted something sharp behind him—probably a warning—but Kaelen just raised both hands like *"no no, it's okay"*, stepped right up to Lianfeng...

...and offered him a **dead crab**.

A very dead, very ugly crab, half-smashed from their earlier brawl.

Silence.

Bai Yueyin blinked. "He's... threatening us with sea creatures?"

> "A challenge." Zhao muttered. "Maybe a duel rite. First a display of their island's kill."

> "Or a peace offering?" Huo guessed.

> "Or poison." Meng Nian said, backing up.

Wei Lianfeng stared at the crab, then at Kaelen's infuriatingly cheerful face.

Kaelen smiled wider, gave a **thumbs up**, and patted Lianfeng on the shoulder twice.

Yueyin's jaw dropped.

> "He just touched a prince."

Zhao's sword *half-cleared* its sheath.

Lianfeng raised one hand, stopping them.

He stared into Kaelen's eyes—deep black, like storm glass—and **did not blink**.

Then, slowly, deliberately, he **handed the crab back**.

Kaelen looked at it, tilted his head, then shrugged and casually lobbed it into the ocean.

> "Rude," he muttered. "That was a gift."

---

### 📍 Scene 5 – Building Confusion

Neal stepped forward at last, raising both hands slowly, clearly trying to calm the mood. He motioned toward himself, then at Kaelen, then back at the sea.

> "We're not here to fight," he *probably* meant.

But the **Yunxu cultivators saw it differently**.

> "The golden one submits?" Yueyin said softly. "No. He's... explaining rank. The dark-haired one is their leader."

> "So that one's the warlord," Huo said, watching Kaelen.

Kaelen, meanwhile, was making **finger guns** at random birds flying overhead, completely oblivious.

Meng Nian frowned. "They look like idiots. But their energy flow is real. Even when still, their cores aren't dormant—they're in a constant low hum. I don't think they're from any sect we've ever known."

> "Then what are they?" Yueyin asked.

Wei Lianfeng watched Kaelen drop to a crouch and start doodling something into the sand. He scrawled a bad drawing of a stick figure holding a fish, then pointed at the camp again, looking hopeful.

> "They're from beyond the sea," Lianfeng said quietly. "Far beyond. The kind of place where Qi is shaped not by tradition… but by survival."

> "What do we do?" Zhao asked.

> "We don't attack," Lianfeng said. "Yet."

> "Then what?"

Lianfeng took one step forward and **lowered his blade**—a gesture not of submission, but **permission**.

Kaelen stared at him.

Then stood, brushed off his hands... and hugged him.

Full. Chest-to-chest. Arms wrapped. A hug.

Gasps echoed behind Wei Lianfeng.

Zhao unsheathed his sword. Yueyin took half a step forward, eyes wide.

Lianfeng… stood there, frozen. One eye twitched.

> "Did he just—"

> "He **hugged** the prince."

> "Execution offense."

> "...Or maybe sacred rite?" Meng Nian offered weakly.

Neal collapsed onto the sand with a groan.

> "I told you we shouldn't approach them."

Kaelen grinned. "Relax. I think they like us."

The tension on the beach was thick enough to slice through.

On one side, the **Yunxu survivors**, armed and confused, stood in wary formation, misinterpreting every gesture as some foreign ritual of dominance.

On the other, **Kaelen and Neal**—both trying to look nonthreatening, but only succeeding in looking *utterly insane*.

Kaelen drew another stick figure in the sand—this one with a fishing rod, holding hands with a crab—and gave a hopeful thumbs-up.

> "Kaelen," Neal muttered. "This isn't working."

> "Give it time. Diplomacy takes patience."

> "You tried to bribe them with a dead crab and hugged their prince."

> "Exactly! We're practically family now!"

Then, in the distance—

A **roar of laughter**.

Everyone turned.

