The cold, eerie light of the Darkwater Pool reflected off a battlefield steeped in silence.
Alex stood tall atop a hill of beast corpses, the dead piled high beneath his boots. In his hands rested a colossal black blade, its surface wreathed in arcs of violet lightning—like a thunder dragon lying dormant along its edge.
His eagle-sharp eyes glimmered as he studied the weapon.
This ancient, enigmatic greatblade had been utterly reborn through the [Ascension] ritual.
Thunder runes coiled like serpents across the darkened steel, as though a god of lightning had personally bestowed it from the heavens.
Within every fissure on its blade, explosive power lay in wait, radiating a suffocating presence—there was no doubt about it: this was a Mythic-tier weapon.
Its stats had skyrocketed, and its special effects had transformed into something absurd—
The chance to trigger Chain Lightning had leapt to 30%, the paralysis cap expanded to eight targets, and now it carried the Damage Echo trait, reflecting the full strike across its chained victims.
If the former [Refined Croc-Tooth Saber] had been a mere toy…
Then the [Extreme Edge – Thunder Calamity] was a god-forged weapon, tempered in a furnace of lightning and steel.
A blade that would draw an involuntary gasp of awe from any warrior who laid eyes on it.
Alex took a deep breath of the icy air, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
With a thought, the greatblade vanished into the void, binding itself to his soul imprint.
As per habit, he immediately invested all his newly-gained attribute points into his caps.
To his surprise, reaching Lv5 had increased the maximum limit of all four core stats by a full 500 points.
It hinted at a pattern—but whether the same leap would occur again at Lv10 or Lv20 was something only future trials would confirm.
—Within mere seconds, his personal status panel gleamed anew:
Name: Alex
Level: Lv5 (10%)
Strength: 1200 (+47)
Agility: 1200 (+97)
Spirit: 1200 (+102)
Constitution: 1200
Skills: Bonebreaker Lv1
Equipment: Starfall Pendant (Epic), Extreme Edge – Thunder Calamity (Mythic)
Talents: SSS-tier [Reallocation], SSS-tier [Infinite Ascension] (Unique)
Even at just Level 5, his stats were already crushing those of many Level 10 "Heaven-Slayers."
The sheer height of his four-dimensional attributes could overshadow the most dazzling prodigies in history.
Even without mastery over blade techniques, this terrifying raw power—combined with a Mythic weapon—meant that a single casual swing could summon roaring thunder, shatter mountains, and tear forests asunder.
At this moment, Alex finally possessed the capital to face the ultimate boss lurking in the deepest part of the secret realm.
Even if that monster's stats were doubled, he would feel no fear.
All he needed now—was to assemble the team.
"Hey, Twin Tails!"
He sheathed the Extreme Edge – Thunder Calamity and turned toward Lois, who was busily polishing her brand-new boots.
"Feel like clearing the secret realm in one go?"
That booming confidence made the girl blink in mild surprise.
She lifted her round little face, eyes blinking as she looked at him in disbelief. "Little knight, you're really going that far?"
"What's wrong? Don't tell me the mighty S-rank [Shadow] is too scared to face a beginner-level dungeon boss?"
Alex arched an eyebrow, his mockery dripping with deliberate provocation.
And sure enough—no matter how clumsy the bait, it still worked.
Lois' pretty cheeks flushed red, her hands planting firmly on her hips. "Who said I'm scared?!"
She paused, pretending to be calm as she added, "I just think going with only the two of us might be… overconfident."
"Relax. I've already invited Gregory. He's got an A-rank talent."
"Gregory…"
Recognition flickered in Lois' eyes. She remembered the towering man who had stood ahead of her during talent registration—the only A-rank awakener in all five districts.
His [Furious Vajra] talent was the pinnacle of defensive power—an immovable bulwark on the battlefield.
If he joined, taking down the Dark Forest's final boss was no pipe dream.
She licked her lips and nodded lightly. "Alright. If you can get him, big sis will storm the place with you."
Before Alex could answer, she popped a candy into her mouth like a street magician pulling off a trick, tilting her head with a sly grin. "But… you'll have to wait for me to take care of something first."
Alex raised a brow. "What kind of thing?"
"Secret." Her eyes curved into the sly arcs of a fox's smile.
He could only shake his head helplessly. "Make it quick. The secret realm closes in an hour and a half at most."
"Tch, you're no fun," Lois pouted. "Fine, it's not a big deal—I didn't just come here to level up. I also want an agility-boosting elixir. Only by killing a Lv6 'Thousand-Legged Demon Centipede' is there a chance for it to drop."
She raised her hand, gesturing one hour. "Whether I succeed or not, I'll come find you then."
Alex gave a small nod—every Heaven-Slayer strove to sharpen their own power, and he couldn't fault her for it.
"All right. We'll split up. Meet in the central core zone in one hour."
"Deal."
The very next second, Lois' figure melted into a flowing shadow and vanished without a trace.
"A born assassin," Alex murmured.
After getting his bearings, he quickened his pace toward the depths of the forest.
The activity range in the core area had already been compressed. If Gregory was here, they would cross paths soon—or so he thought.
Yet half an hour passed, and he still hadn't felt the man's presence.
"…Something's off."
He was debating whether to circle back toward the outskirts when a deafening crash erupted in the distance.
A chain of heavy, thunderous impacts followed, and towering ancient trees toppled one after another, as if some colossal beast was rampaging through the woods.
Alex's eyes sharpened. With a single step, he shot forward like a thunderbolt toward the source of the sound.
It took only a few breaths before the battlefield came into view.
In a wide clearing, Brown and Leon stood shoulder to shoulder, wearing mocking smirks.
Opposite them loomed a towering giant, five to six meters tall.
His skin was a scorched, burning crimson. Six muscular arms jutted from his back, his eyes glared like twin bronze bells, and golden secret runes coiled across his chest. Around his neck hung a prayer bead necklace—each bead carved from a human skull.
He looked like a fallen monk dragged straight from the abyss… or perhaps an avatar of some ancient, blasphemous god.
If not for the trace of human intellect glinting in his gaze, any mortal who laid eyes on him would have been consumed by fear on the spot.
But Alex recognized him instantly.
This was his comrade.
Gregory.