The golden rays of the morning sun blessed the world with their gentle brilliance, pouring warmth and light across the lands of the Rivelle Barony. It was as if the heavens themselves sought to remind the people that a new dawn had arrived, that their long, dreadful night of chaos and despair had finally come to an end. The apocalypse that had once enveloped their hearts in terror had receded, leaving behind a fragile peace bathed in gold.

Within the quiet expanse of Rivelle Manor, the air was serene, filled only with the soft whisper of the morning breeze and the distant chirping of birds. Deep within the mansion, Asher lay sound asleep, his breathing calm and rhythmic, his body completely still upon the soft mattress. He had been asleep since around four in the afternoon of the previous day, his slumber unbroken until this very hour.

Although his physique was one molded by perfection, capable of functioning in peak condition even with minimal rest, that did not mean he intended to restrict himself to only four or five hours of sleep each day. Even someone of his caliber deserved a moment of true rest.

With a gentle stretch, his lean form shifted. His fingers flexed slightly as his consciousness stirred. He opened his eyes, the faint light of dawn reflecting within their depths. In an instant, his mind became sharp and alert, his thoughts flowing like clear water. The fatigue and dull aches that had lingered within his muscles the day before had completely vanished, erased as though they had never existed.

Without uttering a word, Asher swung his legs off the side of the bed, his bare feet meeting the polished floor as he rose in one smooth motion. He moved toward the bathroom, his steps silent yet purposeful.

For the first time in a while, his gaze drifted toward the ornate clock resting on the nightstand.

'7:35 a.m.,' he murmured inwardly.

[Did the Host just…]

The familiar mechanical chime of the system echoed within his mind, its tone laced with disbelief, almost as though it were shocked to its very core.

'What? I can obviously tell time,' Asher thought, his lips curling into an amused smile. 'Are you jealous that I didn't ask you for the time? Or perhaps you're losing your sense of purpose?' he teased mockingly.

[The Host is encouraged to continue looking at clocks. Today marks a miraculous day.]

Even through the system's mechanical voice, Asher could sense a hint of satisfaction, a rare display of emotion from the cold construct.

'So,' he replied as he began removing his clothes, preparing to enter the bath, 'what abilities or reward are you giving me for such an achievement?'

[…]

The system fell silent, apparently rendered speechless by his remark. Deciding it was wiser not to engage further, it retreated into silence, its interface dimming within his consciousness.

Seeing the ellipses, Asher chuckled softly and continued with his bath. Minutes later, he stepped out, steam trailing faintly from his body as he dressed in a fresh set of clothes. His purple eyes shifted to the battered armor lying nearby, the very one he had worn in yesterday's battle. With a mere wave of his hand, the damaged armor shimmered and vanished into the spatial void of his ring.

His gaze then drifted toward the window, where sunlight spilled freely into the room, illuminating every surface in a warm, golden hue. Curiosity gripped him. He wanted to see the Barony, to witness what had become of it while he slept. The battle had ravaged much of the land, and though he trusted in the resilience of the people a bit, part of him longed to see that hope with his own eyes. But from this single vantage point, he could only glimpse a fraction of the city.

'People spotting me would cause an early morning disturbance,' he thought. 'One I'd rather avoid.' He had already decided to leave the Barony today. His mission was complete; there was no reason to linger any longer.

With that thought, Asher tapped his power. The light within the room bent to his will, twisting and folding until it no longer reflected his form. The very photons obeyed his command, refracting in new directions, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight, invisible to the naked eye.

He unlatched the half-open window and leapt through it gracefully. A shimmering foothold of solidified Astra appeared beneath him, suspending him in the air. In an instant, he shot forward, streaking across the sky as a faint blur of motion.

Moments later, Asher came to a halt, hovering high above the city. His gaze descended upon the Rivelle Barony below, and what he saw stirred a sense of quiet admiration. Reconstruction had already begun in earnest. All across the city, men and women moved with purpose, working tirelessly to restore what had been lost.

Powers of every kind shimmered across the landscape, earthen spires rose from the ground, winds carried debris away, flames tempered molten metal, and streams of water shaped new foundations. The destruction that had seemed insurmountable yesterday was already fading, replaced by the steady rhythm of rebuilding.

'Such progress… this would never be possible back on Earth,' Asher thought with a faint sigh. Yet, he was not surprised. The Star Academy itself had once suffered an apocalypse of its own, wrought by the First Sun, and they had managed to rebuild everything within a single day.

Below him, dozens of structures stood half-finished yet already strong. Earth-based ability users molded foundations and walls with practiced ease, shaping entire buildings as though sculpting art from soil. Each rooftop carried a unique design, some glimmering with metal. Around the city, metallic beams floated midair while teams of craftsmen and laborers worked manually, performing the delicate tasks that even the most gifted ability users could not. Determination was etched onto their faces, their movements steady despite exhaustion.

None of this, however, was done for free. The Barony funded every effort, from reconstruction to the smallest nail hammered into place. The clamor of hammers striking metal filled the air. Orders were shouted, tools clanged, and carts rolled through the streets. Even the unawakened, those without Astra or supernatural abilities, worked alongside the awakened, refusing to be left behind.

But Asher knew these ordinary people were anything but normal. Their bodies, strengthened since birth by passive Astra exposure, possessed durability and vigor beyond anything humans from Earth could dream of. In truth, even the weakest unawakened here could easily overpower the strongest human from his former world.

Still, Asher mused, in a world where everyone is strong, where uniqueness is commonplace, it ultimately means that no one truly is.

His thoughts drifted to Earth, to the titles once celebrated there: fastest, strongest, most beautiful, most intelligent. To him now, those achievements felt trivial. Even the most extraordinary human from that world would pale before a mere farmer or craftsman in this planet.

'At least the city lives again,' he whispered inwardly.

With that, his form flickered. A single thought carried him through space, and in the next heartbeat, he stood atop the towering city wall, invisible still to the guards stationed there. His purple eyes turned toward the distant forest, where the Monster Tide had once surged with chaotic fury. That was where it had begun, where numerous ability users, under the Baron's command, had stood against annihilation.

Now, it was quiet. Life had begun to return even there. Trees sprouted anew where scorched earth once lay. Asher could see groups of earth-based ability users mending the ravaged land, restoring balance to the shattered terrain where the Baron and his Knight Commander had fought against the Grave-Rank Goblin and Minotaur.

Two women with plant-based abilities worked in unison, coaxing life back into the soil. Their vines and roots intertwined with the efforts of earth users, forming a tapestry of green and brown, the rebirth of a battlefield that had nearly become a grave.

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