Chapter291-The Destruction of the Sea of Resurrection
In the northern frontier of the Human Empire,
Charles tilted his head upward, gazing at the Divine Realm that hung high in the heavens. For once, the habitual smirk on his face was gone, replaced by an uncharacteristically solemn expression.
"Daniel... I knew it. I knew you'd be just fine."
He muttered to himself, voice laced with both relief and a faint hint of nostalgia.
"When I gave up my own life back then, it was all for the agreement between you and my Lord."
"Fortunately, the task entrusted to me by Her Majesty the Luck Goddess has now been fulfilled without a single flaw."
Having said that, Charles exhaled, the tension in his shoulders loosening. He was about to turn and stroll toward the tavern in Winterhold Castle, planning to pour himself a strong drink and perhaps tease that voluptuous dancing girl who never failed to entertain him.
But he had barely taken two steps when something caught his foot.
He stumbled, barely keeping his balance, and instinctively looked down.
On the cobblestones before him lay a bundle.
Charles frowned, suspicion flashing in his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he crouched and picked it up from the ground. The moment his fingers brushed against it, a familiar aura seeped out from within.
A strange feeling crept into his heart. He untied the wrapping to take a look—
And froze in surprise. Inside the bundle were the exact materials he needed for his Star Upgrade Quest.
The realization hit him like a tidal wave. His eyes widened, then softened, and tears welled up unbidden. They were not tears of sorrow, but of deep gratitude.
"Thank you, O great and merciful Luck Goddess!" he said aloud, voice trembling with emotion.
Meanwhile, within the Divine Realm itself—
The figure of the Emperor of Angels was a miserable sight, stripped of the untouchable majesty he once exuded.
He was bound to a massive golden crucifix. His once-pristine wings, symbols of angelic divinity, were now pierced through by tens of thousands of iron nails. Each nail had torn through flesh and feather alike, leaving behind a dense, almost uncountable constellation of wounds. From these wounds, pale-golden blood seeped, running in slow rivulets before dripping down to the void below.
A group of prisoners stood in front of him, gazing down from their elevated position.
The mighty ruler who had once looked down on all creation—none of them had ever imagined they would one day see him like this. This was the very being who once commanded armies to sweep across worlds. And now? Reduced to a bloodied captive.
Indeed, siding with Daniel had proven to be the right choice after all.
Yet victory had not come without cost. Many of the prisoners who had fought at Daniel's side had perished. Of those who remained, several bore grievous wounds, their life force flickering weakly like candles in the wind.
They turned their eyes toward Daniel, some with an almost pleading look.
"Benefactor," one said, voice rasping with exhaustion, "our lifespans are nearly spent. The matters that follow... we leave them in your hands."
Daniel nodded slowly, his tone carrying the weight of a solemn oath.
"Rest assured. In the near future, I will bring all of you back to life. And this won't take long—two days at most."
Deep within, Daniel felt a certainty—an instinct—that he was close to completing his Star Upgrade Quest.
He let his gaze sweep over every prisoner who had fought for him.
"I will remember everything you have done."
"Every sacrifice will be undone—I will resurrect all who have fallen!"
"However, I will need a part of your bodies—scales, hair, or anything else—as the medium for your resurrection."
Hearing this, the survivors each offered pieces of themselves without hesitation—feathers, scales, strands of hair. As for those who had already perished, Daniel himself took the care to collect what was needed.
Then, before them all, Daniel lifted his head and swore an oath.
"O great and boundless God Crossbridge, I make this vow before You—I will see this promise fulfilled."
When the prisoners heard that Daniel had sworn in the name of a god, any lingering doubts vanished. Swearing to a god was not mere theatrics—it bound the speaker under divine law. To break such an oath meant to invite divine punishment.
Some of the wounded prisoners even managed a faint smile of peace.
"Whether I am revived or not... this was worth it."
"Indeed. I never thought I'd live to see the day we could take revenge—and against the Emperor of Angels himself, no less."
"Those damned birdmen! They didn't kill us because they wanted to turn us into slaves!"
"My homeland, my people... all destroyed by the Angel of Gold and Silver race."
"But today, I avenged them. Even if I die for it, I have no regrets."
The truth was... these "prisoners" were not mere nameless captives.
Each of them had once been the pride of their people, leaders who commanded respect from countless others. But the Angels of Gold and Silver, driven by greed and an overbearing arrogance, had destroyed their civilizations, leaving their homes in ruins.
Even these powerful Awakeners had been captured and locked away, stripped of freedom. And all of it had been dressed up with the hypocritical term—"purification."
But purification in the Angels' tongue meant erasing everything—returning entire peoples to nothingness, caring nothing for the survival of other races.
At this moment, their condemnation of the Emperor of Angels reached its zenith. Daniel stood over the corpse of that once-supreme ruler, his eyes cold.
If the Angels of Gold and Silver had not imprisoned so many formidable beings in the Divine Realm, they would never have brought matters to this point.
Without the aid of these so-called prisoners, Daniel might never have been able to suppress the entire Angel race.
And truth be told, these prisoners' gratitude toward Daniel was genuine—but it wasn't blind loyalty. The reason they had fought so fiercely, throwing their lives into the fray, was because this was their revenge.
Without that thirst for vengeance, even with Milla's help, Daniel and she could never have broken through the encirclement of seven Archangels, much less shatter the Emperor of Angels' defense.
In the end, this overwhelming victory was born of the Angels' own sins.
It was then that Milla's voice reached Daniel's mind through a thread of mental power.
"Daniel... about the Sea of Resurrection—"
"I understand," he replied instantly.
With a subtle shift, Daniel activated the Gift of the Veiled Goddess, transforming his appearance into that of the Emperor of Angels himself.
He extended his consciousness toward the Sea of Resurrection, manipulating its authority once more.
[Do you wish to destroy the Sea of Resurrection?]
"Destroy it."
[The Sea of Resurrection is being destroyed. All souls currently in the process of revival will have their progress terminated.]
[Destruction countdown: 1 minute.]
[During the countdown, destruction may be canceled at any time.]
Daniel, of course, had no intention of canceling. As long as the Sea of Resurrection existed, the Emperor of Angels could be brought back. True, it would take at least half an hour, but Daniel had no intention of granting him even that chance.
Far away, the Sea of Resurrection began to fragment, its once-vast waters dissolving into motes of light. Those motes floated upward like dust under the sun before fading into nothing.
The prisoners erupted into cheers at the sight, some clapping, some throwing back their heads and howling at the sky. This was more than victory—it was the complete annihilation of the Angel of Gold and Silver race.
Just then, a massive shadow swept over them—the Demon Dragon Nidhogg descended from above.
"Lord Daniel," the dragon rumbled, his voice deep and edged with curiosity, "about what the Emperor of Angels said earlier... regarding the sun, Apollo—"
Back during the battle, Nidhogg had no chance to press the matter. But now, with the fight over, his curiosity—and concern—could not be contained. The sun was no small matter.
Daniel made no attempt to hide the truth.
"Yes. The sun, Apollo, will descend in the near future."
"And Apollo, like the Angels of Gold and Silver, is part of the same faction."
Nidhogg's jaw tightened, and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Lord Daniel... are you certain?"
"That is the sun we're talking about."
Chapter292-The Star Upgrade Hall
The Demon Dragon Nidhogg was not accustomed to feeling fear. Yet now, a heavy unease coiled deep in his chest.
The sun, Apollo—that was a name that carried weight even among the most ancient of beings. A force so immense that even Nidhogg himself, a creature whose very name struck terror into continents, would think twice before becoming its enemy.
But Daniel had just told him, without hesitation, that Apollo would be their next opponent.
And worse—this would not be a distant battle. The sun, Daniel said, would rise soon.
That meant... the Emperor of Angels they had just slain had not been the final boss at all.
On the other side, Milla, noticing how tense the great black dragon was, reached out and patted his massive, scaled shoulder lightly.