Down the slope from the jungle trail came a **large, sun-drenched man**, bounding full speed toward them with impossible energy. Draped across his back—clinging like a tiny bird—was a little girl, **white-haired, wide-eyed**, squealing with joy.

> "Faster, Papa! They're gonna leave without us!"

> "Hold on tight, mite!" the man bellowed, his voice echoing like a war drum. "We're going hunting!"

He was carrying her like a **sack of potatoes on a mission**, shirt half-open, scars glinting across his tanned chest. Despite the sheer absurdity of it, his movements were graceful—**predator-level speed**, but full of warmth.

Wei Lianfeng instinctively stepped back. "Another one."

Zhao Shun squinted. "That one's stronger than the others. No visible Qi, but his movements distort the air."

> "He's smiling," Yueyin muttered.

> "That's the scariest part," Meng Nian added.

The larger man came to a halt in a single sharp stomp of sand, just behind Neal and Kaelen.

> "Oi!" he called. "You two done hugging foreigners or what? Mita's hungry and there's no meat at home."

Neal sighed. "We're still working on introductions."

> "Introductions, huh? Looks like a hostage negotiation from here."

Mita peeked over his shoulder and gasped at the group in robes.

> "Big Brother Kaelen! Are those monks?"

> "Sort of," Kaelen said, pointing. "That one almost stabbed me just for smiling."

Wei Lianfeng turned sharply toward Yueyin. "Did you raise your weapon?"

> "He touched you. I didn't *not* raise it."

Derek scanned the awkward standoff and rubbed his chin.

> "Yeah, this isn't going anywhere. Alira!"

Nothing.

He sighed. "Kaelen, signal."

Kaelen's shoulders slumped. "I was saving mana…"

> "Signal. Now."

Kaelen groaned, lifted a hand, and **condensed a bright orb of golden mana** into his palm. It shimmered with divine heat, then **shot upward**, splitting the sky with a **lance of gold** before erupting into a **radiant burst** like a miniature sun.

The entire beach **vibrated**.

The Yunxu cultivators flinched backward. Meng Nian screamed. Several of them fell into defensive stances, shields raised.

> "He summoned a *celestial omen*!?" Zhao shouted.

> "No," Yueyin snapped. "He just **cast a divine spell for no reason!**"

Wei Lianfeng clenched his jaw. "They're calling reinforcements."

And then—

With zero warning—

**She appeared.**

A ripple in the air.

A shimmer of white and silver.

And then **Alira Mor** stood **between Kaelen and the Yunxu cultivators**, daggers already drawn, held in reverse grip like **a woman about to dissect her meal**.

Her eyes scanned the empty hands. No blood. No beast.

> "Where," she asked in an icy voice, **"is the game?"**

Kaelen gave a sheepish smile. "Uhh…"

Alira's expression didn't change. She tilted her head slightly, then **whipped a dagger**—fast as light.

The blade slashed past Kaelen's cheek—**missing by a hair and buried itself into the sand at his feet**.

Kaelen blinked. "Whoa."

Neal raised a hand. "In his defense, there *were* crabs—"

> "You summoned me," Alira said coldly, "*with a divine flare,* to show me crabs?"

Kaelen laughed nervously. "They're big ones?"

Alira turned to Derek. "You should have left them behind."

> "You keep saying that," Derek said, setting Mita down with a grin. "But then you follow every time."

Finally, Derek clapped once.

> "Enough chaos. We're wasting time."

He motioned to the Yunxu group, then to Alira.

> "They don't understand us. Fix that."

Alira sighed like she'd been asked to clean fish guts.

She stepped forward, her fingers dancing with pale silver light. The air shimmered slightly around her as she closed her eyes and whispered a soft invocation.

A pulse of energy surged from her mind to theirs—not invasive, but **connecting**.

**A Soul Link.**

The Yunxu cultivators tensed, but felt nothing painful. Then suddenly—**they could feel intent.** Not words, but **meaning**, shared like a thought translated into emotion.

