Is That A Wisp?

Krune sighed after that, returning to his attic to rest. For three more months, all he did was rest, eat, and gather information, trying his best to completely understand everything there was to know in the city. 

Eventually, once all five crimson rings of his Ocean Heart were filled with energy, he exited the attic, swirling through the old age home before exiting it, grabbing a bite to eat along the way. 'I feel like a villain for thinking of such a scenario.'

Krune sighed as the Cloud Whale moved around. He used his Sonic Radar to scout through the surroundings, trying to find the perfect household he wished to make use of to establish an official standing in the place. 

He had quite a number of criteria to be satisfied for the perfect household he sought. First, the family had to have once been powerful but were now waning due to either losing the pillars of their family or were just dying out naturally.

Second, they must have a long history so that the depth of their roots could be abused for benefits. Third, they must currently be in a plight that might cause them their death while the destruction of their family would follow suit. 

Fourth, the problem they faced should be something Krune could solve easily. Also, this should revolve around his passive and active abilities so that he could share some truth about himself with them.

Fifth, the surviving members of the family should be those reputed to be loyal in the brightest and darkest of times. Sixth, they must be wealthy and significantly affluent despite them waning. They should also have strong connections.

Seventh, they must definitely possess an Essence Generator so that Krune could abuse its use. Eighth, they must also possess a forge capable of producing their own Demon Arms. 

Ninth, they must own a lot of lands, both public and private. The private land was a must if he wished to create a bone tree farm for his needs in the future. And finally, tenth, they must be those that needed to depend on Krune to make a comeback despite him solving their immediate problems.

These were all the conditions that he sought for in the perfect family that he could reside within freely and not in hiding while using them to grow stronger. Also, he couldn't simply judge them. He had to take his time to investigate them first and find out just how they were like and just how they would respond to someone different like him. 

Overall, Krune had to figure out numerous complex things quickly so that he could begin his plans as soon as possible. That's why he used his Sonic Radar to the limit in his search. 

After flying through the city for almost two days in search of the perfect household, Krune finally found it, sensing everything that happened within through his Sonic Radar. He then moved closer, staying invisible while listening to everything that happened before him. 

At the start, he sported a frown, wondering whether they were the right choice or not. But, as he stared at their actions for longer and heard their continuous conversation, Krune steadily smiled, feeling that his gamble might pay off this time. 

If he failed the gamble, the city would be alerted of his survival. That would put every superhuman out there on his tail. But if he succeeded in his gamble, he would have found a way to grow stronger at a speed faster than what he had done on Layer 3. 

…

"Grandpa, please don't give up. I'll definitely treat you for sure." A lady aged around twenty years old bawled out like a little girl as she lay beside a bed, screaming with her hoarse voice that had been damaged from prolonged strain. 

Lying on the bed was an old man in his eighties. His body was fit, oozing out tremendous power. Unfortunately, it was apparent that he was like a broken tank, about to become empty soon enough. It was all due to his injuries. 

He only had his right leg now, having lost the remaining three limbs in the war. Plus, he had also suffered grievous blows to his internal organs. Their level of medical technology was unable to patch him up to prolong his life. He was just on the final vestiges of his life. 

"They wish to see my death, child." Wheezing in pain, his eyes were blurry, lacking focus as he weakly muttered, "I've contributed a lot to this city. When people were injured, I used my Godly Points to buy them Water Essences every single time. You could very well say that I was the reason they survived and managed to step into a battlefield again. Yet…"

He coughed once, spitting out blood. As his granddaughter looked at him in worry, he wheezed. "Those scum, not only did they betray me, but they also caused the death of my son and daughter-in-law. To think I worked hard to save them, protect them, and even heal their injuries. Now, not only did they not help in return, but they even caused the death of my family."

At this point, he was furious. But soon after, his face reddened as he seemed to have overexerted himself, noticing blood flow out of his nose. He then looked at his granddaughter and told her, "Flita, our family might have dwindled, but as long as you follow my teachings, you'll one day become strong. Don't think about avenging me until you reach Tier 4. Too many families wish to see our downfall."

"But…grandpa…" Flita shed tears, trembling in sadness as she spoke, "I don't want to lose you. You're my only family now. What will I do once you're gone?"

Her grandpa sighed after that. "If only I wasn't injured. I could have protected you until you matured. Your grandpa is weak, Flita. Just abandon me and survive. As long as you survive, I can rest in peace."

"Grandpa!" Flita shouted in anger. "If you talk rubbish, I'll just follow you to death!"

Her grandpa was just about to persuade her otherwise when his eyes looked at the figure that was standing near the wall, "I…guess the grim reaper is already here. Sorry, Flita. It seems my time is up."

"Young man, I'm not a grim reaper, nor are you going to die today," Krune leaned on the wall, smiling as he replied.