"Relax," Milla said with a faint smile, his tone calm to the point of nonchalance. "There's no need to worry. This little problem is already well within our ability to handle."
The casual way he said it made the contrast between his words and Nidhogg's anxiety all the more stark.
After that, Milla turned his head toward Daniel, who stood a short distance away.
"Dark Star—Jarvan—you've met him already, right?"
Daniel gave a small nod.
"Yes. I've met him. There's no problem there."
Milla didn't press further. The plan for dealing with Apollo had been his idea in the first place, and it was Milla who had shared the details with Jarvan. There was nothing more to clarify.
But Nidhogg still wasn't reassured. Watching the two of them speak so casually about fighting the sun made his scales prickle.
"Are you certain there won't be a problem? That's the sun we're talking about!"
The dragon's voice was a low rumble, but there was an edge to it. Apollo's level, his realm of existence, was far above theirs—above almost anyone's. The sheer scale of difference between them was so great it was absurd to even compare.
Nidhogg had never imagined that one day he would find himself preparing to battle the sun itself.
Milla, however, was the very image of composure. Instead of answering with more words, he simply gave the dragon's leg a friendly pat, his palm tapping the thick plate of scale armor on Nidhogg's knee.
"Trust me," Milla said, his tone warm but unwavering. "It's fine. Everything is under control."
Then, turning back toward Daniel, he added,
"Lord Daniel, I have something for you. This is part of a divine arrangement. The great Luck Goddess herself instructed me that the next time I met you, I was to pass these on to you."
As he spoke, Milla reached into the personal storage space that functioned as his backpack. One by one, he drew out three distinct items and held them out in both hands toward Daniel.
[Bracelet of the Luck Goddess]
[Hair of the Moon Goddess]
[Gift of the Mist Goddess]
After presenting them, Milla's lips curved into a small, almost wistful smile.
"You know," he said, "I've been keeping these safe for over a thousand years. Today, I finally have the chance to personally place them in your hands. That's... quite a heavy responsibility, when you think about it."
Daniel accepted the three items carefully, his own expression taking on a rare solemnity.
Through the Eye of Insight, he could sense it immediately—these were no ordinary treasures. Each one radiated the unmistakable essence of divinity, their surfaces almost humming with restrained, terrifying power.
"Moon Goddess Luna... Mist Goddess... and Luck Goddess," Daniel murmured.
The connection between them seemed clear—they belonged to the same camp. Allies, perhaps even sisters in divinity.
If that were the case, what of the other gods? Were they part of a rival faction?
It was impossible to know for certain yet. The information he had gathered so far was far from sufficient to draw firm conclusions.
But there was one thing Daniel knew beyond doubt: the Goddess of Gold & Silver Aurelia and the Luck Goddess stood on opposite sides of the great divine divide.
When there are too many unanswered questions, the simplest method is to ask someone who might know more. And who better than Milla, standing right in front of him?
"Can you tell me," Daniel asked directly, "why the Luck Goddess wanted to give me these things?"
Milla shook his head slightly.
"The will of the gods is not something we devotees can question. Our role is simply to obey. I am merely fulfilling the command I was given."
After a pause, he added with a faint glimmer in his eyes,
"Still... I have a feeling that once this task is complete, I will be closer than ever to stepping onto the path of the Fake God."
Daniel didn't push the matter further. He stored the three divine relics in his own spatial inventory, making a mental note of their potential significance.
His gaze then shifted to the prisoners who remained nearby.
"All right, I understand. What are your plans from here?"
These were people—no, beings—who had been confined for far too long. After their release, they had been immediately swept into a titanic battle. Now, for the first time in ages, they stood in relative peace.
It was only natural that they would wish to savor the taste of freedom.
"Lord Daniel," one of them said, "we plan to wander for a while—to feel what it is to be free again."
Daniel inclined his head.
That was fine. The Angel of Gold and Silver race was broken. All their elite combat power had been destroyed.
With the Sea of Resurrection gone, there would be no revivals.
The remnants were nothing but small fry—easy enough to deal with. Daniel had no intention of wasting his own effort on them. Instead, he would leave them as live targets for the awakeners of the myriad races.
After all, fighting against a higher race, especially one of high level, was an irreplaceable training experience.
With that decision made, Daniel turned to Milla.
"Milla, open a portal for them. Let them leave the Divine Realm."
Then he added a firm reminder:
"Now that all the races are under my protection, I ask that you do not harm them."
The prisoners nodded. With their level of strength, they had no interest in bullying the weak. And to harm someone who was under Daniel's protection was not only foolish—it was dangerous in the extreme. No one here was stupid enough to take that risk.
One by one, under Daniel's farewell gaze, the freed prisoners stepped through the portal and vanished into the world of the myriad races.
Daniel himself did not linger. Without ceremony, he activated the skill Flashback and disappeared from the spot.
Northern Frontier of the Human Empire – Winterhold Castle
A ripple of light heralded Daniel's arrival in the Star Upgrade Hall.
The place was bustling—more lively than he had ever seen it. The air buzzed with voices, laughter, and the sound of boots on polished floors.
A great tide of new awakeners was surging upward in power at a staggering pace. It was as though someone had strapped rockets to their growth. In mere hours, they could reach maximum level, then immediately accept a new Star Upgrade Quest.
Through trial and error, these newcomers had already discovered an important truth:
Even if your talent had the potential to advance to a higher rank, it was better not to rush into the Void Tower to complete the advancement task right away.
Why? Because once your talent evolved, your Star Upgrade Quests would grow significantly more difficult.
And for most awakeners, a harder Star Upgrade Quest meant a much higher risk of death.
So someone had devised a different strategy:
Ignore talent advancement for now. Focus entirely on leveling up as quickly as possible. Reach maximum level in the shortest possible time.
At max level, you wouldn't just have raw power—you'd also have invaluable combat experience.
Then, and only then, tackle the talent advancement quest. By that point, your strength would be greater, your skills sharper, and the danger would be reduced considerably.
The result was a Star Upgrade Hall that throbbed with energy—not just from the excitement of high-level veterans, but from the eagerness of fresh recruits.
They were all striving toward the same goal: becoming stronger.
That, more than anything, explained why the hall was packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
To Daniel, however, the size of the crowd mattered little. He had a privilege that made it irrelevant—he could access a private reception room whenever he wished.
That privilege had been something he'd deliberately arranged with the Human Emperor, ensuring that when he was working on a Star Upgrade Quest, no one could disturb him.
Chapter293-Tower of Reshaping
Before him stood a crystal of flawless clarity, its surface gleaming faintly as if it contained its own inner light.
Daniel slowly lifted his right hand and pressed his palm against it.
The instant his skin touched the cool, smooth surface, the entire Star Upgrade Hall was engulfed in a brilliant radiance.
This was no ordinary light—it was unlike sunlight, torchlight, or any magic glow. It shimmered like a sea of countless stars, each point of light flickering in a different hue, yet all of them converged, drawn irresistibly toward Daniel. The dazzling flow of colors swirled together, sinking into his very being.
This time, Daniel made no attempt to mask the strange vision around him with mist or illusion.
There was no longer any need to hide.
Once, he had concealed his power to avoid attracting unwanted attention from dangerous eyes—schemers and opportunists who might covet what they could not understand. But now... now there was no point.
His strength was already beyond the reach of most threats in the world.
The change did not go unnoticed. All across the Star Upgrade Hall, awakeners halted mid-step, conversations dying in their throats as their eyes turned toward the source.
Gasps spread through the vast chamber like ripples across a still pond.
They could all feel it—that overwhelming pressure emanating from Daniel's body. It was a weight on the soul, an undeniable proof of his might.
The aura pouring off him was every bit as intense as that blinding golden light that had appeared in the past, perhaps even stronger.
And the more Daniel's power swelled, the farther the vision spread. Before long, his presence had expanded to cover the entire territory of the human race.
