Chapter 234: Goal
"Actually, there’s no need to worry. I want to go, Mom, Dad. I want to help the family."
Kranos’ voice was calm, steady to the point of almost being unnerving, his expression firm as though the decision had already been made long before this conversation began.
Anna looked at Kranos, a worried expression settling heavily on her face. Her brows furrowed as she stared at him, searching, as if trying to see past his calm exterior into whatever dangers he was hiding. Then, slowly, she shook her head.
At this, Raphael felt a flicker of exasperation rise within him.
"Anna, he’s been out for years. He must have encountered all sorts of danger already. Letting him handle a little more would mean nothing."
Anna immediately turned, her gaze sharp as it locked onto Raphael.
"Exactly because he hasn’t been home for years is the reason we can’t let him go out so soon. He should rest for a bit," she explained, her tone firm, carrying a quiet but unyielding resolve.
Raphael opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He could only fall silent, his gaze drifting toward Kranos. At this point, the decision no longer belonged to him. It rested entirely between mother and son.
If she allowed it, then so be it.
If she refused... that was fine too.
Old Man Don stood quietly to the side, his presence steady and grounded, yet completely uninvolved. He didn’t interfere, didn’t speak, simply observing as though this exchange was something that needed to unfold on its own.
Kranos let out a soft sigh, the tension in the room pressing faintly against his chest. Then, patiently, he began to persuade his mother.
Not forcefully. Not stubbornly.
Just... steadily.
Word by word, he chipped away at her resistance, his tone calm, his reasoning clear, his persistence unwavering. Time stretched as their voices rose and fell, the back-and-forth continuing longer than expected, until finally—
Anna relented.
After a long silence, she exhaled deeply, as if releasing something she had been holding onto, and gave a small, reluctant nod.
She allowed him to go.
Kranos paused for a moment, his thoughts shifting. Then he spoke again.
"Dad, Mom... is it okay if we keep this a secret for now until I come back?"
His gaze dimmed slightly, a trace of caution surfacing beneath the calm.
The mastermind within the palace still lingered like a shadow he couldn’t fully grasp.
He had already died three times.
A fourth...
That was not something he could afford.
Not when the Soul Nourishing Fruit in his possession was something he couldn’t recklessly waste. If he had more treasures of that level, perhaps he could take such risks.
But not now.
Not yet.
Raphael thought for a moment before slowly nodding.
Anna’s lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to object, to argue further, but in the end... she said nothing.
Kranos simply gave her a warm, reassuring smile, one that carried a quiet promise.
"Do I set out now?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Immediately, Anna shook her head.
"Of course not! You’ll rest for a week first. And you need to properly learn about the Mana Stone Mountain before heading there."
Her tone softened just a little, but the firmness remained.
Kranos considered her words and nodded. It made sense.
"Let me go and quickly prepare a meal for us," Anna said, gently placing the cat into Kranos’ arms before hurrying toward the kitchen, her movements brisk, almost as if she needed something to occupy her thoughts.
Raphael glanced at Old Man Don.
Without a word, the two vanished.
Just like that, the room grew quiet, leaving only Kranos... and the cat.
Kranos scratched his nose awkwardly.
The cat rolled its eyes, then casually lifted its paw and smacked him.
"Old man, what the hell are you thinking? Are you still recovering from being a sore loser?" it smirked.
Kranos’ expression darkened slightly.
Without hesitation, he flicked the cat lightly on the head.
Troublesome creature.
The cat’s eyes flashed briefly, a flicker of something deeper passing through them, as if it had considered saying something more. But after a moment of hesitation, it discarded the thought.
Instead, it spoke.
"How about we go check on the transmigrated anomaly? Knowing anomalies, he should already be thinking of how to escape by now."
Kranos’ eyes widened slightly in realization.
Without another word, his figure blurred—
—and vanished.
...
After a short while, Kranos arrived at the guards’ post.
The faint scent of iron lingered in the air, mixed with the low murmur of voices and the quiet tension of soldiers standing on alert.
His gaze swept across the area before settling on the familiar guard he had spoken to earlier.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he approached.
The moment the guard saw him, his posture straightened instantly, respect evident in his expression. The surrounding guards followed suit, their voices ringing out almost in unison.
"Young Master!"
Kranos gave a slight nod, acknowledging them before turning his attention back to the familiar guard.
"I want to check on the young man I handed over to you previously. Has he woken up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
The guard seemed momentarily startled before understanding dawned in his eyes.
"Young Master... perhaps something is wrong. He hasn’t been able to wake up properly for a while. We’ve assigned healers to watch over him and ensure he recovers... and also to make sure he doesn’t leave the premises."
