"Finally did it," Ran said.
After days of grueling effort and the combined hard work of his entire family, he had finally reached Level 20. The sweet sound of the system in his head made it all worth it.
*Ding!*
> [Congratulations, Lord! You have received a new skill: Chaos Blood Armor.]
>
> Chaos Blood Armor (Active): Wraps the user in a layer of solidified chaos energy. This provides near-absolute physical and magical defense and intimidates all enemies of a lower level.
>
> Bonus Effect: Every drop of blood the armor absorbs during battle will permanently raise its physical and magical defense in increments of 0.01%.
Ran analyzed the skill description, and a massive grin spread across his face.
"Okay, 0.01% sounds small at first," Ran muttered to himself, "but the keyword here is permanent."
This wasn't just a regular defense move; it was a growth skill! It meant that the more he fought and the more blood the armor absorbed, the stronger it would get. Over time, it could become completely unbreakable.
Ran was also thrilled because this was an upgraded version of his basic Chaos Armor skill. Most fighters actually preferred receiving upgrades rather than entirely new skills for a very good reason: combat efficiency. By the time an awakened person reaches Level 100, their Martial Innate Soul can hold up to ten different skills. Having too many skills isn't necessarily a good thing; if you have ten different abilities, you cannot possibly deploy all of them in the middle of a fast-paced, life-or-death battle. Because of that, getting a direct upgrade to a skill you already know and trust is a massive win. It all depends on your luck when you hit the right level.
Curious to see his full arsenal, Ran immediately opened his status board.
> [Skills Unlocked:]
> 1. Chaos Armor (Active): Wraps the user in a layer of solidified chaos energy. Provides near-absolute physical defense and intimidates all lower-level enemies.
> 2. Chaos Power (Passive/Active): Allows the user to naturally absorb 5% of the ambient dark energy from the environment. This energy can be used to drastically boost physical strength, infuse weapons with darkness, or fire destructive blasts.
> 3. Chaos Blood Armor (Active): Wraps the user in solidified chaos energy for physical and magical defense. Absorbed blood permanently increases defense by 0.01%.
Just as he finished reading, the system chimed again, startling him.
*Ding!*
> [System Notice: Do you want to merge 'Chaos Armor' and 'Chaos Blood Armor'?]
Ran's eyes lit up. "Is that even a question? Of course I want to merge them!"
*Ding!*
> [Congratulations, Lord! Upgrading your skill... It is now called: Chaos Abyssal Armor.]
>
> Chaos Abyssal Armor (Active/Passive): Wraps the user in a layer of solidified chaos energy. Provides near-absolute physical and magical defense and intimidates all enemies of a lower level.
>
> Bonus Effect: Every drop of blood the armor absorbs during battle will permanently raise its physical and magical defense in increments of 0.1%.
Ran's hands actually trembled. "0.1%? That is ten times higher than before! The upgrade is incredible!"
But as he read the description again, he noticed something strange. "Hey, System?" Ran asked out loud. "Why does it say it is 'Active/Passive' now? What does that mean?"
> [System:] "Your Chaos Abyssal Armor can now shift forms. When it is Active, the dark armor will fully manifest on your body for everyone to see. If you choose not to manifest it, it remains Passive. This means the armor is completely invisible to everyone's eyes, but still protects you."
Ran immediately understood. "That is perfect."
Before, when he used Chaos Armor, he had to physically trigger it, covering himself in dark shadow armor. But now? He didn't need to show off unless he actively wanted to intimidate someone. He could walk around in everyday clothes, looking completely normal, while secretly wearing the ultimate defense.
***
The next morning marked the fourth day of the school's final assessment week, and Ran was honestly getting tired of the whole circus. He thought back on how crazy the week had been.
On Day 1, the school brought in a Level 50 teacher named Hara to test them. That was nothing too crazy. On Day 2, they brought in a powerful monk who was a Level 150 powerhouse. Ran had gotten a little too competitive that day, aiming for the Top 3. He fought so well that he almost accidentally revealed his true level to the crowd. On Day 3, a Level 200 powerhouse was sent to evaluate them. Having learned his lesson from the monk, Ran decided not to compete seriously. He just went with the flow and pretended to be average. Because of this, a snooty classmate named Victor acted totally smug, puffing out his chest and mocking Ran all day. Ran had completely ignored him, treating Victor's insults like the squawking of a noisy chicken.
For Day 4, a Level 250 powerhouse was scheduled to arrive today. And for tomorrow, a massive Level 300 powerhouse would be there to watch them.
Ran sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his school uniform. "I don't see the point in going anymore," he muttered.
He was already Level 20, and it hadn't even been a full week since he completely awakened his powers. Going to school just to pretend to be weak, holding back his true strength, and letting kids like Victor mock him? That wasn't a good habit to build. It was exhausting.
More importantly, he had to think about his family's safety. Ran wasn't aiming for a scholarship, and he definitely didn't want a sponsorship from some rich school or powerful guild. If those Level 250 and Level 300 powerhouses noticed his abnormal growth rate, instead of helping, these major powers might start digging into his life. His family's deepest secrets could be exposed.
Ran stood up and tossed his school uniform back into the closet.
"I've made my decision," Ran said, a serious look replacing his easygoing smile. "I'm skipping the rest of the assessment. I need to sit down and discuss this with my family."