Nothing like this had ever been seen before.
It wasn't long before someone in the hall broke the stunned silence by sending a message through the comm network.
The report spread instantly:
The one causing this phenomenon was none other than their ruler—Daniel.
He had slain the Emperor of Angels and, in doing so, had finally completed his Star Upgrade Quest.
Now... now his power was something that could scarcely be imagined.
In moments, the topic dominated every channel, every forum, every network—everyone was asking the same question:
Just how strong is Daniel now?
Back inside the Star Upgrade Hall, Daniel's eyes rested on the glowing prompt that had appeared before him. At last, he let out a long, deep breath.
This Star Upgrade Quest... had been one of the hardest trials of his life.
But thanks to a combination of relentless effort and, admittedly, no small amount of luck, he had succeeded.
And the rewards... were substantial.
[Quest Reward Obtained: Choose Any Divine Artifact Material ×3, Tower of Reshaping]
[You have obtained a God-tier building — Tower of Reshaping]
Daniel blinked at the words God-tier building.
He had seen that exact phrase before—not long ago.
Yes. The Sea of Resurrection had been labeled the same way.
Could it be that this Tower of Reshaping was on the same level as the Sea of Resurrection?
[Please select construction location.]
Daniel considered for a moment, then chose to place it in the northern frontier of the human lands, right beside the Void Tower.
It wasn't about selfishness or claiming an important structure for his own domain. Rather, placing such facilities together would drastically increase the efficiency of awakeners.
If they had to travel across cities and continents to use them, too much time would be wasted in transit.
Satisfied with the choice, Daniel opened the Tower's details.
[Tower of Reshaping (Foundation Stone)]
Effect: Upon using this foundation stone, a Tower of Reshaping will automatically be built on the chosen plot of land.
[Tower of Reshaping (Building)]
Function: Allows you to upgrade your Star Upgrade Quests to a higher tier, granting additional rewards.
Another tool to grow stronger.
Daniel smiled faintly. If this kept up, Wan Du—the myriad races—were going to see a surge in power.
His attention shifted to the other reward—the three divine artifact materials of his choice. Which ones should he take?
After a moment's thought, he decided it would be wise to consult the God Rank Skill Compendium first, reviewing every skill it contained.
Currently, he had unlocked up to the 49th-ranked God Rank Skill.
At this stage, most of the higher-tier God Rank Skills required other God Rank Skill scrolls as crafting catalysts in order to synthesize them.
With a flicker of movement, Daniel's figure vanished from the hall and reappeared in his own territory.
This was his private palace within Winterhold Castle. Since becoming the ruler of the northern frontier, he had only visited it a handful of times.
That didn't stop him from sinking into one of its luxuriously soft couches now, letting the comfort seep into his bones.
After all, he had just emerged from a brutal war.
Even now, when he thought back to it, a faint chill crawled down his spine.
They had been so close—mere moments from disaster.
Had his luck faltered, had he failed to endure Aurelia's assault... he would not be sitting here now. He would have been wiped out completely.
Shaking off the memory, he steadied his thoughts and opened the God Rank Skill Compendium.
As for what was happening outside—he didn't pay much attention.
Even the unrest stirred up by the arrival of the freed prisoners in the myriad races' lands was of no concern to him. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to relax... while still keeping his mind on the future.
And yet, "relaxing" for Daniel didn't mean idleness.
He was already considering which God Rank Skills would serve him best in the long run.
Because he had begun to feel something—an undeniable truth: a single God Rank Skill, no matter how mighty, had its limits.
The closer he came to facing entities at the level of gods, the more he felt the strain.
Perhaps... the answer lay not in relying on individual skills, but in combining them—finding synergies that could yield an effect far greater than the sum of their parts.
Looking over his current arsenal, he noted that he had summoning skills, ranged damage skills, defensive skills, and melee combat skills.
He also possessed healing and purification abilities, and even resurrection magic.
For mental attacks, he had Mind Hunt.
On the surface, it seemed there were no glaring weaknesses in his toolkit. Yet... something still felt incomplete.
Then, a thought struck him.
They were called God Rank Skills. Did that mean these were the very skills used by gods themselves?
But then doubt clouded his expression.
From what he had seen, when Aurelia had struck twice in the past, and when the Luck Goddess had acted, their attacks—while fearsome—hadn't felt like God Rank Skills.
If they truly had been, there was no way his Reflective Shield could have deflected them.
Could it be that gods didn't actually possess all God Rank Skills... or perhaps only a small fraction of them?
And if that were true, then who really held the majority?
Was the answer... Infinity?
The possibility tugged at the edge of his mind. He kept turning it over, chasing connections, but there were too many unknowns.
Unaware of how much time had passed, Daniel eventually noticed that the darkness beyond the windows was lightening—the first hints of dawn brushing the sky.
At that moment, a familiar voice spoke from beside him.
"Lord Daniel, so you were here."
The figure stepped closer.
"We're almost ready to move. But before we do, I need to confirm something with you."
"That book—Revelation—you still have it, don't you?"
Chapter294-Daniel's Concern
The Revelation was indeed in Daniel's possession—
not just any copy, but the very one he had carried back with him from four thousand years in the past.
When Daniel gave a slight nod, confirming its presence, Milla's expression grew serious.
"It's time," she said. "Time to open the gate to the Divine Realm."
Her voice was calm, but the words carried a weight that could not be ignored.
"Once the sun—Apollo—appears..." she continued, "we divert Aurelia's attack and turn it onto Apollo instead."
But midway through her explanation, Milla's brows drew together. A faint shadow crossed her face, as if some unspoken thought unsettled her.
"No... something isn't right," she murmured, almost to herself. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
She began studying Daniel with unusual intensity, as if trying to read secrets from his relaxed posture.
"Lord Daniel," she said slowly, "there's something about your state that feels... off."
Daniel, lounging comfortably, looked back at her with an easy smile, unconcerned by her scrutiny.
"You think my state is off?" he replied lazily. "Then tell me—what exactly is wrong?"
For once, Milla's composure cracked, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.
"That's the problem... I can't quite explain it," she admitted. "I just feel something isn't right."
Her gaze didn't waver. "Even though I can't sense any information about you directly, I have this impression—you shouldn't be like this right now. You should be brimming with energy."
Even as she said it, she knew how flimsy the claim sounded. Maybe even ridiculous.
After all, it was perfectly reasonable for someone to want rest after such a massive battle.
And for beings at their level, the passage of a few hours—or even centuries—meant little. Their bodies could go unchanged for ages, and breaking through to a higher level was a monumental challenge.
Still, no matter how she tried to dismiss it, the feeling gnawed at her. Something about Daniel felt... wrong.
Daniel didn't take her concern too seriously. Instead, he stretched lazily, then gave a small nod.
"Milla, I'll admit—you've got sharp instincts."
He straightened slightly. "Now, why don't you tell me what exactly we're doing next?"
Milla hesitated for a moment, her expression caught between reluctance and seriousness. Then, as if making a decision, she fixed him with a firm look.
"You might not know this," she began, "but four thousand years ago, the sun violated the laws of the Primordial Plane. As a result, Apollo suffered a severe injury—one that cannot be reversed."
"For a stellar-class being, even one as mighty as Apollo, forcibly defying the cosmic laws comes at a terrible price—often fatal."
"Even the Goddess of Gold & Silver Aurelia would need a very long time to heal Apollo completely. And on top of that, the Luck Goddess interfered in subtle ways, causing unexpected setbacks to his recovery."
"In the end, Aurelia was forced to leave this world before the sun was fully healed. She never completed the treatment."
Milla's tone sharpened as she leaned forward slightly.
"And now, Aurelia is about to hold her descent ritual. The primary executor of that ritual will be none other than the sun—Apollo himself."
"If we followed the original plan, we would have secretly opened the gate to the Divine Realm, misdirected Aurelia's power, and then used that redirected force to strike Apollo."
