Nathan woke up screaming.

The flower field was gone. The Shepherd was gone. He was back in Stonewell, in the burned ruins of the village. His body felt like it was on fire. The Heartseed’s energy tore through him in waves of green-gold light. The pain was worse than anything he’d felt before—worse than broken ribs, worse than the Wyrm’s fire.

Vex was pinning him down, her scarred hands on his shoulders. Ember circled them, burning with protective fire. "Easy, Cross! Easy! You’re almost through it! Hold on, damn it! HOLD ON!"

The Bunny Girl System flashed with notifications, panels flickering:

[WARNING: Mana channels exceeding baseline.]

[CRITICAL: System stability failing.]

[CRITICAL: Foreign energy detected. Source: Heartseed Catalyst.]

[WARNING: Mana surge nearing critical threshold.]

[WARNING: Summon link unstable. Reconnecting...]

The surge grew—green and gold, the Empress’s life energy mixing with his own. Through the link, he could feel his summons screaming. Mirko was terrified. Kuro was desperate. Shiro was furious and helpless. They were trying to reach him, but the surge was too strong.

Then something inside him broke.

It was the F-Rank ceiling, the invisible limit he’d had since he woke up in this world. It had capped his mana, his recovery, his potential. It had been there so long he’d stopped thinking about it. It was just a fact, like gravity.

The Heartseed’s energy shattered it.

And the Bunny Girl System—his secret cheat that gave him Mirko, Kuro, and Shiro—did something amazing. Instead of just expanding his mana capacity, it grabbed the chaotic energy and used it to permanently upgrade his body. The System was blessing him.

[DING! Magical Aptitude Increased!]

[F-Rank → E-Rank]

[DING! New Skill Unlocked: Starfall Barrage Lv.1 — Fire one arrow into the sky, it splits into dozens and rains down over an area. Scales with magical power Infused.]

Nathan gasped as the surge got stronger. His mana channels stretched wider, painfully, beyond anything he thought possible. The F-Rank ceiling was gone, but the surge kept building.

[DING! Magical Aptitude Increased!]

[E-Rank → D-Rank]

[DING! New Skill Unlocked: Death’s Homing Compass Lv.1 — Mark a target and your arrows will chase them until they hit. Can’t be dodged by normal means.]

[DING! Level Up! Nathan Cross: Level 59]

[DING! Level Up! Nathan Cross: Level 60]

[DING! Level Up! Nathan Cross: Level 61]

The surge finally calmed. The green-gold light faded, and his mana settled into a steady, powerful flow. Nathan fell back onto the scorched ground, breathing hard. He was exhausted, but also amazed. He was alive. He was changed. The F-Rank ceiling was gone.

---

Vex stared at him with wide red eyes. "this energy... double rank-up? F to D? Do you know how impossible that is? The primer was only supposed to increase mana capacity. That’s what it does. It’s not supposed to touch aptitude. Aptitude is fixed at awakening. It doesn’t change that easily, cross! What the hell!"

Nathan didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His throat was raw, and he couldn’t tell her the truth about the Bunny Girl System.

"It was the Heartseed," he managed, voice hoarse. "Dr. Wren said it could increase aptitude In rare occasions..."

"She said maybe! She said it was theoretical! She said the refinement was incomplete!" Vex shook her head. "A double rank-up, F to D? That’s not theoretical. That’s a miracle." She stared at him, looking almost awed. "You’re D-Rank now. That changes everything—mana capacity, recovery, skill costs. You’re not the same Climber who walked into this village."

Nathan sat up. His body ached, but the deep exhaustion was gone. He could feel the difference immediately—mana flowed through him like a river instead of a small stream. The ceiling was gone. There was room to grow.

His three summons were nearby in their small forms. Through the link, their relief and awe hit him.

Mirko trembled, pink eyes wet. "Master," she whispered. "Your mana... it’s so much. Like a river instead of a stream. It’s beautiful."

Shiro’s voice was proud. "The Young Lord has transcended."

Kuro didn’t speak at first, but her presence felt warm and relieved. She had watched him struggle with his limits for so long. Finally, she said, "I am... glad. You carried the F-Rank weight without complaining. I’m glad you don’t have to anymore."

Nathan almost smiled. "You’re all getting too sentimental."

"I am not sentimental. I am stating facts," Kuro said.

"Hmph! I am extremely sentimental! It’s one of my best qualities!" Mirko declared. "My Master is D-Rank now! The Court will tremble! Clamour will weep! The Shepherd himself—"

"Mirko." Nathan cut her off. "The Shepherd. I saw him in a vision while I was unconscious. He spoke to me."

The link went quiet.

"What did he say?" Kuro asked, her voice cold.

Nathan closed his eyes. He could still see the flower field and the blurry figure. "He’s... a transmigrator, like me. From another world. He’s been doing this for centuries, maybe longer. He said he would have destroyed this world himself if he weren’t held back by rules. And he said..." Nathan paused, jaw tight. "He’ll consume me, just like he consumed the Demi-Beasts."

The silence was absolute.

"Then we kill him," Mirko said, cold and hard. "We kill him and free our people’s souls. We kill him and end the Cleansing. We kill him so he never consumes anyone again."

Shiro added, "The Young Lord has given us the chance to fight again. The Shepherd thinks he’s hunting us. But we’re hunting him."

Kuro’s voice was sharp. "We will find him. We will end him. For the Demi-Beasts, for Vorlagrath and his dragonkins, for everyone the Cleansing has taken."

Nathan opened his eyes. The sky over Stonewell was still red. But something had changed. The fear was gone. The exhaustion was gone. Now he had a clear goal. The Shepherd had shown himself. The enemy was known. And now Nathan had the power to fight back.

"First we stop the Cleansing," he said. His voice was steady. "Then we find the Shepherd. Then we end this. All of it."

He got to his feet. His body hurt, but not much. The new mana felt like a second wind. Moonlight lay a few feet away, where he’d dropped it when the Hound cornered him. He picked it up. The bow felt familiar and lighter in his grip. The Tyrant’s Eye swirled, brighter than before. The silver string hummed.

"Let’s finish this," he said.

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