The final 10 hours were less a countdown and more a pressurized surge of global effort. The hum of the Nexus, the activated heartbeat of the planet, felt tight, anxious. Leo sat at his command overlay, a cold sweat dampening his shirt, fueled by desperation and the accelerating power of his own rapid growth. The realization that he—the streamer, the Glitchfinder—was now the single, most critical point of failure for 8.1 billion people, settled over him like a suffocating shroud.
The moment Leo issued the armament directive, the global mission shifted from theoretical self-improvement to a grim, hyper-efficient combat drill. The [World Hub] was a central distribution network. Leo coordinated with remnants of global military commands—now functioning less as national armies and more as specialized Awakened transport guilds. The [Anti-Griefing] protocol ensured that soldiers handing over weapons to civilians wouldn't be shot in the back; the [Human Breathing Technique] meant no one had to worry about feeding the billions being mobilized.
All across the globe, the chaos was distilled into a single, pragmatic focus: arm the respawners. The unique genius of humanity was already at work, aided by the Core's system-wide monitoring. The collective knowledge distilled through the [Collective Insight] passive gave Leo the keys to acceleration.
The Core's automated monitoring provided the first alert:
::Alert: User Rian_Volkov [GhostShot] has achieved Conceptual Breakthrough: [Telescopic Gaze (Novice Lvl 1)]. Methodology: Sustained Syntropy channeling through a scope/magnifier.::
Leo recognized the critical missing piece for enhancing combat. The price for the skill was paid in effort.
Leo immediately poured his attention into the breakthrough. He materialized a tiny holographic scope—a simple blue ring—in the Nexus void. He held the scope to his eye and tried to hold his gaze perfectly still on a faint, distant shimmer in the pearlescent wall. He pushed through the burning in his ocular nerves until his eye felt raw and bruised from the intense, unnatural focus. He didn't stop until he felt a small, distinct click in his mental interface.
[Skill Gained: Telescopic Gaze (Novice Lvl 1)]
The moment the skill locked in, the dormant [Collective Insight] passive for this specific skill activated with explosive force, flooding him with the collective experience of every focused observer on Earth. He was able to use this perfect knowledge to optimize the skill for mass sharing.
::Synthesizing... [Skill Acquired: Focused Gaze Technique (Tier 1)].::
The tutorial was posted instantly.
The alerts didn't stop. Moments later, the Core flagged a user who achieved [Kinetic Burst (Novice Lvl 1)] by combining deep [Human Breathing Technique] with intentional muscle efficiency visualization during sprinting. Leo knew he needed that core strength and speed boost. He pushed off against the invisible floor of the Nexus and started running. He continued this chaotic, self-inflicted grind—sprinting full tilt into the pearlescent wall, collapsing, regaining his stamina, and trying again—until he felt the sharp snap of comprehension.
[Skill Gained: Kinetic Burst (Novice Lvl 1)]
The Insight torrent followed immediately. He was flooded with the collective feeling of every perfect sprint start and every optimized muscle contraction from the planet's greatest athletes. Leo immediately acquired and refined this technique into the [Kinetic Flow Technique (Tier 1)], posting a roadmap for accelerated AGI and STR gains during movement.
The final piece of the defense puzzle arrived when the Core flagged a construction worker's accidental discovery. Leo acquired the [Basic Excavation (Novice Lvl 1)] skill and spent two critical hours synthesizing the master exploit:
::Synthesizing... [Skill Acquired: Deep Earth Resonance Technique (Tier 1)].::
The resulting [Collective Insight] flood was staggering. The feeling of moving mountains of earth, of understanding geology and structural stability, poured into him. The [Deep Earth Resonance Technique (Tier 1)] tutorial was immediately posted. Across the globe, billions began digging en masse. With scavenged shovels and sheer mana-enhanced will, people were moving cubic meters of soil with each pass, the dirt shimmering faintly with channeled Syntropy. Vast, sprawling tunnel networks and fortified bunkers were being created.
Leo's growth was exponential, fueled by the feedback loop of billions engaged in war preparation. My [Human Breathing Technique] (Grandmaster Lvl 1/50) and [Basic Martial Arts] (Master Lvl 1/40) were conduits now, constantly accelerating the stat curve.
I focused inward, pouring the Insight torrent into myself. The movements of my kata were a blur of optimized efficiency.