She gave a short, humorless laugh.
"But I never expected you to actually take down the Emperor of Angels. That changes things. We don't have to sneak around anymore."
"Our plan has shifted. You'll be responsible for opening the gate to the Divine Realm. I'll handle the misdirection of Aurelia's power. After that... it'll be up to luck, hah!"
Daniel's mouth twitched slightly.
This was it? This was their plan?
For something involving gods, shouldn't the strategy be a little... tighter? More detailed?
But judging by how things had unfolded so far, it was clear—when it came to the Luck Goddess's devotees, meticulous planning was not on the menu.
"...All right, I understand. I'll see you later then," Daniel said at last.
With that, he activated Time Stream, rewinding himself to a few hours earlier—back to the moment right after he had completed the Star Upgrade Quest.
The prisoners had not yet descended onto the myriad races' lands.
The Emperor of Angels had only just fallen.
The brief period of relaxation earlier had worked wonders for him. It wasn't about physical exhaustion—his current physique didn't allow for such a thing.
It had simply been about easing his mind, loosening the tension that had coiled around his thoughts since the battle began.
Now, refreshed and clear-headed, he looked again at his choice of custom artifact materials.
He already knew the principle:
Choose the ones he couldn't easily obtain elsewhere.
And he would have to make the decision now—without it, he couldn't progress to the final stage of the tier-1 quest.
After a short pause, he made his first selection: [Sands of Time].
This material was itself a God Rank Skill, though ranked toward the lower end of the list.
More importantly, it was one of the necessary components to synthesize the God Rank Skill [Complex Time Fluctuations].
Its function was straightforward yet profound: it recorded every moment of time and space it observed.
If anyone attempted to alter the timeline, the skill would alert him instantly.
Daniel's choice was simple—he had realized that his battles had reached the law-level of combat. Time, as a law, was among the highest powers even among gods.
But that didn't mean others couldn't wield temporal abilities.
Take Time Stream, for example—its sheer potency was terrifying. Without it, Daniel was certain he wouldn't be alive today.
It was thanks to Time Stream that he had been able to survive countless encounters, outmaneuver overwhelming foes, and even gather vast amounts of intelligence without risk.
His second choice came after another short contemplation: [Light Avoidance Spell], a God Rank Skill ranked below the 90th position.
On paper, it wasn't impressive. It had no offensive capacity whatsoever.
But precisely because it was so specialized, it was also incredibly powerful in its own niche.
This skill was designed solely to counter light-element abilities.
It had no damaging effect, but it rendered all light-based skills completely ineffective against the user.
The most important part was that its singular focus allowed it to block even god-level light attacks.
That meant if Daniel ever faced Aurelia again and she used the same attack she had before, he wouldn't even need to activate his Reflective Shield—he could simply nullify it outright.
Of course, there was a catch—if Aurelia switched to a different attribute, she could still deal devastating damage.
Chapter295-Tower of Reshaping
Daniel knew very well—
the gap between himself and a god was still vast.
But that didn't mean he would stop trying to stack as many layers of protection around himself as possible.
The [Light Avoidance Spell] was one such safeguard, and it had another benefit: it was one of the main components needed to synthesize the God Rank Skill [Dark Space].
For his final material choice, Daniel fell silent for a long moment, weighing the options. Eventually, his gaze settled on [Eye of Fate], and he made his decision.
The reasoning was simple. Like the other two, Eye of Fate was not an offensive ability.
Its purpose was far subtler—it could strip away unnecessary noise and interference, allowing the user to perceive the core threads of destiny.
The term "see" here wasn't literal. It wasn't about opening some mystical eye and gazing upon the future—it was pure intuition, an instinct sharpened to the point of guiding one directly toward the mainline of fate itself.
After the events where he had rescued Milla, Daniel's faith in his own intuition had only grown stronger.
But he couldn't entirely shake the words Kate had once told him—that in the end, he would die because of that same intuition.
The difference between them, though, was that Daniel possessed Time Stream. If his intuition ever led him to disaster, he had the means to rewind and try again.
With all three materials chosen, Daniel didn't waste any time. He opened a direct communication link to Milla.
They had long since been marked as friends, so as long as they weren't on separate planes, contacting each other was no issue.
"Milla," Daniel said, "tell me more about this continent."
"I'm in Winterhold Castle—you shouldn't have trouble finding me."
The last time they had started this conversation, Aurelia's attack had cut them off mid-discussion.
Now that things were quieter, Daniel was determined to uncover just what kind of secrets lay hidden across the world of the myriad races.
In the Divine Realm—
With the Emperor of Angels and all seven Archangels slain, the Divine Realm now stood without a master.
As the final victor of this war, Daniel was entitled—without question—to all spoils.
The power of a god was unlike anything else, something beyond all prior comparison.
This battle had nearly cost Daniel his life, but for all the risk and danger, the rewards were more than worth it.
With that thought, he invoked the Gift of the Veiled Goddess, reshaping his form into that of the Emperor of Angels.
Using the Emperor's authority, he deactivated every last protective measure in the Divine Realm.
As the barriers came down, the remaining angels lost their final shield.
Waiting outside, stellar-class beings roared in triumph and surged into the realm like a flood.
The angels left were mostly low-level by comparison—few above level 300.
Every high-tier angel had already perished in the previous battle.
Against the incoming stellar predators, the survivors had no chance to resist.
The proud warriors of heaven became prey—panicked, scattered, fleeing blindly.
On the battlefield, the only angelic voices were screams.
Then, a ripple spread across the world's communication network:
[World Announcement from the Emperor of the Myriad Races]
"All awakeners of every race may now enter the Divine Realm through the Anygate in the northern human frontier. Recover spoils from within, and you will be rewarded."
Another followed immediately:
[World Announcement from the Emperor of the Myriad Races]
"The Tower of Reshaping has been established outside Winterhold Castle. There, you may undertake historical Star Upgrade Quests."
Now that Daniel held the highest authority among all races, he could broadcast such declarations to the world at will.
His reasoning for inviting awakeners into the Divine Realm was straightforward—maximize the recovery of useful resources.
The Angels of Gold and Silver were a high race, and their stores of wealth and material were nothing short of immense. For the myriad races, these were treasures beyond measure.
If he let the awakeners loose inside, they would scour every inch far more thoroughly than he could manage alone.
The moment the announcements hit, the network exploded.
"My gods—is this real? We can really get up there?"
"Wait, does this mean we get to raid the angels' home turf?!"
"What are we waiting for? If the angels are that strong, their territory must be overflowing with treasures."
"Move! If you're late, everything worth taking will be gone."
"I'm actually more curious about the Tower of Reshaping..."
As the fighting wound down, the air was thick with announcements—most of them good news.
The Tower of Reshaping, newly risen in the northern human frontier, was already drawing stares. Its sheer size and imposing silhouette set it apart immediately, exuding an aura that whispered of impossible power.
It reminded many of the Void Tower's sudden appearance—one moment, there was nothing; the next, an immense structure dominated the skyline.
Soon, large groups of awakeners began passing through the Anygate and stepping into the Divine Realm.
What they saw there defied belief.
Before them, towering stellar beasts and monstrous Abyssal Summons toyed with angels like cats playing with mice.
The sight was... unsettling.
The contrast was too sharp to ignore.
These were the same Angels of Gold and Silver who had once descended with impossible arrogance, their every glance dripping with disdain for the "lower" races. They had carried themselves like rulers of the universe.
And now?
They were being chased like stray dogs.
To the awakeners who had just arrived, the angels' behavior was almost surreal.
The moment some of the battered, winged beings caught sight of humans or members of other myriad races, their eyes lit up—not with hatred, but with desperate hope.
They flew toward them, collapsed to their knees, and kissed the very ground at their feet.
"Great human master, I beg you—save me!"
"You must be a subject of Lord Daniel—please, grant me mercy!"
