I Turn Out to Be a Grand Master - Chapter 143 - Hongye, I Am Very Pleased That You Have Grown Up

In the heart of the Azure Continent lies a legendary establishment known as Origin Mall.This extraordinary store offers goods beyond imagination: a sip of its cola can instantly replenish one's vitality; its spicy snacks grant the strength to overcome powerful foes; the games it offers can accelerate cultivation progress; and its novels impart profound techniques and insights.Origin Mall boasts a vast array of offerings, catering to leisure, entertainment, dining, and training needs alike.However, there’s one rule that all visitors must remember: never cause trouble in the store. The owner, though unassuming, is unimaginably powerful.

Long ago a great calamity struck the earth, destroying much of it and merging what remained with pieces of other worlds.

With these worlds came Aether, a new form of energy that can allow one to transcend the bounds of normal mortality and human limitations.

In a world where humans absorb the essence of aether beasts to gain power, Aiden Hawke joins the class of humans known as arcanists, people who defeat aether beasts and absorb their essence into cores they forge within themselves, and who infuse themselves with the aether that permeates the world around them to increase the power of their body and mind.

However, unlike most, Aiden will find that he holds a unique gift and that his journey as an arcanist will not be so simple.

{System Online} {System Activating} {System Activation Complete.} {User Detected: Jake Lucas.} * {Main Quest: Grow strong enough to defeat your foes.} *{Warning: Darkness Approaches. No One Is Safe.}* 200 years ago, humanity almost faced extinction at the hands of the werewolves. The world survived, but the cost was unimaginable. Victory was hard-earned—and the price paid is still unknown. After seeing the war wasn’t heading anywhere, the werewolves receded to grow their strength while letting the humans recover. Now, sixteen-year-old Jake Lucas is thrust into a battle he never wanted. Weak, outcast, and haunted by his parents’ brutal deaths, Jake is just trying to survive at Aurora Academy. But when a strange orb activates the Slayer System, everything changes. Quests, skills, and powers that could make him stronger than he ever dreamed. But power comes with a price. With each new level, Jake uncovers dark secrets—about the werewolves, the academy, and the shadows lurking beneath them all. The world is more dangerous than he imagined, and a hidden force is stirring, ready to rise once again. Jake’s only hope lies in mastering the Slayer System—but as the stakes grow higher, he’ll learn the real question isn’t how strong he can become, but *how far he’s willing to go* to stop an ancient evil from being unleashed. **But the system has a final warning: Jake isn’t the only one unlocking power. And the clock is ticking.**

Kellen Woods grew up never knowing a normal world. By the time he could walk, his mother and father had already sealed several serious gates that threatened the safety of his hometown. By the time his sister was born, they were famous worldwide.So the world held their breath for when Kellen and his sister came of age, waiting to see what kind of power they would awaken.His sister was just like his mom, same power, same class, while Kellen, woke up one day to find out what it meant to be special in a family the world watched. But in the worst way.Awakening weaker then your powerful parents wasn’t unheard of, but when your younger sister awakened at the same class as your parent, anyone would feel inferior. And Kellen, never one to ask for hand outs, left the comfort and safety of his hometown to become better than the weak brat everyone thought he was.Kellen went to the front lines, to where the gates normally broke out. From there, Kellen worked hard, and then worked some more until no one could doubt that he was good at his job. He got so good that even with his lower class, people would still hire him to help. But Kellen never took it to heart. He had learned a valuable lesson on the front lines. Classification only meant shit if you walked back out of the gate. Otherwise, shut your mouth and listen to those with more experience. They determined who made it out alive or not.But Kellen was tired now. He had gotten everything out of his system, and the fast paced life on the front lines didn’t suit him anymore. Now, he wanted to go home, buy a house, maybe find a nice man to settle down with, and live a normal life.All the while, the yellow eyes he’d met on the front lines haunted him, no matter how much he tried to forget about them.Especially since the Esper they were attached to refused to let him go.