Ethan didn’t care about the stunned crowd or Tyler Vance’s trembling form. He turned his back on the scene and walked directly toward the largest, most prestigious establishment in the Bazaar: The Eternal Scroll Pavilion.
Now that he had 50 million Credits, it was time for the true evolution of his support system. He couldn’t just have high stats; he needed a team that could slaughter entire legions.
"Welcome, honored guest," the pavilion clerk said, bowing deeply. Word of Ethan’s terrifying single-slap victory had already spread through the market. Nobody dared treat him like F-rank trash now.
"Give me every low-grade skill book you have in stock," Ethan said flatly, tossing a platinum card onto the counter. "Particularly basic element spells and standard swordsmanship manuals."
The clerk’s eyes bugged out. Ten minutes later, Ethan walked out with a heavy spatial ring containing fifty copies of F-Rank Spark, fifty copies of F-Rank Frost Bite, and fifty copies of F-Rank Basic Slash. Total cost: 1.5 million Credits. Pocket change.
They walked out to the secluded courtyard behind the pavilion. Ethan turned to Cassandra. "Extend your hands."
Cassandra obeyed instantly, her eyes filled with absolute reverence. Ethan dumped the entire mountain of low-grade skill books into her arms. "These are my investments in you. Absorb them all."
The moment the massive pile of manuals settled into Cassandra’s arms, Ethan’s vision exploded with a blinding, cascading sequence of neon blue notifications.
[DING! You have invested 150x Low-Grade Skill Books into your loyal follower: Cassandra Vance.]
[Triggering Combo Return Multiplier... Calculating... CONGRATULATIONS! You have triggered a chain of maximum 10,000x Capped Multipliers!]
[Your F-Rank skill investments have evolved and mutated through the Cosmic Law!]
• 150x Low-Grade Books mutated into: 1x Ancient-Grade Forbidden Manual: [Primordial Frost Nova] (SSS-Rank)!
• Due to the massive karmic feedback of upgrading a follower, the Host receives 100% attribute synchronization! Your level has forcefully broken through: Level 1 -> Level 25! All core stats +1,200!]
BOOM!
A pillar of cosmic, starlight energy shot straight down from the sky, piercing right through the clouds and enveloping Ethan and Cassandra.
Inside Cassandra’s mind, the trash frost spells she held dissolved and reconstructed into runes of ancient, forbidden magic. Her aura flared, skyrocketing her power past her previous peak, directly into the upper echelons of Master-tier hunters.
Ethan felt his own muscles compressing, his mana veins expanding into vast, endless rivers of dark void energy. Level 25 in a single instant, purely through passive feedback!
"My Lord..." Cassandra gasped, dropping to one knee as the SSS-rank and SS-rank forbidden skills etched themselves into her soul. "This power... I can freeze an entire dungeon with a single thought..."
"Keep it hidden for now," Ethan said, his voice calmer and deeper as his power matured. "The academy trial is a stage. We show our teeth when the curtain rises."
"A beautiful sentiment, young man. But I’m afraid your little storm has already attracted some very big fish."
A deep, smooth voice echoed from the shadows of the courtyard.
The space ten feet in front of Ethan rippled like water. A tall man in a tailored midnight-blue suit stepped out of thin air. He wore a silver monocle over one eye, and a faint, terrifying dark purple aura rolled off his shoulders.
Cassandra instantly sprang to her feet, her hands gripping her daggers, her face turning incredibly pale. "Shadow-step... Spatial manipulation... You’re the Underground Guild Master, Julian Cross!" Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
Julian Cross—the undisputed ruler of the city’s black markets, a Level 82 SS-Rank apex hunter who answered to no government or corporation.
Julian ignored Cassandra, his sharp gaze locking entirely onto Ethan. "An F-rank talent who can slap a B-rank into a coma, casually buy out a skill shop, and trigger a cosmic energy pillar in my backyard? Fascinating. Truly fascinating."
Julian took a step forward, his eyes flashing dangerously. "The Vance family is already mobilizing their elders to hunt you down for humiliating Tyler. I can protect you. I can give you infinite resources. But first... I need to see if you are truly worth my protection, or if you’re just a lucky brat hiding a temporary relic."
Without warning, Julian released his full, terrifying SS-rank pressure.
CRACK!!!
The concrete floor beneath Ethan’s feet shattered into dust. The air became heavy as lead, threatening to crush Cassandra to her knees.
Julian didn’t attack; he was using pure, raw spiritual pressure to force Ethan to submit. An ordinary hunter below Level 50 would have their heart burst from fear under this gaze.
Ethan, however, stood perfectly still. His black cloak didn’t even rustle.
Thanks to his SSS-Rank Passive: Eternal Domain, 90% of Julian’s pressure was instantly absorbed into the void around him. The remaining 10% felt like a gentle breeze.
Ethan slowly raised his head, his eyes shifting into a pitch-black abyss. He looked directly into the eyes of the SS-Rank Guild Master and smiled darkly.
"Test me?" Ethan asked, his voice echoing with a subtle, multi-layered cosmic resonance that made the shadows in the courtyard twist and writhe like living serpents. "Guild Master Julian, with all due respect... you don’t have the qualifications to test me."
Julian’s eyes widened in absolute, profound shock. For the first time in thirty years, a teenager had looked him dead in the eye under his full power—and the teenager was the one making him feel a sudden, instinctual chill down his spine.