Stat
STR 25 → 55
AGI 30 → 68
HEA 25 → 50
MANA 35 → 75
A wave of intense, controlled heat washed through me, confirming the incredible stat leap. My muscles seemed to hum, dense and coiled with newfound potential. My very existence felt… denser, more real. The Agility felt like I could dodge bullets. This wasn't a game overlay; the System was fundamentally changing me. My potential growth rate was terrifying.
I then turned my attention back to the [Admin Privileges] menu. My final choice was already made.
"Core," I confirmed, watching the screen flicker red with proximity warnings, "Initiate Upgrade E. Prioritize protection."
::Command Accepted. Initiating [Nexus Energy Shielding (Basic)] protocol. Utilizing 90% of accumulated Nexus-specific Syntropy reserves.::
A faint, golden grid momentarily flashed over the pearlescent walls of the Nexus before settling into invisibility. The unbearable pressure immediately receded by a fraction, providing a crucial, but temporary, sense of security.
The AI's voice, usually dry, held a hint of urgency.
::Warning: Tier 2 portal construction is now commencing in designated capital zones (Washington D.C., Beijing, Moscow). Final countdown initiated.::
I issued a final command into the Hub, triggering a massive, global quest.
[STRATEGIC INSIGHT: FINAL FIELD ANALYSIS]
Objective: All Awakened personnel are to monitor and report localized energy signatures and atmospheric distortions in your area. Predict the exact breach point.
The clock kept ticking. T-minus 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.
**Zero Hour: The Scouring Begins**
Rian Volkov, code name [GhostShot], knelt atop the spire of the Federation Tower. He was Level 12, a Master in [Telescopic Gaze], and his eyes were glued to the sky over Red Square. Below him, the vast network of the Moscow Metro was being converted into a subterranean fortress.
His senses were overwhelmed. The air carried the stench of sulfur and burning biological material—the smell of brimstone and hot metal. The wind was a physical push from the sky, raw Syntropy being violently displaced.
He looked up. The sky directly over the Kremlin was being devoured. Massive, unnatural auroras were exploding, not green and peaceful, but black and sickly red, like oil spilled across a sheet of fire. The colors rippled with impossible, chaotic geometry.
Then, the ground below him cracked. The fault lines in the street widened, but no dirt fell. The seismic reports he was monitoring via his System feed confirmed it: the portal construction was physically warping Earth's crust.
He took a deep breath, channeling his [Human Breathing Technique]. He whispered into the Hub, tagging his post for the [Strategic Insight] quest:
"Portal signature confirmed. Moscow sector compromised. Visual: Tier 2 Command Portal, directly overhead. Sounds like a thousand grinding teeth. They're here."
Below, the rhythmic sound of the digging continued, a steady scraping of shovel against earth—the promise of survival. Rian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and channeled the [Human Breathing Technique]. He reopened his eyes, sighting down the barrel of his anti-materiel rifle at the first monstrous silhouette that dropped through the impossible green and black light.
**The Scouring had begun.**
Eldrin_The_Wise_77, the [First Mage of Terra], stood in the root cellar tunnel he'd dug using the new [Deep Earth Resonance Technique]. His wife and neighbors were safely secured further down the damp earth. Eldrin wasn't just watching the news—he was feeling the Mana Field. His [Terra's Attunement] passive made the planet's stress a palpable thing. The air carried the stench of ozone and flame. He could hear it through the Mana Field itself: a high, grinding scream, like the hinges of reality were tearing directly over nearby Manhattan.
He pulled up the live feed provided by an Awakened drone pilot. The sky was being devoured by massive, unnatural auroras—black and sickly red. The colors rippled with impossible, chaotic geometry.
It's starting.
Eldrin channeled the energy, the feeling of his breathing technique now second nature. He had a Tier 1 assault rifle resting on a sandbag, but his hands were focused on a small, smooth quartz crystal—a cheap focus item he'd synthesized. He whispered into the Hub, tagging his post for the [Strategic Insight] quest:
"Portal signature confirmed. Manhattan sector breached. Visual: Red/Black energy, seismic activity, air smells like... hell. They're here."
The AI's final, clean digital text appeared over the global map, which was now a landscape of fire and energy.
::First Tier 2 Portal signature detected at 40.71° N, 74.00° W. Target: New York City.::
::Second Tier 2 Portal signature detected at 55.75° N, 37.61° E. Target: Moscow.::
::INVASION COMMENCED. TERRAN DEFENSE PROTOCOL ACTIVE.::
**T-minus 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.**