Cassandra rose, her posture completely transformed. The slumped, defeated girl from moments ago was gone.
In her place stood a lethal weapon, her silver eyes radiating an icy aura that made the nearby air drop below freezing.
Before handling Tyler Vance, Ethan needed to secure his own combat power. He walked over to a nearby high-end skill vendor in the bazaar’s inner ring.
With 50 million Credits in his secure cosmic account, the prices that used to terrify him were now pocket change.
He casually dropped 100,000 Credits to purchase a common, unranked skill book: Basic Mana Meditation, alongside a standard, low-grade F-Rank Iron Longsword for 500 Credits.
Walking into a secluded alleyway with Cassandra guarding the entrance, Ethan opened his System Space. He ignored the mountain of cash and focused on the Divine Frost Awakening Pill (SSS-Rank) and the Shadow Sovereign’s Twin Blades (SS-Rank).
He swallowed the SSS-Rank pill first.
BOOM!
A silent explosion tore through Ethan’s soul. A terrifying, primordial black and gold energy flooded his veins. His trash F-Rank talent, Basic Item Gift, didn’t just change—it became the anchor for an entirely new cosmic entity.
[DING! Host has consumed the SSS-Rank Divine Frost Awakening Pill!]
[Recalculating Host’s Combat Attributes... F-Rank shackles shattered!]
[You have awakened the Primordial Mythic Talent: Void Sovereign (SSS-Rank)!]
[Your passive attributes have increased: Strength +500, Agility +500, Intelligence +500!]
[You have learned the SSS-Rank Passive Skill: Eternal Domain (All damage taken is reduced by 90%, all damage dealt is multiplied by 10x).]
Ethan opened his eyes, a pitch-black abyss swirling in his pupils for a split second before fading back to normal.
His physical body felt lighter, packed with dense, explosive energy. He was currently only Level 1, but his raw stats already surpassed a standard Level 50 A-Rank hunter.
He drew the Shadow Sovereign’s Twin Blades from his space. The two obsidian daggers hummed with a dark, sentient mist, perfectly syncing with his new Void talent.
"Let’s go," Ethan said, stepping out of the alley.
"It’s time to test our new strength."
As they exited the alleyway and walked back onto the main thoroughfare of the Bazaar, a loud, mocking laugh cut through the noise of the crowd.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The F-rank garbage and the Vance family cripple. What a pathetic match made in heaven." Tyler Vance stepped out from a luxury hover-car parked at the edge of the market.
He was flanked by three high-level B-Rank bodyguards wearing matching armored suits.
Tyler wore a pristine, glowing white robe—the mark of an A-Rank awakened genius. The crowd of hunters instantly parted, whispering in hushed tones.
The Vance family practically owned this sector.
Tyler sneered, looking at Cassandra. "I heard you were selling scrap metal in the dirt, cousin. Have you sunk so low that you’re hanging out with this delivery boy? Ethan, didn’t I tell you at the academy that your family is trash? What are you doing near my family’s market?"
Cassandra’s hand instinctively flew to the hilt of her blade, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. But Ethan calmly extended his arm, blocking her.
"Tyler," Ethan said, his voice entirely devoid of fear. "You talk a lot for someone who inherited everything from his cousin’s misfortune."
Tyler’s face darkened instantly. "You dare talk back to me, you F-rank insect? In this world, strength dictates everything. A single finger of mine can crush your entire bloodline."
He turned to his lead bodyguard, a scarred Level 35 B-Rank Berserker.
"Captain Vance, break his legs. Let him learn the proper etiquette when speaking to his betters."
"Yes, Young Master," the heavy bodyguard grunted. He stepped forward, his body erupting with a violent red aura as he activated his skill, Iron Charge.
The ground cracked beneath his heavy boots as he lunged directly at Ethan, his massive armored fist aiming straight for Ethan’s knees.
The crowd gasped. An F-Rank student taking a direct hit from a Level 35 B-Rank hunter would be permanently crippled, if not killed outright.
Tyler smiled maliciously, waiting for the sound of shattering bones. But Ethan didn’t even blink.
He didn’t draw his twin blades. He simply waited until the bodyguard was inches away, then casually raised his right hand and swung it in a swift, horizontal arc.
PAAAANG!!!
The sound wasn’t a normal slap. It sounded like a thunderclap echoing across the square.
Ethan’s palm, backed by +500 raw Strength and the cosmic weight of the Void Sovereign talent, connected squarely with the B-Rank bodyguard’s jaw.
The red aura surrounding the man shattered like cheap glass.The 250-pound armored bodyguard didn’t just fall—he was sent flying sideways like a broken ragdoll, crashing through three thick concrete pillars before slamming into the brick wall of a luxury store, completely unconscious.
His armor was dented, and his jaw was shattered to pieces. Absolute, suffocating silence fell over the entire Bazaar.
The street vendors dropped their items. The remaining two bodyguards froze, their faces turning completely pale.
Tyler’s malicious smile froze on his face. His eyes widened to the size of saucers, his breath catching cleanly in his throat. A Level 35 B-Rank elite... taken out by a single casual slap from an F-Rank garbage?
Ethan calmly wiped his hand with a handkerchief, stepping over the cracked concrete toward Tyler.
"You said strength dictates everything, right?" Ethan asked, his voice low and freezing.
Tyler instinctively took two steps back, his knees trembling. "You... what did you do? You hid your talent! The academy crystal must have been broken!"
"Next week is the Academy Rift Trial, Tyler," Ethan said, stopping just inches from the trembling young master. He reached out and gently tapped Tyler’s pristine white collar, leaving a smudge of dirt on it. "Make sure you wear your best armor. Because if I see you in the dungeon... I won’t be using my open palm."
Ethan turned around, his black cloak billowing behind him. "Cassandra, let’s go."
"Yes, My Lord," Cassandra replied, her heart pounding with an intense, fiery adoration. She followed him without looking back.
Tyler stood in the dirt, his face burning with a mixture of absolute humiliation and deep, terrifying fear. The entire market was staring at him. The number one genius of the city had just been completely suppressed without Ethan even drawing a weapon.
The game had officially changed.