As they stepped onto the bridge and into the city, Derick noticed that the city itself was quiet—orderly, structured, and strangely serene. Unlike other shelters…
No crowds.
No chaos.
Just a steady rhythm of life unfolding.
Derick stared in awe.
"It looks… peaceful."
"Don't be fooled," Jet said. "Peace is expensive down here. Everyone you see has survived something."
"So that means they're stronger—and more dangerous—than the average person in other shelters," Jet continued calmly. "To survive here, your Aberrant or Absolute Points must be maxed out."
"What?" Derick exclaimed. "But I thought most people chose to Ascend once their Aberrant Points were maxed out. And anyone who has maxed their Absolute Points is already in the best state to Ascend."
"Then why are people with maxed Absolute Points staying here?" he continued. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial for them to Ascend?"
Jet replied, "You know about the existence of Supreme Beasts, right?"
"You mean the grade above Absolute Beasts?"
"Yes. That grade."
"But what do they have to do with ascending in this realm?" Derick asked, bewildered. "I thought they only existed in higher realms."
"You're wrong about that," Jet said. "Most people are."
"Supreme Beasts exist in all realms. They're just extremely hard to find because they only exist in the underground world."
She continued, "It's as if they're restrained from leaving the underground. So they are only found in the underground, close to the Five Drowned Cities, and are extremely rare in any of the tunnels that leads aboveground"
"Any Supreme Beast that steps above ground is automatically transformed into an Absolute Beast and cannot revert back to a Supreme Beast."
"Supreme Beasts are extremely difficult to hunt, so most people form large hunting parties made up of individuals with complementary Classes just to take down a single one."
"You see, down below the City Many Supreme Beast roam freely. But they are somewhat restrained from coming out of the waters beneath the Drowned Cities and their Castles. But try not to fall or get inside the waters onless you are confident of surviving".
"You see, in the water beneath the city, many Supreme Beasts roam freely. However, they are restrained from approaching the Drowned Cities and their castles."
"So do not fall—or enter—the waters unless you are confident in surviving," Jet warned. "They are not restrained down there."
"You may wonder why a place like this exists yet is not known to the general public, right?"
"The answer is simple. Most people try to max out as many points as possible before ascending, because it's widely known that the more points you've maxed out, the better your chances of surviving in the higher realms."
"But have you ever wondered what it would feel like to know that people in the same realm as you are in have the chance to maxout or gain higher ascension points. And therefore have a better chance of surviving the higher realms than you?"
"Yes. That bitter taste."
"Now imagine if the entire population found out."
"There would be chaos said Derick.
Not just Chaos answered jet, because of the rush
The death toll would rise. Humanity itself would be put at risk . And knowing the Devas, they would use that opportunity to wipe out the human race once and for all",.
"Remember—there is power in numbers. That's why our leaders won't take that risk."
"However, if someone comes close to the Drowned Cities, it is encouraged to guide them to the nearest city—only if doing so will not complicate their survival."
"The good thing about the Drowned Cities is the Ascension Gate."
"Unlike the Ascension Pools found in regular shelters, the Drowned Cities possess Evolution Gates, located within the castles."
"As the name suggests, they evolve their users instead."
"Yes—both the user and their Class evolve, transforming their abilities into a higher and more potent version." Even if someone does not maxout their supreme points, just the little bits collected counts
"You know about the Big Seven, right?"
"Yes." Derick nodded, his eyes shining like a child listening to a captivating fairy tale.
"The truth about the Big Seven families," Jet continued, "is that their leaders hailed from the Drowned Cities."
"They are among the very few who evolved with their Supreme Points maxed out in this realm."
"Even the leader of the government."
"Caelum Rex, the King of Kings."
"You mean Caelum Rex—the same man who stood toe-to-toe with the Seven Kings and nearly defeated all seven combined?" Derick asked.
"Yes. The one and only," replied a passerby.
"Caelum Rex came from one of the Drowned Cities," Jet said. "But not from any of the four."
"He came from the Fifth Drowned City—a place no one who approaches ever returns from alive."
"The only person to survive and pass through the Evolution Gate in that city was Caelum Rex himself."
"And he is the primary reason the Devas have not yet wiped out humanity."
"The castle also has a special function," Jet added. "It allows a person to challenge a Supreme Beast to a one-on-one battle once every decade."
"If this function is not used within a year, a Supreme Beast will be released from the depths and enter the city."
"At that point, the inhabitants will be forced to face it."
"The good part," she said calmly, "is the rewards gained from the PvP battle."
They continued talking until they finally stepped deeper into the city.
"The teleportation platform is located in the castle's garden," Jet said to Derick. "And never wander outside the city without a hunting party or a large group."
"And don't reveal your full capabilities."
With that, her body dissolved into particles of light and vanished into the wind.
"A clone," Derick muttered. "I thought as much."
Walking toward the garden near the castle, Derick spotted a platform unlike anything else in the Drowned City.
The teleportation platform, he thought.
The moment he stepped onto it, space twisted—
—and he reappeared atop the teleporter on the other side.
Metal Ruins lay in every direction he sets his eyes on
Derick froze.
What…? Did the teleporter malfunction?
He stepped down cautiously, already turning back toward the platform, intending to step on it again—
Then his instincts screamed.
Every cell in his body shrieked danger.
Derick didn't think. He moved.
He lunged sideways just as a blade light flashed through the space where his head had been. A streak of sword-light sliced the air above him, close enough that he felt its killing chill graze his scalp.
The strike missed by a breath.
Derick rolled across the metal scrabs that lay in ruins on the ground and sprang to his feet, heart pounding, his eyes snapped towards the origin of the sword light
Then he saw it.
What had attacked him was neither human nor beast—but something far worse.
A Devas.
Derick's breath hitched.
A Devas… this deep within human territory?
What is it doing here?
Before he could process it, faint sounds reached his ears—clashing steel, explosions, screams. His eyes widened as he looked farther ahead.
An army of Devas.
They were locked in open battle with human forces.
Realization struck him like a hammer.
They breached the defenses.
They've entered one of humanity's planets.
His jaw clenched.
"Damn it…"
Cold sweat ran down his back as panic tried to claw its way into his chest.
I'm in deep trouble… How am I supposed to get out of here alive?
The Devas were the first race to step onto the Path of Ascension.
Even the weakest among them stood firmly in the Second Realm—far beyond the reach of ordinary humans.
Compared to a Deva, Derick—still trapped in the First Realm—was nothing more than a child standing before a fully grown adult.
For a brief moment, fear threatened to paralyze him.
Then his eyes hardened.
No. Panicking won't help.
He tightened his grip, steadying his breathing.
"I don't care how," Derick muttered. "I'll do whatever it takes."
His gaze sharpened, survival instinct roaring to life.
Survival comes first.
Derick clenched his fists, forcing down the fear clawing at his chest.
Then, without hesitation, he activated his class.