Alira opened her eyes, expression sharp.

> "Now they'll understand you. Say what you mean."

Kaelen stepped forward, held up two fingers, and gestured grandly to the sky.

> "Hello. We came to fish. We saw you. We got curious. That's all."

Through the link, the Yunxu cultivators felt his emotions—**curiosity, mischief, zero malice**.

Wei Lianfeng blinked. "He's not a barbarian."

Neal spoke next. "We're not your enemies. We thought you were locals. That's it."

Derek waved from the back. "They're strangers, boys. But so are we. Let's talk or walk."

#Two Circles, One Tongue

The beach was still.

Sand blew gently across the scuffed terrain where Kaelen and Neal had brawled earlier, but now all eyes were on **Alira**, as she knelt in the center of the clearing.

With smooth, practiced movements, she traced two **concentric glyphs** into the sand using her dagger—each large enough for a person to stand within. Ethereal symbols pulsed faintly, glowing with soft soullight—**an ancient array designed for temporary Soul Linking**.

> "It's not a permanent link," she said coolly. "Two speakers only. Think loud. Speak clear. Your thoughts will carry across the divide."

She stepped away, eyes half-lidded.

> "Now. Who's doing the talking?"

Before anyone could answer, **Kaelen stepped forward** without hesitation and **planted himself in the first array circle**.

He grinned and waved at the other group like he was inviting someone to join a drinking game.

Then, he pointed at **Wei Lianfeng**, gesturing with both hands toward the second array—*you're the boss, right?*

Wei's brow twitched. The man was ridiculous. But clearly, the most dangerous ones often were. After a moment's silence, Wei stepped forward and **entered the other circle**, expression guarded but composed.

A pulse of soft light blinked between the arrays.

The link engaged.**

---

Linked Across Worlds

They stood within the soul array, facing each other, speaking in different tongues—but **hearing the other's meaning perfectly**, translated in tone and emotion.

Wei Lianfeng's voice was calm, measured, laced with quiet suspicion.

> "State your intent, outsider."

Kaelen stretched, yawned, and replied with a casual smirk.

> "We were fishing. Got hungry. Found your group instead. So here I am. You got food?"

Wei blinked.

> "You interrupted our camp… for *rations*?"

Kaelen raised a brow, surprised. "Yeah? I mean, not like you're using it all."

> "This is a burial site."

> "Ah."

Kaelen scratched his head. "Awkward."

Wei's frown deepened. He took a moment before replying.

> "You are powerful. Possibly insane. But not malicious. Still—**asking for food like a bandit during a mourning rite is hardly honorable.**"

Kaelen gave a slow shrug.

> "Look. I was *going* to rob you. Then everyone showed up. Including my dad. And my assassin. So here we are."

Wei's face was unreadable. "...And your solution is?"

Kaelen looked around, sighed, and then said:

> "I can offer healing."

He said it like it was the worst idea in the world.

Wei narrowed his eyes. "You're a healer?"

> "Divine Cleric," Kaelen muttered. "Don't tell anyone. Ruins my reputation."

> "You insulted our rites… now offer sacred healing to make up for it?"

Kaelen raised both hands. "Let's be honest. If I wanted you dead, you'd be crab food already."

There was a pause.

Then, unexpectedly, **a faint flicker of a smile** touched Wei Lianfeng's lips.

> "Arrogant. But not entirely wrong."

Kaelen smirked. "So? Trade? A little healing for a little jerky?"

Outside the Link

The others watched with bated breath as the two stood inside the glowing circles, faces unreadable, lips moving in foreign tongues.

Neal leaned toward Derek. "They're going to get along, aren't they?"

Derek chuckled. "Oh yeah. Two disaster sons, same flavor of pride."

Alira twirled a dagger and muttered, "Or they'll try to kill each other and I'll have to clean it up."

Mita clapped her hands. "They're playing a game!"