The awakeners stood frozen, stunned.
By all rights, these angels—most well over level 200—were far stronger than they were.
And yet here they were, groveling.
What in the world had happened here in the Divine Realm?
The answer began to appear behind the angels—a mass of towering figures, their presence radiating lethal intent.
Prisoners.
The moment the awakeners felt their killing aura, their hands twitched toward weapons. Tension thickened in the air.
Were these monsters going to attack them?
But then, unexpectedly, the prisoners' expressions softened into warm, almost welcoming smiles.
"You're Daniel's people, right?" one asked.
"Not bad—good talent. Level's too low, though. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
"Anyone who belongs to Lord Daniel... is one of us."
The speaker turned and, without warning, lashed a nearby angel with a whip. The winged captive screamed.
The prisoner looked back over his shoulder at the stunned awakeners.
"You want to try?" he asked casually.
"These angels shed feathers when you whip them. Hah!"
Chapter296-Milla's Intelligence
The moment the awakeners who had arrived in the Divine Realm took in the scene before their eyes, they were utterly stunned.
The ease with which these prisoners dispatched angels over level 200 was almost incomprehensible. Just how overwhelmingly powerful did these prisoners have to be to achieve such a feat?
It was at that moment that one of the awakeners, a man adept at investigative techniques, lowered his head slightly and spoke with a grim tone.
"These are all demigod-level beings. Their levels are all above 450."
At his words, the expressions on the surrounding awakeners shifted to disbelief.
None of them had ever imagined that these prisoners possessed such absurd strength.
What was even more shocking was the fact that these same demigod-level entities were addressing Daniel as their boss.
For beings of such a tier—creatures that could very well dominate the world on their own—to willingly acknowledge someone else as their leader... just what kind of terrifying power did Daniel possess? And in the Divine Realm, what in the world had he done to earn such loyalty?
Among the awakeners present was Mejir. Hearing the prisoners' words, he instinctively shrank his neck slightly, as if to make himself smaller.
The Daniel before him now... his strength had grown to a point that Mejir could no longer even begin to comprehend.
Level 450? Demigod? These were concepts utterly alien to Mejir. He had never even heard of them before. It was painfully obvious that this level of power lay far, far beyond his range of understanding.
Meanwhile, Milla appeared before Daniel.
The first thing that caught her attention, upon arrival, was not the gathered awakeners or the powerful prisoners—it was the two towering structures: the Void Tower and the Tower of Reshaping.
Her eyes lingered on them with undisguised curiosity, for both were unmistakably creations of a god.
Structures of this magnitude were in the same class as the Sea of Resurrection owned by the angelic race—wonders whose very existence could alter the balance of the world.
And this wasn't even all. In the northern frontier of the human territories, there were still numerous resurrection points scattered about—sites that were already considered near-mythical by most mortal races.
Milla could also hear the conversations of the various beings around them.
Most of the discussion revolved around Daniel, and much of it was so exaggerated it bordered on the ridiculous.
Even as a god devotee herself, Milla couldn't help but feel shaken.
She suddenly realized something—that Daniel might actually be far stronger than even she had previously imagined.
"I honestly didn't expect it... your territory has grown into something this powerful."
Daniel smiled faintly in response.
"Not at all. It's nothing more than a barren stretch of land."
Milla's lips twitched slightly at his reply.
Barren land? In a territory that contained not one, but two god-forged creations? Was this extreme modesty... or did he genuinely believe that?
Still, she chose not to linger on the point. Instead, she shifted the conversation forward with a direct tone.
"I truly didn't expect this world to have changed so much. It's been a very long time since I last set foot here. Ever since the Luck Goddess became a true god four thousand years ago, we left this place to carry out missions on other continents."
"I just finished going through the history of your human race. I honestly never imagined so many events had taken place during these years."
Her expression shifted again, this time to one of pure curiosity, even excitement.
"But more importantly—Daniel, I didn't expect that you only completed your Awakening Ceremony the day before yesterday! If that's the case, then you are far more incredible than I thought."
Naturally, if Milla had read through human history, she could hardly avoid learning of Daniel's deeds.
As the greatest genius to ever emerge among humankind since its very inception, Daniel's name was etched into history in a way no one could overlook.
Milla scratched her head lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Daniel, the more I learn, the more I realize I can't quite see through your identity anymore."
Daniel gave a small, almost dismissive shrug.
"It's nothing worth overthinking. What I'd like is for you to tell me more about this continent. I think that would be quite useful for our next course of action. At least for the moment, we are in a cooperative relationship, aren't we?"
He had no intention of letting Milla continue speaking unchecked—who knew how far she might wander off-topic if left to her own devices? So, he deliberately steered the conversation back to the matter at hand.
At this, Milla nodded decisively.
"Not just for the moment—we will be long-term partners."
"Unfortunately, I don't actually know a great deal about this continent. After all, I wasn't born here."
"The things I do know aren't exactly top-secret, either. But while reviewing your human history, I did notice one particular error."
"According to your records, the first awakener appeared five thousand years ago. And your people believe that the Awakening Ceremony began at that time."
"However... based on what I know, the Awakening Ceremony has existed far longer than your history suggests."
"In fact, this continent once suffered a mass extinction event—one so devastating it may be the reason the Awakening Ceremony was lost to time."
At those words, Daniel's brow furrowed slightly.
A mass extinction?
He had never heard of such a thing before.
Seeing the question in his eyes, Milla elaborated.
"Yes. Long, long ago, every living creature on this continent was completely wiped out by a certain disaster. No one knows what the disaster was, nor what exactly happened to the living beings of that era."
"After that mass extinction, it took an incredibly long time before the land began to teem with life once more."
"But because the knowledge of the Awakening Ceremony had been buried, the new generations of life that emerged afterward never succeeded in completing it—and thus, they never awakened their innate talents."
Daniel found this explanation easy enough to understand.
It was like handing a modern smartphone to someone from ancient times—they would have no idea how to use it, much less how to create one themselves.
In the myriad races of the continent, the Awakening Ceremony was a deeply intricate process. Without a chain of inherited knowledge, it would be nearly impossible to rediscover it by chance.
Milla went on.
"According to your human records, five thousand years ago your people still lived in primitive conditions. No creature in this world possessed supernatural powers."
Daniel gave a slight nod—he had read those accounts countless times before. The history books all agreed on that point.
"Then, one day, you happened to rediscover the Awakening Ceremony. After it was performed, the first awakener was born. That day was later recorded in your annals as the dawn of the Awakening Era."
Daniel was, of course, intimately familiar with this part of history.
Yet he couldn't help but ask the question that had been on his mind for some time.
"If that's the case, then why does the thousand-year Apocalypse still happen?"
If the Awakening Era had truly begun by accident, then why did humanity—and indeed all the races of the continent—still face the Apocalypse every millennium?
Milla slowly shook her head.
"That's not a question you should be asking me... because I don't know either."
"Don't forget, I'm still just a demigod. Back when your Awakening Era began, I was nothing more than a lowly demigod. How could I possibly know the answers to questions of that scale?"
Chapter297-The God's Secret
When Daniel heard Milla casually mention that she had already been a demigod back during the human race's Awakening Era, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
That era had always seemed impossibly distant to him—yet here she was, speaking of it as though recalling a personal memory.
Noticing his odd expression, Milla's lips curled into a bright, teasing smile.
"Hahaha, Lord Daniel, please don't look so disappointed!"
"It's true that I don't know exactly what happened back then, but at the very least, I know this: after your people entered the Awakening Era, the Luck Goddess personally gave me an order to come here."
She paused for a moment, letting her words hang in the air, then continued, her gaze fixed on Daniel.
"At that time, Her Grace the Luck Goddess told me that the opportunity for her to ascend into a true god lay right here."
"So I believe... there must be some sort of connection."
