Year 2050.
Lucia Blair, Autumn Summer, and the others were currently trapped inside a skyscraper.
Outside the building, countless White Spikes had surrounded them.
It was clear they were all in terrible shape.
Lucia's face was pale, her expression revealing utter exhaustion.
Autumn's left arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, clearly indicating a serious injury.
The others weren't doing much better.
"We're completely surrounded by the White Spikes!"
A student from Regal Academy muttered under his breath, "If they break through the door and we don't abandon the mission, we're all going to die in here!"
Silence fell.
Boom!
A violent thud rang out as the creatures slammed against the steel door outside.
Each bang made everyone's hearts tremble.
Another male student couldn't take the suffocating atmosphere anymore and suddenly spoke up, "I'm done. If you guys want to keep fighting, be my guest."
The moment he said it, his body vanished on the spot.
He had chosen to abandon the mission and return to the real world.
Of course, all his progress in this mission was wiped clean.
As if he'd come here for nothing.
Seeing him vanish, the others exchanged glances. Several were clearly tempted to follow.
If they didn't opt out now, once the White Spikes broke through, it would be too late.
Noticing the wavering morale, Lucia suddenly steeled her expression and made a firm decision.
Just then...
A mechanical voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"Alert! The fate of this world has been altered. All participants will be forcibly extracted in five minutes!"
Everyone froze.
"Did I just hear the Forbidden Zone's system announcement?"
"I heard it too. Something about the world's fate being changed, and we'll be teleported out in five minutes?"
"What's going on? This wasn't part of the mission briefing!"
"Yeah, this is so strange..."
The trapped group erupted into confusion.
Autumn and Lucia exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them.
They both knew.
The one who changed the fate of this world...
Was definitely Vincent Fox.
Only Vincent had the strength and opportunity to make such a miracle happen.
Lucia stood up and shouted, "Everyone, listen! You all heard the Forbidden Zone's announcement just now. We only need to hold out for five more minutes, and we'll be teleported back to the real world. All our efforts over the past few days won't be wasted!"
Eyes lit up across the group.
That's right!
The system clearly said five minutes. As long as they held on, they wouldn't be considered as having forfeited.
Their mission progress might still count!
"This place won't hold. Let's move upstairs!" Autumn said quickly.
Everyone agreed and scrambled upward.
Normally, heading upstairs while surrounded by White Spikes was suicidal. It would only delay the inevitable.
But this time, all they needed was five minutes.
One minute passed.
The White Spikes broke through the main gate and stormed into the building. The students fled further up.
Two minutes passed.
The creatures pursued relentlessly. The group fought as they retreated.
Three minutes.
They were forced further back, the monsters hot on their heels.
Four minutes.
They had reached the rooftop. There was nowhere else to run.
The White Spikes were already flooding the stairwell to the roof, just seconds away from tearing everyone apart.
And then...
Time was up!
Suddenly, the world around them began to shimmer and twist.
The ferocious White Spikes turned to ash and vanished into thin air.
The ruined cityscape began to restore itself before their very eyes.
Crowds reappeared on the streets below, shopping, working, going about their daily lives.
Just moments ago, it had been a devastated, post-apocalyptic world. In just a few breaths, it had returned to a bustling, peaceful metropolis.
As if the White Spikes had never existed.
As if no disaster had ever happened.
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
Then, one by one, they began to vanish as well teleported back to the real world.
At the same time...
Vincent Fox stood in a pure-white extradimensional space, receiving his rewards from the Forbidden Zone.
"Congratulations! Your exceptional performance has eradicated all White Spikes and altered the fate of this world…"
"You have received the highest mission evaluation!"
"You have saved this world. The Forbidden Zone's entrance will now disappear…"
"You have been awarded 150 freely distributable stat points!"
"You have also received a special reward for saving the world: [Crisis Sense]!"
A string of notifications echoed in his mind.
Vincent blinked.
Especially at the last one he had gained a new ability.
Soon, a flash of red light passed over him, and new knowledge began to form in his mind.
[Crisis Sense]!
As the name implied, it allowed Vincent to sense danger before it struck.
If he'd had this ability a few days ago, during the assassination ambush, he never would've gotten shot.
The moment a sniper locked onto him, he would've sensed it!
As he finished reading the ability's description, Vincent's eyes sparkled.
This power was incredibly useful.
Perfect for his current level.
He wasn't invincible yet, and [Crisis Sense] would allow him to avoid many life-threatening dangers.
When he eventually reached Saitama's level of strength...
Well, the ability might become pointless.
But for now...
He quickly allocated all 150 stat points into his Spirit stat.
His updated Attribute Panel now looked like this:
Name: Vincent Fox
Race: Human
Physique: 833
Spirit: 595
Strength: 831
Agility: 779
Bloodline: Saitama Physique (Awakened)
Supernatural Talent: Blazing Flame
Skill: Descent of the Demon God (Upgradeable)
Passive Ability: Crisis Sense
…
That was Vincent's current Attribute Panel.
His physique, strength, and agility continued to grow daily.
As long as he stuck to his training, they'd never stop increasing.
His spirit stat was slower to grow, but the Forbidden Zone's rewards helped patch that gap.
Right now, Vincent was undeniably a top-tier powerhouse!
Calling him the strongest freshman wasn't even enough it would be an insult to compare him to the others.
Even if all the new students ganged up on him, he could crush them without effort.
"Saving the world came with bonus rewards? Then what about back in Forbidden Zone #2, when I released the T-virus vaccine? Shouldn't that have counted as saving the world too? Why didn't I get a bonus reward for that?"
Wait... was the [Blazing Flame] talent actually that reward?
He might've guessed correctly.
If he hadn't earned the highest mission evaluation back then, the reward definitely wouldn't have been the flame talent.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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