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Chapter 378 - Chapter 399: Ambition

Little did he expect Jay to respond to the very thought in his mind, and even give him an answer he hadn't seen coming.

"Great work, Phosseh. I can see you're struggling to adapt to the surge in your stats. There's a skill called Harmony that helped me. You can buy it from the Universe Achievement Point Store, but you'll need to upgrade it to your current tier before it becomes usable."

Jay didn't lower his voice or send the message telepathically. His words carried clearly, reaching not just Phosseh but many members of their faction nearby. A ripple of surprise spread through them. Revealing something so valuable without any hesitation.

At the same time, most of them knew it barely mattered. Even if they had the information, few could afford it, let alone upgrade it. Everything in the Universe Achievement Point Store required Universe Points.

One single Universe Point was equivalent to one trillion Galaxy Points. To most Chosen, that number was nothing short of absurd.

Phosseh let out a slow sigh. He had no Universe Points. Neither did almost anyone else present. What he possessed were Super-Cluster Points and roughly 10 Mega-Cluster Points. 

Even if he converted every single point he owned, he would barely reach 50 Mega-Cluster Points. And that still fell far short.

He needed 1000 Mega Cluster Points to make a single Universe Point.

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Author Note:

1 Universe Point = 1,000 Mega-Cluster Points1 Universe Point = 1,000,000 Super-Cluster Points1 Universe Point = 1,000,000,000 Galactic-Cluster Points1 Universe Point = 1,000,000,000,000 Galaxy Points

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Just as that reality sank in, Jay spoke again, his next words striking the crowd even harder.

"I was originally planning to introduce this later, but given the situation, I'll move it up. After this round, Core and Inner Circle members will be able to exchange Reward Points for any skill in the Achievement Point Store, and even upgrade them."

The response was immediate. A wave of shock swept through everyone who heard him.

Until now, the most common way to pass on skills had been through Skill Circuits. Those with high-grade innate talents and deep mastery could document skill circuits, allowing others to learn them. 

But this method came with heavy restrictions. One needed the matching innate talent, sufficient mastery, and compatibility to even attempt learning such circuits.

The alternative was the Achievement Point Store. And everyone knew how brutal its prices were.

Only after the store became accessible in the Trial World did most Chosen realize how vast the disparity between skills truly was. Even among skills of the same grade, some cost far more than others. Skills that boosted overall attributes or provided comprehensive benefits were priced astronomically high.

Skills could also be obtained as Achievement rewards, but those were random, and very few had the means to complete such feats.

That was why Jay's words shook them so deeply.

Being able to exchange Reward Points for any skill they wanted meant freedom. Freedom to choose skills that perfectly suited their strengths or covered their weaknesses.

While many were still discussing the implications, one person raised a question that others had overlooked.

"Lord Jay, have you found a way to document skill circuits for skills that aren't talent-based?"

The one who spoke was Tiris, the Guild Leader of the Spirit Guild. Among the five major guilds, Spirit Guild specialized in skill research and circuit documentation. 

They had contributed massively to Orion Vanguard by building the Skill Library, where faction members could exchange Reward Points to learn compatible skills.

Only then did everyone realize the issue.

Achievement Points could not be transferred between individuals. While items purchased from the Achievement Point Store could be handed over, skills were different. Once a skill was purchased, it will be bound directly to the buyer along with its usage knowledge. It could not be passed on.

And because these skills weren't tied to innate talents, documenting their circuits was nearly impossible. Even if someone somehow succeeded, learning them would still be another hurdle altogether.

That begged the question: How was Jay confident he could buy skills for others?

Jay didn't answer directly.

Instead, a floating baby in a pastel blue suit appeared beside him, hands folded in front of his chest. With a proud grin, he spoke up.

"That's where I come in. As long as you're bonded with one of my Familia AIs, any item or skill purchased by Master can be transferred directly to you. Of course, you'll need sufficient Reward Points to exchange for them. The exchange rates are as follows."

He waved his hand, and a small projection appeared in the air.

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Skills costing Galaxy Points: 1,000 RPs

Skills costing Galactic-Cluster Points: 5,000 RPs

Skills costing Mega-Cluster Points: 10,000 RPs

Skills costing Super-Cluster Points: 25,000 RPs

Skills costing Higher Super-Cluster tiers: 50,000 RPs

Skills costing Universe Points: 100,000 RPs

Each upgrade costs the same amount of RPs as the initial exchange.

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Noise erupted instantly. Excited discussions broke out as everyone realized what this meant. As long as they had enough Reward Points, even extremely rare skills were within reach.