"As for the thousand-year Apocalypse you just mentioned—well, when the Apocalypse descended, that was precisely when the Luck Goddess achieved true godhood."
Hearing that, Daniel felt a sudden spark of realization flare in his mind.
He raised his hand slightly, interrupting her.
"Hold on a moment. I need to confirm something with you."
Milla's brows lifted in mild surprise.
"Oh? And what is it you want to confirm?"
"I want to know... from what you understand, when exactly did the other gods ascend to true godhood?"
At his question, Milla's eyes turned thoughtful. She began counting on her fingers, her voice slow as she recited what she knew.
"The Moon Goddess Luna... she completed her ascension ritual about three thousand years ago."
"Then there's the God of the Shield, Kulo. I believe he also ascended three thousand years ago. That was also when a major event took place—the God of War, Ares, fell."
Daniel nodded slowly. Almost unconsciously, his mind power swept over the storage space in his backpack where the Primordial Core Weapon components were kept. Among the materials required to forge those weapons, one in particular stood out—part of the God of War's remains.
The thought left his expression complicated, shadowed.
Meanwhile, Milla tilted her head slightly, wearing a look of innocence.
"That has nothing to do with me, you know. As for Ares's death, I have no idea what the actual cause was. I only know that it happened."
Daniel's lips twitched again.
With the level of strength Milla had back then, it would have been nearly impossible for her to take part in any battle against a god. No—if he was being precise, even her current strength was nowhere near enough to qualify her for such a confrontation.
"Honestly, even if you didn't say it, I already knew it wasn't related to you."
She nodded in agreement, apparently missing the subtle undertone in his words, and carried on.
"The god who came after that was the one called Mist. But Mist is... well, truly mysterious. I don't even know when exactly they became a god."
"In fact, I can't even remember when I first noticed there was suddenly a 'Mist' among the gods."
Daniel wasn't surprised by this explanation. The very nature of Mist's power was to obscure and hide. It was perfectly natural for their existence to slip past notice entirely until one day, they were simply there.
Milla kept counting, her voice thoughtful.
"Evelyn became a god two thousand years ago."
"And Odin... ascended about one thousand years ago."
She stopped suddenly, her face freezing mid-expression as an unsettling realization dawned on her.
One thousand years ago... two thousand years ago... three thousand years ago... each coinciding with the so-called thousand-year Apocalypse.
It couldn't be coincidence.
Was it possible that every single Apocalypse was, in fact, an opportunity—a gateway—for someone to become a god?
Milla's expression hardened into something far more serious than before. She turned to Daniel, her tone low but urgent.
"Over the years, I've been wandering in other realms, never paying much attention to your lands here."
"But looking at it now, there's definitely something suspicious about your thousand-year Apocalypse."
"Lord Daniel, I truly don't know what the so-called Origin Land actually signifies, but I can feel that it's of extraordinary importance."
Daniel gave her a sideways look.
Such an obvious statement hardly needed saying, did it?
Still, as he mulled over her words, he found himself unable to shake a certain thought. The more he considered it, the more it seemed this land beneath his feet—the Myriad Races Continent—hid secrets far beyond what even the gods were willing to reveal.
Perhaps it was the archaeologist's instinct in him, but he felt an almost tangible urge to dig deeper, to unearth whatever lay buried in the history of this place.
After all, so many gods' eyes were turned toward it. So many strange and powerful beings sought to set foot here. It was as if the entire world's focus—all the strongest forces—were inexorably drawn to this one continent.
What made it so special?
When Milla finished her recounting, she sighed softly and gave a helpless shrug.
"That's all I know about the Origin Land."
"Honestly, since I'm not native to this place, I've never spent much time here over the millennia."
"But... I can tell you about my homeland."
"If you compare my homeland to this so-called Origin Land, perhaps you'll come to certain conclusions yourself."
Daniel didn't hesitate to nod.
He was curious—deeply curious—about what other continents in this world were like.
"All right, then. Tell me—what are the other continents like?"
Milla's expression softened into one of distant reminiscence. After a brief moment of thought, she began.
"My homeland lies on a continent far to the south. To be honest, it's rather unremarkable."
"It's not particularly dangerous. There's no such thing as an Apocalypse there. Like your lands, we have the four seasons, but our cycles are calm and predictable."
"The races there coexist peacefully, with little in the way of warfare. All in all, it's an ordinary place."
"Over these thousands of years, I've traveled across many continents. I've crossed the Endless Sea, reaching countless distant lands."
Her voice dropped slightly, her next words careful, deliberate.
"But here's the truth: the so-called thousand-year Apocalypse exists only in your Origin Land."
She hesitated, then added another point that made Daniel narrow his eyes.
"There's one more thing you should know. In other lands, it's extremely rare for an SSS-ranked awakener to be born."
"If my memory serves, in my homeland, such a being only appears once every fifty thousand years, on average."
"But in your Origin Land, it seems that every single race produces one every millennium."
The implication was impossible to miss.
As she spoke, Milla continued to contrast her homeland with the Origin Land.
And as Daniel listened, he could feel the pattern taking shape in his mind: the differences were too many, too stark, to dismiss as coincidence.
He was growing more and more certain—the Origin Land was a place of profound and unique significance.
Perhaps those legendary sites spoken of in myths and rumors were, in truth, simply parts of this very land... pieces of a greater, hidden whole.
Their exchange went on for a full two hours.
Beyond the subject of the Origin Land, Daniel asked countless questions about the gods themselves, their histories, and their rivalries.
In the quieter moments, he even inquired about the histories of other planes and other worlds, gathering bits of general knowledge he'd never had before.
By the time their conversation began to wind down, Daniel's mind was brimming with new information—and with even more questions than he'd started with.
Chapter298-The Semi-Planes
The Origin Land—there was no longer any doubt in Daniel's mind—was a place of extraordinary significance.
Yet, as Milla's explanations had made clear, this world was far larger, far richer in scope, than even Daniel had imagined.
He had already ventured into the Undead Lands. He had also stepped foot in the Primordial Plane, the ancestral homeland of the stellar race. But Milla's accounts revealed so much more: the Exile Lands, the continent of Noxus, and several other regions with their own distinct and often strange histories.
According to her, there was even a city-state called Zu'an, whose inhabitants had the peculiarly "warm" habit of greeting one another by cheerfully asking after each other's parents and extended families—though the tone in which she said it made Daniel wonder if there was an unspoken double meaning.
Such a spirited, "affectionate" place sounded amusing enough that Daniel found himself wanting to see it for himself one day. Unfortunately, in his current circumstances, he had no such luxury of time.
Beyond these complete and independent planes, Milla also spoke of another category of realm entirely—something known as semi-planes.
A semi-plane, she explained, was not truly a space capable of existing entirely independent from the main plane.
To put it another way, it could be likened to a colossal, world-sized underground labyrinth. The very existence of an underground labyrinth was, in fact, a type of small-scale semi-plane.
These places had their own distinct laws and governing rules, but they were still inextricably connected to the main world and could not exist entirely apart from it.
Among these, perhaps the most famous semi-plane was Heaven.
Semi-planes, in their natural state, were usually populated by only one species or a very limited number of related species. In Heaven's case, it was home to the Angel of Gold and Silver race—the very place of their birth.
Only later, with the emergence of the Divine Realm, did the Angels of Gold and Silver abandon their birthplace, leaving Heaven behind.
As Milla described it, Heaven now lay empty, its grandeur uninhabited, as all of its original celestial population had migrated to the Divine Realm.
She went on to say that once an individual reached the Fake God rank, they gained the ability to create their own personal semi-plane.
And once such a construct existed outside themselves, the Fake God would then qualify to attempt the ascension to demigod rank.
Over the thousands of years she had been in service to the Luck Goddess, Milla had traveled through countless such planes and semi-planes, gathering experiences and knowledge from every corner of the world and beyond. Her insight was vast.
By comparison, Daniel—having only just completed his Awakening Ceremony a short while ago—was very much a newcomer to this wider reality.
