"Cillian, you have passed the final world invasion simulation test."
"Congratulations."
Two instructors spoke as Cillian opened his eyes. Though Grimstone University oversaw an astronomical number of projects every year, they looked at him with rare reverence. His research touched a question that had remained unsolved for centuries, and that made his achievement extraordinary.
In their minds, his future held two brilliant roads.
He could keep the core formula of his low-dimensional world secret, build his own pantheon, and condense divine fire until he seized the throne of a Star god.
Others had taken this path before him, the most famous being the creators of the Divine Worlds of Ten Thousand Realms and Stars. They raised their worlds from fragile beginnings, gathering origin power until those worlds became unshakable foundations. From there, they climbed to godhood on their own strength.
The second option was no less tempting. If Cillian chose to share the framework of the Endless Abyss, letting Grimstone codify it into textbooks, he would gain fame and resources beyond measure.
Scholars would flock to refine his design, pushing its potential ever further. That road too had precedent: the founder of Heaven's Summit, who rose to main godhood not by isolation but by rallying countless others to perfect his world.
Both paths gleamed with promise.
The instructors looked at him with admiration. Even if they could gain nothing from him now, it was wise to leave a good impression.
Yet Cillian's response was startlingly calm. He only raised his head, retracted the vast shadow of the Endless Abyss that loomed behind him, and walked out of the assessment chamber.
Still, his eyes lingered for a moment on the projection of the trial world, as if weighing something only he could see.
————x————-
As soon as he stepped into the corridor, Zach Kingston appeared. He had just completed his own first world invasion test, wiping out the alien races that dared breach his divine world. His losses were minimal.
Though his elves had faltered at first, under his guidance they rallied, dug in, and slaughtered the invaders without mercy. He even buried the survivors alive beneath the roots of the World Tree, feeding them to Diluhagan's hungry veins. Who said elves were gentle creatures? Zach's creation proved otherwise.
In his eyes, his world was strong enough to stand alongside dragons. He had reason to feel proud. And yet… doubt gnawed at him.
He could not understand why Cillian's world unsettled him so deeply. Just glimpsing the Endless Abyss, even in its projected form, stirred the darkest impulses in his heart. None of the divine domains he had studied carried such a trait,he had to know what made Cillians' so special.
Still, when Cillian passed, Zach managed a polite smile.
"Congratulations, Cillian."
Cillian gave him a cool glance.
"You are… who, exactly?"
Zach chest tightened with indignation. 'So he doesn't remember me? 'They had sat in the same assessment halls only half a day ago , though time flowed differently in divine realms.
Before Zach could respond, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, he turned and in that moment his heart jolted.
Vice Principal Warren stood beside him.
And he was smiling.
"Wait… he can smile?" The thought shot through Zach's mind like lightning. In all his years at Grimstone, Warren's face had been a storm of scowls and roars. He yelled at students, instructors and everyone all the same. Zach could not recall a single time the man had looked… pleased.
"Are you two chatting?" Warren asked.
"Yes," Zach answered.
"No," Cillian said at the same time.
The silence that followed was heavy and awkward.
"That's fine," Warren said at last. He turned to Cillian. "I need a word with you."
Cillian inclined his head. Without hesitation, he allowed the Vice Principal to lead him away.
⸻x————
In the privacy of his office, Warren spoke bluntly.
"Cillian… I've been following your work since the day you chose this topic."
Cillian only nodded. He had known, only few were allowed to attempt independent simulation tests; of course the Vice Principal had been watching.
"Your papers were brilliant. The theories you've developed could conquer the mysteries of low-dimensional worlds, perhaps only your final thesis remains unfinished." Warren's gaze sharpened. "You are one of the finest students Grimstone University has ever produced."
Alone with him, Warren's praise was unrestrained. But when Cillian showed no flicker of pride, Warren's respect only deepened. A calm heart, one not easily swayed by glory, was rarer than genius.
"So," Warren pressed on, "what will you do next? Will you guard your core formula, build a pantheon, and pursue godhood alone? Or will you share the rules of the Endless Abyss, so others may refine them? If you choose the second path, I can guarantee a place for you here at Grimstone, with resources and backing others could only dream of."
Cillian fell silent, considering. Then he gave an answer Warren had not expected.
"I haven't decided yet."
Warren nodded slowly. It was reasonable, anewcomer who had just emerged victorious would need time to think.
But Cillian's next words caught him off guard.
"My experiment isn't finished. I don't have time to plan ahead. I need more data for my final paper."
"Experiment… unfinished?" Warren's brow furrowed. Hadn't Cillian just passed the test?
But then Cillian's eyes sharpened.
"I plan to continue developing the Endless Abyss, and then apply to challenge it once more."
Warren stared. "Challenge… what?"
Cillian's voice was steady, resolute.
"Grimstone University's Fourth World Invasion Simulation Test. I intend to pit my world directly against the assessment world itself. A battle to the death between two worlds."
His system whispered at the edge of his thoughts:
[Task: Destroy Grimstone University's assessment world and pierce its depths.]
[Reward: Blueprint to the Ring of the Seven Deadly Sins.]