The golden notification lingered before Aster's eyes as he stood within Stonefang Ravine.
Class Advancement Available
Please return to Mistvale Adventurers Association.
He took one last glance at the monsters roaming the valley before opening another panel.
There was one thing he wanted to know.
The Global Rankings
The translucent leaderboard unfolded before him.
Divine Nexus Global Rankings
Rank 1 Valerius
Lvl 8 [21%]
Rank 2 Lunae
Lvl 7 [18%]
Rank 3 Drakon
Lvl 7 [17%]
Rank 4 Kaizen
Lvl 7 [15%]
Rank 5 Ragnar
Lvl 7 [14%]
Rank 6 Nyx
Lvl 7 [12%]
Rank 7 Solstice
Lvl 7 [11%]
Rank 8 Aurelius
Lvl 7 [10%]
Rank 9 Cipher
Lvl 7 [9%]
Rank 10 Verdant
Lvl 7 [9%]
Aster quietly studied the list.
"Level Eight..."
Only three levels ahead.
Yesterday, the gap had seemed impossible.
Now...
It no longer felt unreachable.
He smiled faintly.
"I've caught up to the mainstream."
Not in rank.
Not yet.
But in progression.
He was no longer hopelessly behind the world's elite.
And unlike everyone else...
His strength wasn't measured solely by levels.
The Primal Codex ensured that every Truth he comprehended would remain with him forever.
He closed the ranking panel.
"It's time."
By the time Aster returned to Mistvale, the village was more crowded than ever.
Almost every adventurer around Level Five had returned.
Excited conversations echoed throughout the streets.
"I wonder which class I'll get."
"My brother became a Shield Knight!"
"I hope I unlock Fire Mage!"
Everyone was filled with anticipation.
Aster quietly entered the Adventurers Association.
The receptionist immediately recognized him.
"Congratulations, Adventurer Aster."
"You've qualified for your first Class Advancement."
She smiled warmly before pointing toward a hallway behind the counter.
"Please proceed to the Advancement Chamber."
"Each adventurer undergoes the ceremony alone."
"No one may enter another person's chamber."
Aster nodded.
"So everyone experiences it differently..."
"Exactly."
"The system evaluates each individual separately."
He thanked her before walking down the quiet corridor.
Several heavy stone doors lined both sides.
Each was sealed with glowing runes.
He stopped before one marked with his name.
Aster
The moment he placed his hand upon the door—
It slowly opened.
Inside...
There was nothing.
No furniture.
No altar.
No statues.
Only an endless white space.
As soon as the door closed behind him, the room vanished.
The white world expanded endlessly.
A familiar warmth spread through his chest.
"...Primal Codex."
The ancient book materialized before him without being summoned.
Unlike before, its pages turned violently.
Golden light erupted from every page.
The system's mechanical voice echoed throughout the chamber.
Beginning Class Advancement...
Then—
It abruptly stopped.
A loud error sounded.
Error...
Analyzing Host...
Unknown Variable Detected.
External Authority Interference Confirmed.
The ancient pages continued turning.
The system attempted to display class options.
Sword Knight
Sword Saint
Blademaster
One by one...
Each class shattered into fragments of light.
Aster watched in silence.
"So..."
"The Codex is interfering."
The pages stopped.
New words engraved themselves across the ancient parchment.
The Host has no fixed path.
Classes exist to define one's future.
The Bearer requires no definition.
The white space trembled.
The system tried once more.
Again...
Every class disappeared before it could fully materialize.
Instead...
The Primal Codex opened to a brand-new page.
At its center rested a single glowing symbol.
Unlike ordinary skills...
Its aura shimmered with deep violet light.
Unique Skill Granted
Name: Endless Growth
Rank: Rare
The description slowly appeared beneath it.
Endless Growth (Rare)
The bearer exists outside conventional progression.
Experience gained from all sources is permanently doubled.
This effect applies before all other experience modifiers.
This skill cannot be removed, copied, stolen, or nullified.
Aster stared at the page.
"...Double experience?"
It sounded deceptively simple.
Yet he immediately understood its value.
The stronger the monsters...
The greater the reward.
Combined with the existing Challenge Bonus for defeating higher-level enemies...
His growth would accelerate at an astonishing pace.
The Primal Codex displayed one final explanation.
Ordinary Classes grant power.
The Primal Codex grants potential.
Power has limits.
Potential does not.
The ancient book slowly closed.
At the same time, the system recovered.
A final notification appeared.
Class Advancement Complete.
Special Advancement Recognized.
Class: Codex Bearer
A hidden class beyond the standard advancement system.
Primary Benefit: Rare Skill — Endless Growth
A gentle pulse spread through Aster's body.
He could feel it.
Nothing about his appearance had changed.
No new weapon.
No flashy title.
Yet his future had been transformed.
Every battle from this moment onward would reward him twice as much as any ordinary adventurer.
Aster slowly smiled.
"Others advance through classes."
"I advance through Truth."
He turned toward the exit as the white world dissolved.
The doors of the Advancement Chamber slowly opened.
Outside, Mistvale remained as lively as ever.
No one noticed that a hidden class had just been born.
And no one could have guessed that the ordinary-looking young man walking out of the chamber now possessed a growth rate that defied the very rules of Divine Nexus.