Those who had already spent most of their Reward Points preparing for the final tournament wore looks of regret. In contrast, the few who had saved theirs looked almost ecstatic.

Then Jay spoke again, and his next words shifted the mood entirely.

"Since we're about to enter an unknown and dangerous place like the Bloodline Realm, I'll allow every Core and Inner Circle member to choose one skill, even if you don't currently have enough Reward Points. The cost can be repaid after the Final Tournament."

That single statement caused a small uproar. Excitement swept through the seated members of Orion Vanguard.

Many immediately opened the Achievement Point Store, already debating which skill they would choose once the exchange took place after Round One.

Just by the way Jay said it so casually, without even hesitating, Phosseh and some sharp-minded ones began to wonder how many Universe Points he actually possessed.

After all, nearly a thousand Core and Inner Circle members were present. Covering the cost of even one skill of their choice for each of them was no trivial expense.

The ones who had a rough idea were the Alpha Chosen from Earth. They knew how Jay had once spent hundreds of Universe Points to buy a growth-type full body armor for Dante as a gift. 

Ever since then, they often joked among themselves about how lucky one would have to be to become Jay's friend and receive such a gift.

They kept this information to themselves. Letting it slip outside the team would only stir endless envy, especially toward Dante. If even they, members of the strongest team in the Trial World, struggled to accept it, then others would not fare any better.

Before long, the remaining participants from the first batch completed their challenges and exited their Reality Emulators. 

A massive screen finalized the Top 100 rankings, with Phosseh firmly at the top, displaying 6,505,935 points.

Regardless of faction, eyes turned toward Phosseh as his strength was acknowledged by all. He had set a benchmark for what a truly powerful Chosen looked like. Many silently made him their target, determined to surpass him and claim even greater glory.

Within Orion Vanguard, reverence filled the air. Even the Origin Sigil Holders looked at Phosseh with renewed respect.

They all knew the truth. Unlike them, Phosseh had chosen not to become a Sigil Holder. He had come this far entirely on his own, without relying on looted stats or the amplification effects granted by Origin Sigils.

That alone was enough to earn their respect.

And unlike many of the top Power Rankers, he did not possess multiple Innate Talents or an awakened bloodline. He had relied solely on his single Grade-9 Variant Category talent,║TRANSFERENCE║, to reach where he stood today.

Meanwhile, while all eyes in the colosseum were on Phosseh, his thoughts were elsewhere.

He kept thinking about Jay's actions. About how Jay openly revealed the very skill Phosseh needed most, and then went a step further by offering a free skill to Core and Inner Circle members. To Phosseh, it felt like Jay was practically handing him something that could make him much stronger.

If Phosseh were just another high-ranking member of Orion Vanguard, he might not have dwelled on it. But he was different.

From the very beginning, he had made his condition clear to Jay. He intended to compete for the Alpha Prime title. He was confident in his talent, confident in himself, and openly ambitious.

The primary reason he joined Orion Vanguard was access to the Modified Enlightenment Incenses, something only this faction possessed. 

Without them, he would never have reached the brink of breaking through to Grade-6 in such a short time. He would have fallen far behind the top members of Jay's faction.

He had never hidden his intentions from Jay. He had been honest, even expecting some form of suppression. Fewer resources. Restricted rewards. Subtle pressure meant to keep him in check.

None of that happened. He was treated like everyone else, without bias.

Over time, he grew attached to the Raider Guild and the subordinates under him. His relationship with other guild members was smooth, without schemes or backstabbing. 

The structure, discipline, and the overall atmosphere within Orion Vanguard stood in sharp contrast to his home planet, where the strong trampled the weak and betrayal was common in the fight for power.

Here, despite the dangers of the Trial World and the ever-present monsters, there was an unexpected sense of order and calm. It felt refreshing. Almost peaceful.

At first, Phosseh had planned to split off and form his own faction if he ever claimed the ALPHA PRIME title. But now, after everything he had experienced, he found himself leaning toward staying within Orion Vanguard instead.

He glanced sideways at Jay.

The more he thought about it, the more it felt like Jay never truly saw him as competition. Jay's recent actions, especially the decision to hand out powerful skills so freely, only reinforced that feeling.

What Phosseh did not realize was that it wasn't just him. Jay didn't consider anyone else as true competition either.

Especially not after the massive leap he had made after breaking past the 2nd Universe Limit.

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Due to ongoing piracy concerns, the final 22 chapters of Volume 3 (Ch.351 to 372) are not posted publicly. They are exclusively available through:

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