Han Chen stepped away from the smoldering crater of the Emerald Behemoth, his boots crunching on crystallized soil. With a flick of his wrist, he activated his mental link to the Tower's system. "Exclusive Space: Enter."
In an instant, the scorched heat of the forest was replaced by a sterile, profound silence. His personal space was a vast, floating island suspended in a void of swirling stardust and violet nebulae. It was currently bare—a reflection of his own stripped-back, utilitarian nature. At the center stood a simple obsidian throne and a clear, still pool of water that acted as a restorative font. The air here was saturated with pure mana, far denser than the outside world. He sat on the throne, closing his eyes as the cool air began to soothe the strain on his mana circuits.
As he rested, fragments of his past life clawed at his mind like jagged glass. He remembered the Siege of the 500th Floor, where the sky had turned black with the wings of High-God Dragons. He remembered the betrayal of the Holy Saintess, the woman who had sold out the human vanguard to the Infinite Races just to secure a seat in the "New World." He remembered the feeling of his heart being pierced by a spear of divine light while he looked at the ruins of Earth, a world he had failed to protect.
"This time," he whispered to the empty void, his voice rasping, "I won't be the shield. I'll be the blade that severs the Tower's throat."
He shook off the memories and opened his inventory. The rewards from the King Grade Boss were glowing with a rich, golden-purple hue.
[Heart of the Forest (Legendary)]: A staff carved from the world-tree's branch.
Current Stats: +500 Intelligence, +200 Wisdom, 50% reduction in Mana Cost.
Han's Thought: "Useful for a normal mage, but for me? It's just a temporary battery. I'll keep it for the mana cost reduction until I find something better."
[Verdant Regrowth (Rank S)]: An area-of-effect healing skill.
Han didn't hesitate. "System, learn skill. Maximize."
[System Notice]: You have used \infty Skill Points.
[Verdant Regrowth] has been upgraded to Level 8,000.
Skill Mutation: Evolved into [Breath of the Primordial Source].
Effect: Instantly restores all HP, Mana, and Stamina. Can resurrect the dead if the soul has not dissipated for more than 24 hours.
"Now I have a safety net," he muttered, closing the panel. He took out the 50,000 gold and the pile of 'Normal' and 'Bronze' gear he'd looted from the wolves. To him, this was garbage. To the market, it was a fortune.
Leaving his space, he reappeared in a dark alleyway in Star-City's Outer Ring. He pulled a tattered cloak over his shoulders, hiding his face. He walked toward the 'Blackwood Market,' a place where hunters sold loot without the World Federation's heavy taxes.
The market was a cacophony of shouting merchants and clanking armor. Han approached a stall run by a scarred veteran with a missing arm.
"Selling," Han said, dumping a bag of Bronze daggers and Silver-grade wolf pelts on the counter.
The merchant's eyes widened. "Kid, where'd you get this many Silver pelts? Did you raid a den?"
"Does it matter?" Han's voice was cold, flat. "Price."
"I... I can give you 12,000 Credits for the lot," the man stuttered, intimidated by the sheer aura of indifference radiating from the youth.
"15,000. And throw in those five F-rank skill books in the corner," Han countered.
The merchant hesitated, then nodded quickly. "Deal."
Han took the credits and the books. The books were 'trash' skills: [Minor Spark], [Water Pebble], [Mud Trap], [Twitch], and [Glimmer]. To anyone else, they were useless parlor tricks. To Han, they were the foundations of his godhood.
He walked to a nearby tea house, sitting in a dark corner to avoid attention. He pulled out a sleek, holographic tablet—the 'Tower-Net.' The world was in a total frenzy.
[TOP TRENDING: WHO IS THE ANONYMOUS SSS-RANKER?]
[The Golden Lion Family offers 1 Billion Credits for info on the First Floor Clearer.]
[Is the Tower broken? Experts say a King Grade Boss on Floor 1 is an omen of the end.]
Han scrolled through the comments. "Look at them," he thought, a cynical curl to his lip. "They're terrified. They think a King Grade is an omen. They have no idea that in three years, King Grades will be common spawns in the city streets."
A group of young Awakened at the next table were arguing loudly. "I bet it's a member of the Saint Families," a girl said, her eyes shining with hope. "Only they have the resources to kill a King Grade so early. Maybe it's Prince Lu Chen?"
Han sipped his bitter tea, his face a mask of boredom. Lu Chen? In his past life, Lu Chen was a coward who hid behind his guards until he was eaten by a Void Serpent.
He turned his attention back to his new skills. "System, upgrade all."
[Minor Spark (F)] \rightarrow [Heavenly Tribulation Thunder (Level 12,000)]: A single-target strike that ignores all lightning resistance and deals true damage.
[Water Pebble (F)] \rightarrow [Abyssal Deluge (Level 10,000)]: A massive AOE that drowns entire mountain ranges in heavy water.
[Mud Trap (F)] \rightarrow [Earth's Eternal Prison (Level 9,000)]: A control skill that can petrify even God-grade entities for 60 seconds.
[Twitch (F)] \rightarrow [Neural Overdrive (Level 11,000)]: An enhancement that increases movement and reaction speed by 50,000\%.
[Glimmer (F)] \rightarrow [Phantom of the Void (Level 15,000)]: A disguise/stealth skill. Even a God's "True Sight" cannot see through this.
"Now," Han Chen stood up, leaving a few coins on the table. "I have the tools. No one will see me coming, and no one will survive if they do."
As he walked toward the city gate to return to the Tower, a tall man in high-quality Gold-grade armor blocked his path. "Hey, kid. You look like you just came from the Tower. See anyone suspicious near the Boss room?"
Han looked the man in the eye. The man flinched, feeling as if he were looking into the eyes of an apex predator.
"The only thing I saw," Han said, his voice like a winter wind, "was a lot of people who were too weak to survive what's coming. Get out of my way."
The man reached for his sword, but Han didn't even slow down. He activated a tiny fraction of [Neural Overdrive]. To the crowd, Han simply vanished. To Han, the world was frozen. He walked past the man, through the city gates, and stepped back into the shimmering portal of the Tower.
He had 999,999,955 levels left to go. And he was just getting started.