**Hello, good day!** It's me again, the author. I've read through quite a few comments and have a rough idea of what you're looking for. However, there are a couple of points I'd like to clarify and expand upon.
1) **The pacing of the work will be brisk.** This means there won't be entire chapters dedicated to describing a single object or scene—no lengthy digressions about a table, for instance. Almost every chapter will be packed with reflections, events, and developments. That said, this doesn't mean the quality will suffer. On the contrary, everything will remain as detailed and engaging as ever. I've chosen this approach for two main reasons:
- **First:** I don't want to stretch the story into an endless saga of 2000+ chapters. It will be shorter—much shorter. Not three hundred chapters, but not excessively long either. I've done the math, and the entire narrative can be comfortably contained within 800 chapters.
- **Second:** If I were to drag things out unnecessarily, I might grow to dislike my own work. That's something I want to avoid, as it could lead to me abandoning the project altogether—a scenario neither I nor you would want.
2) **I'm not an extremely busy person**, so I do have a fair amount of free time. However, I can't dedicate every waking moment to this project. I'm doing my best, but life has its demands. Additionally, my computer recently broke, which has added an extra layer of complication. As a result, my writing will depend somewhat on my mood and circumstances. I should also mention that I'm not a professional writer—I'm simply someone who enjoys putting ideas into words. So, please don't come at me with criticisms like, "Real writers work constantly, not just when they feel like it." I'm doing this for fun and to share my creativity with you.
3) **I realized I missed a few important details** about the two universes in the story, and for that, I apologize. If you notice any inconsistencies or gaps, please let me know. I'll do my best to make adjustments so that everything fits seamlessly into the narrative.
4) **This is the last point for now.** Honestly, I didn't expect this story to turn out as well as it has. If I had known earlier, I might have chosen a different plot. That said, I'm committed to finishing this book—I'll give it my all. I have an entire folder filled with other plots and ideas—some of which I think are really cool. They're well-developed, with rough storylines and plenty of potential. So, around chapter 200 (if we make it that far), I plan to start working on a smaller, parallel project based on one of these ideas. Over the years, I've accumulated about four hundred different concepts. This used to be a hobby of mine—I just enjoyed brainstorming and creating worlds. But now that I've seen the potential, I'm motivated to keep going.
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**Madara stepped out of the ring**, the roar of the crowd echoing in his ears. He had just defeated his eighth opponent, and though the victory was effortless, he decided to call it a night. He wasn't tired from the fight—no, the battles were trivial. What exhausted him was the sheer banality of it all. These people, these so-called fighters, were nothing more than insects scurrying beneath his feet. Yet, for now, he played their game.
For three weeks, Madara had been a regular in the underground fighting circuit, amassing a small fortune. His cut was 15% of all bets placed on him, and with each victory, the drunken crowd grew more reckless, their wagers increasing exponentially. So far, Madara had only killed three opponents. He had learned early on that while bloodshed thrilled the masses, too much of it would turn them against him. They would brand him a tyrant, a monster. And so, he settled for crippling his foes, leaving them broken and humiliated. It was a reminder to the scum of this world: cross him, and death would be a mercy.
On his first day, three fools had tried to extort him, claiming he owed them for the death of a man called Fang. Madara had laughed—a cold, hollow sound—before slaughtering them without a second thought. He nailed their corpses to the wall as a warning. Since then, no one dared challenge him. It was almost disappointing how easily they cowered.
As he left the arena, Madara made his way to the locker room. A dealer approached him, handing over his earnings for the night. Initially, Madara had dealt only in cash, but he had since grown accustomed to the convenience of digital currency. His soul fragments now totaled 68. He planned to clean up, then head to the Academy for dinner.
Walking through the club, Madara passed the dance floor, his presence commanding silence even in the chaos. He stepped out into the night, the city's neon lights casting long shadows. He no longer needed a professor's escort to enter the Academy; a simple arrangement with the guard sufficed. The world bent to his will, one small concession at a time.
As he walked, a sudden explosion shattered the night. Screams followed, and Madara saw a group of people running from something in the distance. His hand moved instinctively, drawing several daggers from the harness on his body. With a puff of smoke, Madara vanished, replaced by a different figure—a version of himself from his old world. He didn't want to be recognized, but neither did he wish to reveal his true self. He donned a simple wooden mask, its eye and mouth slits giving him an air of menace.
The creature that emerged from the shadows was a towering humanoid with black skin and a single, grotesque eye. It killed one of the fleeing humans with ease, then turned its gaze to Madara. Without a sound, it lunged at him. Madara smirked and appeared beside it in an instant, driving both daggers into its skull and tearing it apart.
**[You have slain an Awakened Monster: One-Eyed.]**
Notifications flooded his vision as he dispatched more creatures. A wooden clone materialized beside him, tasked with collecting the soul fragments from the fallen monsters. Madara's attention shifted as a horde of a dozen monsters charged at him. For the first time in this world, he decided to unleash a powerful technique: **Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.**
Two seconds later, the street was engulfed in a blazing inferno. The screams of the dying echoed as the flames consumed everything in their path. Madara's expression remained cold, almost bored. He had no time for sentimentality.
As police sirens wailed in the distance, Madara moved with inhuman speed, extracting soul fragments from the monsters. When the authorities drew too close, he exhaled a thick mist, obscuring himself from view. He worked quickly, collecting what he needed before vanishing with a flicker of his body.
Back in his room, Madara lay on his bed, analyzing the night's events. His disguise had held, and he doubted anyone would connect him to the fighter from the arena. Still, he couldn't afford carelessness. Rolling up his sleeve, he retrieved a handful of soul fragments from the serpent's mouth and began absorbing them. With each fragment, he felt his chakra grow, if only by a fraction. According to his calculations, his current methods would soon become insufficient. But that was a problem for another day.
**Soul Fragments: [89/1000]**
He was one step closer to reclaiming his power, one step closer to greatness. This world would kneel before him, but for now, he needed knowledge. He sat at his desk, poring over books borrowed from the library. Power without understanding was meaningless.
The next morning, Madara sat in the dining hall, eating breakfast and reflecting on the previous night's events. The students around him were unusually animated, and his curiosity was piqued. A group of four friends joined him at his table, their excitement palpable.
"You haven't heard?" one of them exclaimed. "Last night, footage leaked of two mysterious Awakened fending off a Category Two Gate attack! You should've seen it—one of them was cutting through monsters like they were nothing, and then, at the end, he unleashed this massive fire attack that wiped out everything!"
Madara watched the video on the boy's device, his expression unreadable. There he was, masked and cloaked, slaughtering monsters alongside his clone. The footage showed the moment he unleashed **Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation**, turning the street into a sea of flames. The video ended as the mist enveloped the scene.
As the others chattered excitedly, Madara's mind raced. It was fortunate he had changed his mask. The world was watching, but they would never see the truth. Not until it was too late.