Return of the Youngest Son with SSS-Rank Talent-Chapter 191: Rank 6.

The days continued to pass relatively peacefully.

Zone 1 of the great city of San Martín was more prosperous than ever; deaths, once an inevitable constant, had decreased considerably.

The population began to grow gradually. New families arrived seeking refuge, markets expanded, and nighttime activity was no longer synonymous with imminent danger.

However, crime persisted. It could not be eradicated overnight. And, in a way, if it suddenly disappeared, that would be suspicious and worrisome.

Corruption is also an indicator of life.

Meanwhile, Rasen's name was already resonating strongly throughout the area. Even travelers arriving with the caravans had heard of him. His reputation grew day by day, spreading beyond the poor streets and reaching the borders of Zone 2.

There, his name did not yet carry the same weight, but the echo was already spreading. In Zone 1, on the other hand, his fame had reached its peak: it was impossible to mention order, food, or faith without someone remembering Rasen.

And that was exactly what Kael wanted.

Every action, every gesture, every word had been calculated to build that image. With fame comes influence, and with influence, power.

In a system like that of the Holy Empire, where the Church of the Old Sun God ruled with an iron fist, the masses were rarely heard... unless they all spoke at once.

Rasen had become that voice.

Through him, Kael could move people, shape collective thought, and, little by little, compel the Church's high command to take notice.

Furthermore, his role as a saint in the name of his Lord further reinforced his position. They could not ignore him. Not without raising suspicion, not without casting doubt on their own devotion in the eyes of the people.

This is the power of fame: once it takes root, it is difficult to ignore. It does not matter whether it is feared, admired, or envied; fame, once established, becomes a force in its own right, capable of moving wills and altering the course of events.

Inside a two-story house, Kael sat cross-legged.

In front of him, the dim light of dusk filtered through the windows, casting long shadows on the walls.

Before him lay the materials he had requested from the cardinals days earlier. He examined them one by one.

As his fingers brushed against the metal and stone surfaces, Kael thought silently.

The fame he had carefully cultivated was beginning to bear fruit. He had understood that devotion and respect could not be demanded... they had to be sown. And once they had germinated in the hearts of others, those seeds were transformed into power.

A slight smile crossed his face.

The power of fame is not something that happens overnight, but something that is achieved with time... and patience.

Kael pushed his thoughts aside and focused entirely on what he had to do. The materials he had requested were not simple, but part of a little trick designed to restore his soul over the next twenty hours.

That period of time would be crucial. While his soul remained stable, he would take advantage of it to refine his mana essence and pave the way to Rank 6, Beginner level.

With a calm movement, he picked up the materials one by one. Then he headed to the bathroom. The sound of his footsteps echoed softly on the floor.

Once inside, he turned on the tap and let the water slowly fill the bathtub. Steam began to rise, blurring the reflection in the mirror. Kael watched the water without emotion.

Once the bathtub was full of water, Kael turned off the tap with a slow movement. The sound of the water ceased, leaving a heavy silence that echoed between the walls.

Then he carefully poured in the Essence from the Third Hell, a dark liquid that seemed to absorb light itself. As it mixed with the water, it released a dense vapor with a crimson hue.

Next, he added the Passionflower from the First Heaven. Translucent petals floated on the surface, radiating a sweet, enveloping fragrance.

The contrast between the two ingredients, one hellish, the other heavenly, filled the air with a complex aroma, as beautiful as it was disturbing.

Without further ado, Kael took a small jar and emptied it. Thirty Hylotrupes from Hell fell out, elongated insects with moist, dark skin, which began to move through the water like live worms.

Their bodies emitted an unhealthy glow.

After ensuring they were all active, Kael gathered his Rank 7 essence and infused it into the water. Instantly, the liquid changed color, turning matte black with grayish reflections.

Without hesitation, Kael stripped off his clothes. His clean, muscular body, without a single imperfection, contrasted with the blackness of the liquid.

He took a step toward the bathtub and entered without hesitation.

The contact was immediate.

As soon as his skin touched the water, the Hylotrupes from Hell reacted voraciously, pouncing on him. One after another, they began to embed themselves in his skin, sinking their tiny mouths as if they were leeches.