Listening to her speak was like having the doors to an entirely new world flung open before him.
He could feel his own understanding of the world expanding yet again, his worldview becoming more complete with every passing minute of their discussion.
And while Daniel spoke with Milla, his clones were hardly idle.
In other parts of the Divine Realm, they were deep in conversation with the demigod-ranked prisoners, extracting information and piecing together a wealth of new intelligence.
By the time two more hours had passed, Daniel had not engaged in a single battle, nor had his raw strength increased in any measurable way—but his mind was overflowing with new knowledge and insights.
At some point, the first light of dawn began to seep into the sky above. The dark horizon softened into shades of pale gold and white.
Day was coming. Soon, the sun—Apollo himself—would rise.
Daniel looked up, then turned back to Milla with sincerity in his voice.
"It's about time," he said. "Thank you. You've given me more than I expected from this meeting."
Milla's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Speaking with you, Lord Daniel, has been a pleasure for me as well. If you ever have the need, we can always have a more in-depth exchange again in the future."
Daniel offered his thanks once more. Without hesitation, he activated the God Rank Skill—Time Stream.
When his eyes opened again, the Tower of Reshaping in the distance had only just been completed.
This time, he immediately used Flashback, reappearing right in front of Milla.
She blinked in surprise at the sudden sight of him, but her astonishment quickly turned into a smile.
"How fortunate, Lord Daniel. I was just about to look for you."
"No need," Daniel replied, his tone calm. "I already know what you intended to say. In any case—thank you."
Before she could respond, his figure blurred and vanished entirely.
In the Divine Realm, Milla, who had just opened a portal for herself, froze for a heartbeat, her mind catching on his words.
No need? Did Daniel even know why she was coming to find him?
But then another thought slipped into her mind—when she had seen him just now, something about him felt... different.
He seemed more mature, more settled somehow, as though he had grown in ways that had nothing to do with raw power.
Could such a change really have happened in the span of only a few minutes?
She knew this wasn't an increase in strength—it was a change in aura, in temperament.
Ordinarily, such subtle transformations would go unnoticed in so short a time.
But Milla was no ordinary observer. As the Luck Goddess's devotee, her sensitivity to such shifts was razor-sharp.
That was why her surprise only deepened.
If Daniel could evolve even in the space of a few minutes... no wonder he had achieved such absurd strength in just two days. His growth rate was unlike anything she had ever heard of—perhaps unlike anything that had ever existed.
Back in the Star Upgrade Quest Hall, Daniel once again placed his palm upon the Awakening Crystal.
"Accept the fourth phase of the Star Upgrade Quest," he instructed.
This time, he was surprised—rather than having to wait, the quest details appeared instantly.
[Star Upgrade Quest – Phase Four]
Task One: Obtain at least three items originating from a god. (Completed)Task Two: Reshape all your Star Upgrade Quests to EX-rank.Task Three:Participate in a battle to hunt any creature above level 700.Single-handedly kill a monster of Diamond rank or higher above level 500.Synthesize a God Rank Skill ranked within the top 30.
[Reward]: Unlimited, and immediate ascension to demigod rank.
As he read the list, Daniel exhaled slowly, relief flooding through him.
Finally—finally—the end of this arduous Star Upgrade Quest was in sight.
Milla's gift to him, it was now clear, had been chosen precisely to help complete Task One. Without those items, this phase might have been far harder to finish.
The other two tasks didn't seem too difficult—at least in theory.
For Task Two, his gaze naturally shifted to the sun god Apollo. That requirement would be no problem; Apollo's level was more than sufficient.
The real challenge lay elsewhere—not in killing, but in finding the right targets. Daniel wasn't even sure if monsters of Diamond rank or higher existed anywhere on the continent.
As for the top 30 God Rank Skills... he hadn't unlocked anywhere near that level of capability yet.
It was clear that completing this phase would still take some effort.
For now, though, the only immediate action he could take was to reshape his Star Upgrade Quests.
He was free at the moment—so why not complete the task and strengthen himself further at the same time?
Decision made, Daniel once again used Flashback, reappearing within the Tower of Reshaping.
Come to think of it, this was actually his first time entering the Tower.
As he stepped inside, a translucent notification box appeared before his eyes.
[New Reshaping Task detected. Accept?]
[Available Selection: Reshape Star Upgrade Quests from 1-star to 3-star. Please choose!]
Chapter299-The Reshaping Task
Since all of his Star Upgrade Quests could be reshaped, Daniel naturally decided he would start from the very beginning.
Without a moment's hesitation, he selected the option to begin with the one-star quest.
[You have received the following task: Slay five level-100 silver-rank monsters.]
[Upon completion, the one-star tier will be upgraded to EX rank, with an appropriate supplemental reward.]
Daniel blinked at the task prompt, momentarily stunned.
That was it? All he had to do was take down five silver-rank monsters at level 100?
This... this was ridiculously easy.
He could think of a dozen harder things he had done in the past week alone. At least this time, the reshaping task required so little effort it was practically a free reward.
Once the quest had been accepted, his figure blurred and reappeared in the Undead Lands.
Within the main city there, his puppet clone continued its endless work—reviving the souls of the dead as they arrived.
Even so, Daniel could tell at a glance that the number of lingering souls had diminished significantly since his last visit.
Something stirred in his mind, and he activated his authority as the city's ruler.
With his lord's rights engaged, his mind power swept effortlessly across the entire expanse of the Undead Lands.
Almost immediately, he located one of the souls he was looking for—[Fallen Hill Giant].
The Undead Lands were home to countless souls. Some of them had been intelligent beings in life; others were little more than the vestiges of monsters without sapience.
These latter souls, Daniel knew, came from all kinds of monsters slain across the Myriad Races Continent. When such creatures died, their spirits naturally found their way here.
The difference was that for most low-level monsters, their souls never lingered here long enough to be noticed. Upon death, their essences would reform into new bodies after only a short period.
This was why in underground labyrinths, low-level mobs seemed to respawn endlessly—no matter how many were cut down, more would always appear.
This quick-rebirth cycle, however, applied only to the weaker creatures.
Once a monster reached the higher tiers, their resurrection times grew drastically longer. For some, it might take decades to revive; for others, centuries. In rare cases, their return could be delayed for hundreds of years.
From the perspective of the living races, such a delay simply meant that the dungeon or labyrinth had not yet "refreshed."
The reason Daniel had come to the Undead Lands now was simple: on the Myriad Races Continent, he had already hunted down nearly every powerful monster worth the effort.
Here, though, he could seek out the souls of beasts he had slain before... and if he killed them again, it would still count toward his reshaping task.
With that in mind, Daniel raised his hand and summoned the soul of the Fallen Hill Giant before him.
Along with it came several other silver-rank monster souls, all drawn into the city's square.
The creatures' expressions were blank at first, confusion etched into their spectral faces. They had no idea why they had suddenly appeared in a strange city rather than remaining adrift in the mists of the Undead Lands.
Daniel's first impulse was simply to kill them where they stood. But when his eyes fell upon their levels, his brow furrowed in mild annoyance.
Even silver-rank monsters lost a great deal of their power upon becoming undead. In their weakened state, slaying them would not fulfill the quest requirements.
Which meant... he would have to restore them first.
The decision was immediate. He issued a command to his puppet, instructing it to prioritize the resurrection of these specific monster souls.
The reason was obvious—he wanted to complete his reshaping task as quickly as possible.
Then, another idea occurred to him.
If he could revive these silver-rank bosses... why not revive all of them?
And not just them—the world bosses as well.
Doing so would not only aid in his own quest completion, but also give the awakeners of the continent far more opportunities to train against formidable foes.
With that in mind, Daniel gave his puppet a new standing order:
"Revive silver-rank monsters and all world bosses."
The puppet acknowledged and immediately began its work.