Kranos nodded faintly.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
The room was quiet, almost unnaturally so.
The anomaly sat there, his gaze drifting aimlessly as though he was studying something only he could see. His expression was hazy, unfocused.
But the moment Kranos entered—
The man’s eyes snapped toward him.
Sharp.
Aware.
Kranos’ lips curled into a faint smile.
"How do you feel?"
The man hesitated briefly before replying evenly,
"Like a prisoner."
’To think I would have the most pitiful transmigration beginning in all of transmigration history...’ his thoughts drifted bitterly.
Kranos’ smile receded slightly as he studied him.
’He seems perfectly fine... no lingering effects despite being unconscious for so long.’
After a moment of silent analysis, Kranos spoke again.
"What about your golden finger?"
"Still hasn’t awakened," the man replied.
Kranos watched him carefully.
His expression didn’t change.
His emotions didn’t leak.
Too clean.
Too controlled.
After a few seconds of silence, Kranos spoke plainly.
"When it awakens, send someone to inform me."
With that, he turned and walked out.
The man stared at his retreating figure, at the silver hair and cold composure, and felt a chill crawl up his spine.
’My luck is truly terrible... to encounter such a monster the moment I transmigrate. Dammit!’
Just as frustration surged within him—
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[ding! Host, the system is here to cure all your worries...]
His eyes widened.
’It’s here... my system has truly awakened!’
Excitement surged through him, barely contained beneath the surface.
’Just wait... this daddy will rise quickly. I’ll show you what it means to be a true cultivator.’
Outwardly, however, he remained calm.
Normal.
Unremarkable.
Inside, his thoughts raced as he pulled up the system panel.
’Quick. Tell me your functions. How will you make me unrivaled?’
...
Meanwhile, Kranos stepped out of the room, the faint noise of the guards fading behind him as he walked away.
The cat padded along beside him.
"Did you sense anything wrong with him? Was he lying?" Kranos asked.
The cat rolled its eyes lazily.
"How would I know? It’s not like I’m some all-seeing deity..."
It lifted its paw as if to smack Kranos again, then paused mid-air before lowering it with a small snort.
Kranos chuckled.
"Of course you should know something. Aren’t you different from ordinary creatures?"
The cat fell silent for a moment.
Then it spoke.
"You’re right. But I didn’t sense any abnormalities. For now... we just keep an eye on him."
It paused briefly before shifting the topic.
"How prepared are you to handle the demons?"
Kranos’ footsteps slowed.
Then stopped.
The cat glanced at him.
"Why are you stopping?"
Kranos smirked faintly.
"Hah. You’re asking about my welfare... so you actually care?"
The cat immediately rolled its eyes and lost interest.
Kranos didn’t mind.
"It might be a problem... because of my uniqueness," he replied, choosing his words carefully even within their mental link.
The cat gave a small shrug, treating his words as nothing more than background noise.
Kranos laughed lightly, and the two continued walking.
They headed back toward the house.
’Mother should be done cooking by now,’ Kranos thought.
As they moved, his gaze drifted across the surroundings.
The atmosphere had changed.
Soldiers were being carried on flying mats, their bodies limp, expressions pale. The metallic scent of blood lingered faintly in the air, mixing with the hurried movements of healers with glowing hands.
Some had lost limbs.
Others stared blankly ahead.
Some gritted their teeth in silence.
Pain hung in the air like a quiet fog.
’The war with the calamity is really taking a toll on everyone...’ Kranos murmured inwardly, his gaze dimming slightly before he looked away.
The cat noticed.
But it remained indifferent.
’These are things you’ll get used to. In time, you’ll become indifferent too...’
Kranos’ silver eyes flickered.
He knew the cat was right.
But still...
He glanced at the small creature beside him, his gaze thoughtful.
What kind of existence forged such indifference?
What kind of horrors had it endured?
"I know this isn’t your true form," Kranos said, his tone laced with curiosity. "I wonder what you originally looked like..."
The cat laughed.
This time, it answered.
"After being schemed against by the Celestial Court, I lost my true form. But back then..."
Its voice carried a faint, distant weight.
"I could devour immortal worlds in the blink of an eye. Divine worlds too. If I recultivate... I’ll regain my strength."
Kranos’ eyes sharpened slightly.
"Didn’t that court sever your path of immortality?"
The cat let out something akin to a wry chuckle.
"Of course they did. My cultivation path was completely cut off."
It paused.
Then—
"I’m working on something."
A faint glint of determination flickered within its eyes.
"I’ll recover."
Kranos sensed it clearly.
That unyielding will.
That quiet certainty.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
’How interesting.’
