At the break of dawn, the ruined old quarter finally stirred from its slumber beneath the shroud of night.
Mist curled between the cobbled stone streets. A few gray-haired elders walked slowly along the lanes for morning exercise, while children darted past, leaving behind laughter and fleeting footprints.
Alex, clad in a simple gray tunic, was jogging slowly through an alley of ancient stone.
Each of his steps resonated with steady, concentrated force—
a rhythm born from the overwhelming attributes now housed within his body, pushed to the limit after his awakening.
This body… was no longer the one he'd possessed three days ago.
Only when a modest street-side eatery came into view did Alex finally come to a halt.
"Two orders of lava meat pie, please."
He chose a seat by the window, resting on a creaky wooden chair. In his hand, he gently turned over a dark crimson stone—
the very object that had nearly ruined his entire life:
The Fallen Star Crystal.
A myth-grade forbidden stone—
capable of secretly devouring one's bloodline fluctuations during the awakening ritual, dramatically weakening the final evaluation of their talent.
If sold, even casually placed on a market stall, it could fetch tens of millions of spirit coins.
But now, something stirred within Alex's heart.
He had no intention of selling it.
He wanted to—ascend it.
[Infinite Ascension]—his second talent. A divine ability branded with the word "Unique."
And it wasn't limited to talents alone.
In theory, anything that could be defined and activated—whether item or ability—could be forcefully ascended through it.
And the Fallen Star Crystal… was already a myth-grade artifact.
But what if it were ascended?
What if it evolved into one of the epic relics recorded only in legends—or even… into an immortal artifact?
He recalled the relic that had brought him back to life—
[Tears of the Goddess of Time].
A truly unique, immortal-tier item.
If not for it, he would have died in that dungeon at the hands of Manfred in his previous life—and would never have opened his eyes in this world again.
Still, Alex held no illusions.
He knew well that the Tears of the Goddess of Time was a one-of-a-kind miracle, a divine anomaly that could not be replicated.
If he could simply raise the Fallen Star Crystal to epic grade, he would already be more than satisfied.
So, he drew a deep breath and whispered under his breath:
"—Ascend."
In that instant, it felt as though his soul were being dragged into some ancient and mysterious domain.
Golden sigils surged from his fingertips, weaving intricate circuits in the air—like ancient sealing formations slowly turning in silent motion.
Dizziness.
Burning pain.
Crippling weakness...
Even with 300 points in all four attributes, Alex nearly collapsed to his knees.
[Infinite Ascension]—came with a steep price.
Had it been any ordinary awakened, they would have blacked out on the spot.
"Good… I managed to endure it."
He opened his trembling eyes, gaze landing on the center of his palm.
The crimson crystal had transformed—
into a pendant of deep, muted sheen. Like frosted obsidian, it shimmered faintly with a ghostly gleam.
Then, the system prompt appeared—sharp and unmistakable:
[Ascension Successful!]
You have obtained an Epic-tier accessory: Fallen Star Pendant
Item Grade: Epic
Equip Slot: Accessory · Necklace
Attribute Bonus:
+102 Spirit
+66 Agility
Attached Skill:
Fallen Star Blade (Active)
→ Consumes 5% Spirit to unleash a guaranteed strike.
→ Has a 1% chance to permanently weaken one of the target's following:
• Talent Rank
• Racial Tier
• One of the Four Core Attributes
Alex's pupils shrank—his heart roared like thunder!
This is... the terror of Epic-grade gear?
Weaken the opponent's Talent Rank?!
That was nothing short of a death sentence for any Godslayer!
If the target possessed, say, an S-rank bloodline… and this effect triggered even once, dropping it to A-rank—
It would cripple them for life.
And the phrase "Racial Tier"—
It was exceedingly rare.
That meant this equipment wasn't just effective against humans—but also against monsters, aberrants, and more.
In the chronicles of history, monsters were not alien invaders from another realm, but native beings—born alongside dungeons and secret realms, emerging from this very world.
For thousands of years, they had waged war against humankind.
Their bloodlines were diverse, their species vast and ever-changing.
Especially the Lord-tier monsters—their Racial Tier and even clan dominion determined the very source of their power.
And if that was diminished—
The Undead Tyrant would fall into a pile of bones, no stronger than a skeletal soldier.
The Goblin King would regress into a lowly green-skinned grunt.
A Hellhound would be stripped of its Infernal Flame lineage—reduced to nothing more than a mundane mutt.
This pendant's true power was a blade that could sever fate itself.
"If I were to place this pendant in an auction… even Sanctuary-tier factions would fight to the death over it."
"But I won't sell it."
In silence, Alex hung the Fallen Star Pendant around his neck.
The pendant, cold against his chest, felt as if it branded itself onto his heart—
igniting a fire of vengeance.
—In his past life, Manfred had used the Fallen Star Crystal to cast him into darkness.
—In this life, he would use the Fallen Star Pendant, stroke by stroke,
to carve Manfred's talent into useless blood!
He remembered clearly—Manfred had awakened a rare S-rank bloodline.
And from S-rank to E-rank… there were five levels.
That meant he had five chances—
five beautiful, drawn-out opportunities to watch Manfred fall—
from arrogant prodigy to talentless wretch howling in despair!
Just imagining it... made his blood surge with exhilaration.
Half an hour later.
Wearing his standard-issue academy uniform, Alex stepped through the gates of Abyssal Edge City's Fifth Academy.
It was a public institution under the Federation's unified education system.
Ranked fifth among the six academies in the city—second to last.
As for Alex—he hadn't always been a student here.
He had once studied at the First Royal Academy of Abyssal Edge City—the most prestigious institution in the region, a sacred hall of education where nobles and peerless prodigies gathered.
Back then, he was the young master of House Elliot, cloaked in glory and honor.
Until the day he was cast out of the family registry, and Manfred seized control of everything—
forcing him to transfer to this lesser academy.
In his previous life, he had burned with resentment for a long time because of it.
But now, as he stepped into this school once more in this new life—Alex no longer cared.
"What is one city's academy, in the grand scheme of things?"
"What truly determines a Godslayer's destiny... are the High Order Institutions."
"And my target… is singular."
His gaze turned sharp as steel, eyes locking onto the distant sky.
—Kunlun University.
Beneath the Kunlun Mountains, secrets slumbered for ten thousand years.
Kunlun University—the Federation's foremost sacred institution, had stood atop the firmament since ancient times, nurturing more than a dozen God-Kings in its storied history.
Even the famed Flame Sovereign, who possessed 3,000 base attributes at Level 10 and the legendary Flame Tyrant Body,was one of its graduates.