In an instant, the silver-rank bosses before Daniel vanished, their souls whisked away to be reborn.
On the Myriad Races Continent, Daniel had already prepared a special location for their return.
It was a freshly designated battle zone, separated entirely from the standard resurrection points. He had erected layers upon layers of restrictive wards around it.
After all, powerful monsters could not be allowed to share the same revival grounds as ordinary resurrected beings.
One careless moment, and those beasts could unleash a single skill to wipe out swaths of freshly revived fighters.
Imagine enduring centuries of death, finally grasping the chance to live again... only to be cut down by a rampaging monster within seconds of revival.
That kind of trauma could shatter a soul completely.
Using Flashback, Daniel's figure vanished from the Undead Lands and reappeared in the new resurrection zone.
A moment later, the Fallen Hill Giant materialized there as well, followed by the other silver-rank bosses he had chosen to revive.
They were still disoriented, unable to comprehend what had just happened to them.
But then the Fallen Hill Giant's gaze fell on Daniel, and recognition struck.
The giant's face twisted in terror. Somewhere deep in its memory, it knew this human—knew that Daniel's strength was monstrous.
In fact, it was entirely possible that its own death in the past had been at his hands.
Almost instinctively, the giant dropped into a combat stance.
But now? In front of the current Daniel, it was nothing more than a small fry.
His power had grown a millionfold since their last encounter.
Daniel didn't bother with words. He simply snapped his fingers.
In the next instant, a storm of [Meteor Arrow Rain] cascaded over the entire resurrection zone, blazing trails of light streaking down like a cataclysm from the heavens.
Within moments, every silver-rank boss within the area had been obliterated—none of them even had the chance to make a move in retaliation.
A prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Reshaping task complete.]
Daniel stared at it for a heartbeat, then let out a quiet, almost incredulous chuckle.
That was it? That was the easiest quest he had ever completed since beginning the Star Upgrade Quest chain.
It was so simple it felt unreal.
So this is it? Just like that?
The corners of his mouth twitched. Then, with a thought, he activated Forceful Convergence, pulling in every single piece of loot the monsters had dropped.
Of course, he wasn't interested in their usual garbage equipment.
What Daniel was truly after were the pet eggs that silver-rank bosses occasionally dropped.
Chapter300-Divine Incubation
[Divine Incubation], activate!
The moment Daniel triggered the skill, the pet eggs he had just gathered began to swell and grow before his eyes.
In less than half a minute, the smooth shell of one cracked open, and a small Hill Giant stepped out.
Well—small compared to its parent, anyway. This young Hill Giant was only about one-third the height of the Fallen Hill Giant it came from, and its build was several times slighter.
Its strength was clearly far below that of the original Fallen Hill Giant.
But even so, the newly hatched creature had one decisive advantage—its tier had been raised above the original's, reaching gold-rank.
[Hill Giant]
Level: 1Tier: Gold-rank
Daniel couldn't help but admit that Divine Incubation was a formidable skill.
The most obvious benefit was, of course, the increase in tier—something that would be nearly impossible to achieve by conventional means.
But beyond that, Divine Incubation had another incredible effect: it could hatch an egg instantly.
Not "faster," not "expedited"—instant.
The egg went from inert to living creature in the blink of an eye.
That kind of advantage was nothing short of astounding.
Thinking this, Daniel didn't hesitate—he immediately took the remaining pet eggs in his possession and hatched them all in succession.
One after another, young gold-rank creatures emerged, still small and in their early stages, but radiating potential.
Daniel's lips twitched slightly at the sight.
It was exactly as he'd suspected—every God Rank Skill carried some extraordinary utility.
And if such skills could be combined strategically, the results would be far more than a simple sum of their parts.
At that moment, the bosses at the resurrection point—including the Fallen Hill Giant—revived once more.
But this time, the fear in their eyes was palpable.
Daniel's smile was as calm and genial as before. Without a word, he cast Meteor Arrow Rain again.
In an instant, the sky was alight with a cascade of deadly arrows.
The silver-rank bosses died the moment the rain touched them—barely a single second had passed since their revival.
As they fell, more pet eggs clattered to the ground.
Daniel, still utterly unhurried, invoked Divine Incubation again, hatching the new eggs right there.
Meanwhile, on the continental communication network, notification pop-ups of [Daniel has slain a silver-rank monster] began appearing one after another... and another... and another.
They came so rapidly and so constantly that they looked like spam advertisements—no matter how someone tried to close them, more appeared.
Many people started wondering if their communicators had been infected by some sort of virus.
"What in the world is Lord Daniel doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? Just look at these notifications. He's hunting silver-rank bosses."
But not everyone was convinced.
"At his current level, hunting silver-rank bosses seems meaningless. It's a waste of time, isn't it?"
"I don't agree. Maybe what he's doing is like clearing out trash mobs—it could be a way to keep gaining EXP."
That guess sparked a fresh wave of speculation.
Normally, the most frequent respawns in any map were elite monsters. Boss-tier creatures usually required a day or two to reappear.
Yes, there were special items that could trigger an early respawn—but those items had severe restrictions and were generally only usable on elite mobs or minor bosses.
Silver-rank monsters were rare across the entire Myriad Races Continent.
So how was Lord Daniel killing so many of them in such quick succession?
Then someone noticed something strange.
"Look closely at this Fallen Hill Giant. Lord Daniel has killed it dozens of times now."
"Wait... could he have found the Fallen Hill Giant's lair?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Hill Giants are solitary creatures, and silver-rank bosses don't gather in one place like that."
The chatter kept building, everyone tossing in their theories.
But Daniel ignored all of it. He was too busy slaughtering silver-rank bosses on repeat.
In just three minutes, he had slain every one of the revived bosses—including the Fallen Hill Giant—over a hundred times each.
And he wasn't slowing down. The kills kept coming, and the system announcements kept scrolling.
It was impossible to ignore. His actions had become the center of attention for the entire continent.
No one could understand it. Why was every one of Daniel's moves so... impossible?
Far from the Divine Realm, outside the entrance to an underground labyrinth, a party of awakeners emerged, their armor battered but their expressions bright.
One of them couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction.
"I've got to say, the Infinite Divine Temple buff is really something."
"You're telling me. Before, it would've taken us half a day just to clear this labyrinth. Now we're done in an hour."
Their captain grinned broadly—today's run had set a new personal record for speed.
"All right, everyone, check your communicators for updates. You've all earned a short break. Ten minutes to rest, and then we hit the next labyrinth."
"Remember, our goal today is simple: farm every last one of our skill books."
The team members chuckled and nodded, pulling out their communicators.
The smiles faded almost instantly.
The moment they opened their devices, the screens were buried under an avalanche of messages—all about one thing: Daniel's endless slaughter of silver-rank bosses.
The entire party froze in disbelief.
"Captain... what the hell is going on?"
"How is Lord Daniel even doing this? He's killed over two thousand silver-rank bosses already—where did he find them all?"
"I feel like I don't even recognize this world anymore."
"Wait... what? The legendary Angel of Gold and Silver race has descended?!"
"Hold on—you're telling me Daniel killed the Emperor of Angels?!"
"Okay, no, I'm serious—I definitely don't recognize this world anymore."
"In just one hour, he's stormed into the Divine Realm and taken down the Emperor of Angels. That's insane! Lord Daniel is incredible!"
The awakeners stared at one another, excitement written on their faces... but also something else—awkwardness.
After all, their levels were barely around 150.
Against the Angel of Gold and Silver race, they wouldn't even have the chance to land a meaningful blow.
With the millennium Apocalypse unfolding, there was little they could do to influence events.
The only thing they could do was grow stronger, as fast as possible.
The captain stood suddenly, his tone firm and resolute.
"Everyone's working hard right now. We can't afford to rest for long. On your feet—we're heading for the next labyrinth. Let's go!"
And without another word, the party gathered their gear and plunged back toward the dark maw of the dungeon.