Chapter 312: Level 35! Master Rank Power
Someone from the Olympian Faction suddenly froze mid-step.
His eyes locked onto a notification only faction members could see. His expression twisted with pure rage.
"One of our faction members was killed?" He slammed his fist against a nearby tree. "Someone actually dares?"
Other Faction members gathered around him immediately.
"Who was it?"
"Marcus. He died in the forest zone during the first trial."
"Find whoever did this. They’ll pay with their life."
Their fury spread through the faction like wildfire.
Meanwhile, Caelus and the others were transported into the Second Trial.
[Second Trial: The Crumbling Bridge]
[Objective: Cross the unstable bridge while defending against aerial attackers.]
[The bridge collapses section by section every 2 minutes.]
[Minimum team size: 2 players.]
[Reach the other side within 15 minutes.]
[Falling means death.]
Caelus found himself standing at the edge of an enormous stone bridge. It stretched across a bottomless void, disappearing into thick mist on the far side.
The structure looked ancient and weathered. Cracks spider-webbed across its surface, and several sections had already crumbled away.
He quickly scanned his surroundings for potential allies.
A familiar figure stood nearby, casually blowing a large pink bubble.
"Candy?" Caelus called out in surprise.
The bubble popped loudly. Candy turned toward him with her usual distant expression.
"Oh. It’s you." She chewed her gum lazily. "Small world."
"You’ve already reached Elite Rank?" Caelus raised an eyebrow.
Candy shrugged with complete indifference. "It just happened. The corruption zones dropped decent rewards."
Her emotionless delivery contrasted sharply with the impressive achievement. Most players would have bragged endlessly about reaching Elite so quickly.
"Let’s work together then." Caelus offered. "it will be better if we both moved together."
"Sure." She nodded. "I’m fine with that."
A countdown timer appeared above them.
[Trial begins in: 10 seconds]
They stepped onto the bridge together.
The moment their feet touched the stone, winged creatures emerged from the mist below. Their bodies were skeletal, wrapped in tattered shadows that trailed behind them like smoke.
"Aerial enemies, annoying."
Caelus activated Gravity Domain immediately.
An invisible field expanded outward from his position. Three creatures that flew too close suddenly plummeted downward, dragged by crushing gravitational force.
They vanished into the void below without a sound.
More creatures swarmed toward them from all directions.
Caelus used Spatial Blink, vanishing from his position and reappearing five meters ahead. He swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang in a wide arc.
The attack emerged through folded space, striking enemies that weren’t even within his physical reach. Two creatures shattered into dark fragments.
Candy moved beside him with fluid grace. Her daggers flashed pink as she intercepted a creature diving toward Caelus’s blind spot.
The bridge rumbled beneath their feet.
[Section collapse in: 30 seconds]
"Move!" Caelus shouted.
They sprinted forward together. The stone behind them cracked and fell away into nothingness.
Boom!
Just then, a larger creature descended from above, twice the size of the others. Its claws gleamed with deadly sharpness and energy.
Caelus activated Gravity Domain again, but this one resisted the pull. It was too strong.
He switched tactics instantly.
Spatial Blink carried him directly above the creature. His staff expanded to massive size as he brought it down with devastating force.
BOOM!
The impact crushed the creature’s skull. It tumbled into the void, lifeless.
[Section collapse in: 10 seconds]
They pushed forward after that. Candy’s daggers carved through smaller enemies while Caelus handled the larger threats.
His Spatial Rend technique allowed him to strike from impossible angles. Enemies died before they even realized they were being attacked.
The far side of the bridge finally came into view.
One final wave of creatures blocked their path. At least twenty of them hovered in formation.
"I’ll clear a path for us." Caelus said as he slowly begin walking.
He gathered his strength and activated both Gravity Domain and Spatial Blink simultaneously.
Space folded around him as he appeared in the center of the enemy formation. Crushing gravity exploded outward in all directions.
Every creature within range was forced downward, their wings unable to fight the pressure. They fell screaming into the void.
They crossed the final section together and stepped onto solid ground.
[Ding!]
[Trial Complete.]
[Time: 8 minutes 34 seconds]
[Rank: SSS]
[Proceeding to Reward Area.]
Light consumed them.
They reappeared in a pristine white chamber. A golden treasure chest sat at the center, larger and more ornate than the previous one.
[Choose One Reward:]
[Option 1: +20 Combat Score]
[Option 2: +10 Levels]
While Candy examined the options with her usual disinterest, Caelus quietly activated extraction on the chest.
[Ding!]
[Extraction Successful.]
[You have obtained all rewards.]
[+20 Combat Score acquired.]
[+10 Levels acquired.]
[Level: 25 → 35]
[Combat Score: 97.12 → 147.12]
Power exploded through Caelus’s body like a raging inferno.
His cells restructured themselves rapidly, expanding and condensing to accommodate the massive surge of strength. His muscles hardened, his bones densified, and his neural pathways accelerated beyond human comprehension.
The sensation was overwhelming. Every fiber of his being surged with newfound power.
[Congratulations!]
[Your combat score have broken through to Master Rank.]
Master Rank.
The significance wasn’t lost on him.
If 1 Rookie Combat Score equaled an average healthy adult, then 100 Rookie equaled 1 Elite. And now, 100 Elite equaled 1 Master.
His current power was equivalent to over 10,000 average humans combined.
He had become a walking catastrophe.
Candy beside him selected her reward as well.
Seeing this, he decided to ask what she got here and from the first trial.
"I got 35 levels total," she said flatly. "20 from the first trial, 15 from this one."
Caelus frowned at her words.
Why were their rewards so different?
"What are you doing... Origin Network?" he muttered under his breath.
A realization slowly dawned on him.
This Domain Event possibly wasn’t a coincidence. The trials themselves weren’t especially difficult.
Instead, the rewards seemed tailored toward what each participant lacked most.
Was the Origin Network intentionally trying to make humanity stronger as quickly as possible?
But why?
Unless something terrible was about to happen.
A new System Notification appeared.
[Attention All Participants]
[You may now leave and keep all rewards earned.]
[Alternatively, challenge the Third Trial.]
[Warning: Failure will result in losing ALL rewards from this event.]
Candy glanced at Caelus. "I’m continuing."
Caelus nodded. "Same."
They entered the waiting area together.
Unlike previous zones, participants from different groups could now meet here. Hundreds of players milled about in the crowded space.
The moment Caelus realized this, his eyes slowly turned cold.
Somewhere in this crowd were members of the Olympian Faction.