Kael felt the searing pain course through his entire body. It was a torment that pierced flesh, bone, and soul. The creatures moved beneath his skin, crawling in irregular lines, leaving behind a faint dark glow.

However, he did not scream. He did not move. He just closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

For anyone else, that experience would have been unbearable. For Kael, it was simply a payment.

The Hylotrupes from Hell continued to move throughout his body, crawling beneath his skin. Each movement was a stab that pierced his flesh and soul.

He could feel it clearly: his soul was slowly returning to its former state, rebuilding itself fragment by fragment, as if every fiber remembered its previous form, the one it had possessed before he had used the Reverse Flow Blood River.

The process was long, arduous, and silent. It took approximately one hour for the change to be complete. The water surrounding him, which had previously been a dense, matte black, began to gradually lighten, returning to its natural color, as if the corruption had been purged.

Kael opened his eyes fully. His body, though restored, showed a visible difference: his skin now had a jet-black, uneven, and dull tone, as if it had been stained by a shadow.

He knew it was a temporary consequence, the result of the method he had used. Once the effect of the trick wore off, his skin would return to normal.

Without rushing, Kael stepped out of the bathtub. Steam rose around him, slowly dissipating into the air. Finally, he felt whole. It had been a long time since he had experienced such a feeling.

However, he knew it was temporary.

With calm movements, he dried his body and returned to the room. It was time to begin refining his mana essence, the decisive step toward reaching Rank 6, Initial Level.

Kael wasted no time. He sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and directed his consciousness inward.

In that sea of mana, the refinement process began. The mana essence slowly stirred, forming small whirlpools that spun at a steady pace.

The sea level began to drop steadily and gradually.

70%... 69%... 60%... 55%...

The descent was natural, but relentless. The pressure increased with each cycle, and Kael felt the energy in his core compress, becoming denser, purer.

He opened his eyes for a brief moment. Without hesitation, he reached out and pulled a mana stone from his space rune ring. The stone floated in front of him, glowing with an intense blue light. With a single thought, Kael absorbed it.

The flow of energy coursed through his body like a warm current, direct, without resistance. Inside him, the sea of mana responded immediately: the waves rose, and the lost level began to recover rapidly.

70%... 80%... 90%... 100%.

As soon as it stabilized, he began to refine his mana essence again. This time with greater intensity, with greater demand. The entire sea began to burn in a silent collapse. His entire core vibrated.

And then, finally...

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed in his mind. It didn't come from outside, but from deep within himself.

The metallic red veins cracked and dissolved, as if they had never been there. In their place, the entire sea of manna took on a uniform, golden sheen with white hues.

Kael slowly opened his eyes. There was no emotion in his pupils.

He had reached rank 6.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed in his mind. It didn't come from outside, but from deep within himself.

The metallic red veins cracked and dissolved, as if they had never been there. In their place, the entire sea of manna took on a uniform, golden sheen with white hues.

Kael slowly opened his eyes. There was no emotion in his pupils.

He had reached rank 6.

At that moment, a notification window appeared.

[Starting body enhancement...]

Kael began to feel small pricks all over his body, as if thousands of poisoned needles were piercing him at once. It was as if a swarm of carnivorous ants were walking under his skin, devouring his flesh from within.

The pain grew at a terrifying speed until it became a wave that completely overwhelmed him. This time, it was much sharper and more unbearable than all his previous experiences. It wasn't just physical suffering: it was as if his entire body was undergoing an unnatural mutation.

His muscles began to stretch in impossible ways, pushing them beyond their limits until they tore with a wet, repulsive sound.

His bones cracked like dry branches, moving in directions no human body should be able to withstand.

Their blood vessels dilated violently, like snakes writhing beneath their skin. Blood flowed through them furiously, and platelets swirled, multiplying and circulating at impossible speeds. It was as if their bodies had been forced to accelerate.

Desde fuera, su cuerpo era un espectáculo grotesco. Su carne se deformaba, se hundía y luego se expandía; sus huesos sobresalían bajo la piel antes de volver a su sitio; sus venas, hinchadas como serpientes negras, recorrían su cuerpo.

Time passed quickly. In the room, all that could be heard was the frantic beating of his heart and the sweat dripping onto the floor, forming puddles beneath his body.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain began to gradually dissipate.

Ding.

[Your body has been successfully upgraded!]