He walked downstairs, finding his father, Randolf, his mother, Aurora, and his younger sister, Mia, already awake in the kitchen.
"I'm done with the assessment," Ran announced, pulling out a chair. "They're bringing in a Level 300 evaluator tomorrow. If I go, we risk everything. I'm not going to be some guild's lab rat."
Aurora nodded slowly, her expression turning serious. "You're absolutely right. It's too dangerous. But we have a bigger issue right now. Just staying a half-day in our private world isn't enough anymore."
"Exactly," Ran agreed. "We just subdued an Epic Unit. We can't just leave that territory sitting there. If possible, we need to stay in there for more than a half-day to properly farm the resources and lock it down."
Randolf rubbed his chin, looking out the kitchen window at the street. "We have to be smart about this. We can't just literally disappear and appear whenever we want. The neighbors might notice something odd. Mrs. Gable is already nosy enough. If the entire house is empty for days at a time, people are going to start asking questions."
The family fell silent for a moment, letting common sense dictate their next move. They needed a plan.
"Alright, quick decision," Randolf said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I will stay behind and go to work as usual, just to keep up appearances. Someone has to look normal around here."
Mia looked at him, confused. "But Dad, what about your leveling? You're going to fall behind!"
Randolf just smiled and tapped the side of his head. "Did you forget about our family passive skill? Even if I'm working, I'll still get my shared amount of experience from whatever you three kill in the private world."
"It will slow our progress down a bit," Aurora pointed out. "Having three people fighting instead of four means less total damage."
"It's a sacrifice we have to make," Randolf insisted. "From now on, either Aurora or I need to show up on time for our daily routines just to keep up appearances. This setup is for our protection, at least until we are all powerful enough to completely ignore anyone's suspicion."
"Agreed. Aurora, Mia, and I will go to the private world today," Ran said, finalizing the plan.
Ran stayed seated for a moment, thinking about something. He had been thinking about it from the very moment he knew he had another golden finger. He had delayed taking advantage of it for a long time.
Up to this point, the unique system had only given him three rewards: the Level 1000 Advance Beginning Guide, the family passive skill, and the Martial Soul Rare Upgrade Tier Potion.
The family passive skill was the most useful up to this point; without it, they would not have leveled up so fast, especially as a party. Normally, a party must divide the experience they gain, yet this impossible skill multiplied it by four. It was so overpowered that Ran felt like the Son of Heaven.
On the other hand, the Rare Upgrade Tier Potion was also a great reward. They had only started a few days ago, yet Ran had already gained this epic upgrade potion. As far as he knew—and as he could confirm in the Advance Beginning book—you have to collect different ingredients from various dungeons and places, and you must have a unit capable of concocting potions to produce one. It was not just hard, but incredibly difficult for early levels. He might have been able to do this at Level 100, but not this early; yet, he already had one.
Finally, there was the Level 1000 Advance Beginning Book. Up until now, Ran had set this powerful advantage aside. But now, he had to take advantage of it.
Ran summoned the Level 1000 Advance Beginning Book and began to read.
The private world was not just a simple world. If it were, countless beings from higher-tier worlds would not scramble and panic just to be a subordinate of a lord in a private world. It possessed not only powerful units that no one could match, but its resources were unlimited and its size was enormous.
He continued reading, and by the time he was finished, he couldn't help but feel that he was just a speck of dust compared to the other worlds. He reviewed the tier division of every world:
* The Beginner Worlds: Level 0 to 1,000. These include Earth, Neptune, Mars, etc. There are a hundred thousand of them.
* The Advanced Worlds: Level 1,000 to 5,000. There are fewer than a hundred thousand of these.
* The Sage Worlds: Level 5,000 to 10,000. There are only 50,000 of these.
* The Legendary Worlds: Where "Rebirth" cycles 1–100 begin. There are only a hundred of these.
Ran was currently in a Beginner World—the world he was born into. However, this did not apply to the private world. The private world was another entity entirely; it was tierless and did not belong to any tier. If compared, it was beyond any tier, and he had been chosen as one of the few to possess such a world.
"I must be able to find more information and utilize my unique golden finger. Hmm, how about the section about subordinates?" Ran thought.
The book immediately shifted to the information regarding subordinates. Upon reading, Ran's eyes widened as an idea struck him.
"So I can send unknown invitations to everyone on Earth and get them as subordinates!? The question is, are they going to accept it? Of course they will! With the opportunity provided by the private world, no one would deny it. But I will not reveal my identity; I will just address myself as a mysterious lord! Right! But... is this going to trigger my unique system for sending unknown invitations?" Ran wondered, answering himself in his head.
"Of course you can!!!!"
Ran was startled and jumped back. "Who's there?!" he shouted.
"You summon me, yet you don't even know who I am!?"
Ran stared in shock at the book. The Level 1000 Advance Beginning Book could talk.
"Honestly!" the book huffed, its pages fluttering with annoyance. "Do you have any idea how boring it is in that void? You summon me for barely a minute at a time and then toss me back! I am a Level 1000 Guide, not a common pamphlet for you to skim through whenever you feel like it!"
Ran just laughed it off, though he was deeply amazed. No wonder it was Level 1000; it wasn't for nothing. The rewards from the unique system were truly shocking.