THE LATE AWAKENER: NEVER MEANT TO RISE

Chapter 5: The Supreme Late Bloomer Awakens

The beast filled the entire cave mouth, jaws wide and dripping with saliva. Its roar shook loose stones from the ceiling as it lunged for the kill.

Alexander Kane gripped the jade slip with everything he had left. “Now! Give me whatever power you’re holding back!”

The jade slip exploded with light. A clear, mechanical voice boomed directly inside his head.

[Supreme Late Bloomer System activated.

Host confirmed.

Maximum efficiency absorption and instant evolution protocol online.]

Alexander’s eyes widened. “What the…? Talk faster! This thing is about to eat me!”

[Host is at critical life threshold.

Surrounding spiritual energy, beast core, and jade slip fragment available for absorption.

Evolve all at maximum efficiency? Yes or No?]

The beast’s claws slashed down. Alexander threw himself sideways, the strike gouging deep trenches into the stone floor where he had stood.

“Yes!” he shouted. “Do it! Absorb everything!”

[Initiating maximum efficiency absorption.]

Power slammed into Alexander like a river breaking through a dam. The jade slip dissolved into pure energy that rushed into his meridians. The beast core inside the creature began to glow as the system ripped its essence out. Every scrap of chaotic spiritual energy in the cave flooded toward him at speeds his old body could never have handled.

The beast screamed in sudden agony. Its red eyes bulged as its own core was forcibly extracted mid-lunge. Scales cracked and fell away. Muscles shriveled. The massive creature collapsed mid-charge, crashing to the ground only feet from Alexander.

He staggered upright, chest heaving, as power continued pouring into him. His meridians expanded and strengthened in real time. Broken channels knitted together. His cultivation base surged upward, First Layer to Second, then Third, then Fourth, then Sixth Layer in the space of heartbeats.

“What is this?” Alexander demanded, voice raw. “Explain yourself!”

[Supreme Late Bloomer System. Designed for hosts who bloom late.

All absorption and evolution occur at maximum efficiency.

No waste. No limits on potential.

Ten years of stagnation reversed in moments.]

Alexander laughed, a sharp, disbelieving sound. “Ten years they called me trash. Victor Lang stole my herb, the elder threw me away, and now this? Fine. If the heavens want to play games, I’ll play.”

The system voice continued calmly.

[First evolution complete. Current realm: Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Beast core fully absorbed and optimized.

Additional abilities unlocked: Instant Technique Evolution, Treasure Optimization.]

Alexander flexed his fingers. The pain from the fall and the fight was gone. His body felt lighter, stronger, sharper. The suppressing formation in the abyss no longer crushed him the way it had. He could breathe freely.

He looked down at the shriveled corpse of the beast. “You picked the wrong meal today.”

A new surge of energy rippled outward from him. The massive power release lit up the entire cave and shot straight up the abyss shaft like a beacon.

[Warning: Energy signature detected by external cultivators. Azure Cloud Sect pursuers approaching. Estimated arrival: three minutes.]

Alexander’s expression hardened. “Of course they would sense it. Victor Lang probably bragged about pushing me over the edge. Let them come.”

He stepped out of the cave mouth and started climbing the rocky wall of the abyss with newfound ease. His hands found holds where none should have existed for a First Layer disciple. Halfway up, he heard voices from above.

“Elder! The energy spike came from down there!”

“It must be that trash, Alexander Kane. If he survived, we cannot let him live. The sect cannot have a demonic anomaly on record.”

Victor Lang’s voice cut through clearly. “I pushed him myself. If he’s still breathing, I’ll finish the job properly this time.”

Alexander reached the edge and pulled himself over just as three outer sect disciples and an inner sect elder arrived at the cliff. Victor Lang stood at the front, sword already drawn.

The group froze when they saw him.

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Impossible. You were at Qi Refining First Layer. How are you standing? And what is that power radiating off you?”

Alexander wiped dust from his hands and faced them calmly. His patched robe was torn and bloodstained, but his posture was straight, his gaze steady.

“Ten years,” Alexander said, voice carrying clearly. “Ten years you all called me trash. Victor, you stole my spirit herb and laughed about it in front of the entire outer sect. The elder threw me away like garbage. And now here you are, rushing to make sure the garbage stays dead.”

The inner sect elder raised his hand, spiritual pressure flaring. “Whatever demonic method you used, it ends now. Surrender or die.”

Alexander smiled thinly. “Demonic? No. Just late.”

[System prompt: Opponent techniques available for absorption and evolution. Proceed?]

“Yes,” Alexander said quietly.

Victor charged first, executing a swift sword strike laced with Fourth Layer Qi. “Die, trash!”

The blade came down fast. Alexander didn’t dodge. He reached out, and the system activated. The sword technique dissolved mid-swing, its energy flowing straight into him. In the same instant, the system evolved it and sent it back out through Alexander’s palm.

A much stronger version of Victor’s own strike slammed into the attacker’s chest. Victor flew backward, crashing into the two outer disciples and sending all three tumbling.

The inner sect elder’s eyes widened in shock. “What kind of monster are you?”

Alexander took one step forward. “The kind you threw away. Tell the sect this: ten years of trash ends tonight.”

The massive energy release from his first full system activation had already alerted more pursuers. Distant shouts echoed from the sect grounds. The elder raised a transmission talisman, voice urgent.

“Alert all elders! Demonic cultivator sighted! Alexander Kane has…”

Alexander moved. In three strides he closed the distance and pressed his palm against the elder’s chest. The system absorbed the elder’s defensive technique instantly and evolved it. The elder crumpled, coughing blood, eyes filled with disbelief.

Victor pushed himself up, face pale. “This… this isn’t possible. You were nothing!”

Alexander looked down at him. “I was never nothing. I was just late.”

[Warning: Larger force approaching. Recommend immediate evasion.]

Alexander turned toward the treeline at the edge of the forbidden zone. Before he left, he looked back at Victor one last time.

“Run back to your elders. Tell them the trash they discarded just woke up. And when I return, every laugh, every stolen opportunity, every shove off that cliff… I will collect with interest.”

He vanished into the shadows of the forest as more lights and voices approached from the sect.

[System notification: Hidden realm war fragment detected in proximity. Plot integration unavoidable. Host is now locked into the larger conflict.]

Alexander kept running, the new power humming in his veins. For the first time in ten years, he didn’t feel weak.

He felt dangerous.