OneLeap years were no longer something people celebrated. Leap years had come to be dreaded because they were the signal that it was time for the next big monster outbreak.Once, the arrival of a new year meant fireworks, laughter, and a collective sense of hope. It was a time when people stayed up late, made empty promises to themselves, and believed that the future might somehow be better than the past. But those traditions had lost their meaning a long time ago. In this world, when a leap year arrived, it was not greeted with joy. It was greeted with fear.A leap year was no longer remembered as the year with an extra day in February. That definition had faded into obscurity, remembered by almost no one. Violet suspected she might be the only person left who still recalled what the term once meant.To everyone else, a leap year had earned far darker names.It was called the Year of Death.It was called the Year of the Grim Reaper.Throughout recorded history, the largest and most

Three When the Tower first selected an individual to become a Ascender, the chosen person was forced through a brutal and painful transformation known as the First Awakening. This process marked the moment when an ordinary being stepped beyond the limits of normal existence and into the world governed by mana. From the moment of birth, every living creature in the world was endowed with three fundamental components. The body, the soul, and the mana pathway. The body was the most obvious. It was the physical vessel that allowed a creature to exist in the world, to move, eat, grow, and survive. Upon entering life, every species began learning how to use this vessel, though the time required for mastery differed wildly. Some animals could walk within minutes of birth. Humans, by comparison, required years before they could properly control their bodies. Hidden alongside the physical network of veins, arteries, and capillaries was something far more elusive. A metaphysical structure

Five[ 3… 2… 1… Integration Complete. Ultimate System is now online ]Rhys stared at the glowing blue screen hovering before his eyes, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.If not for the unmistakable presence of the system interface, he would have doubted whether his encounter with Dreavon had been real at all. The conversation, the revelation, even the god himself would have felt like nothing more than an elaborate dream brought on by shock and exhaustion. Yet the screen in front of him was undeniable proof that it had all truly happened.[ Ultimate System. Level 1.Available Functions:1. GuidanceThe system will issue daily missions and structured objectives designed to shape the host’s early foundation.2. StorageThe system provides one cubic meter of spatial storage, accessible at will.3. AppraisalThe system allows the host to evaluate the quality and properties of items and weapons.4. RewardsCompletion of system missions grants rewards ranging from minor to si

SevenRhys was relocated to a new apartment within the Upside and, for the time being, assigned to stay in the guest room of Emma’s house.Almost everything he owned had been destroyed in the explosion, so Emma handled the situation with ruthless efficiency. A temporary wardrobe appeared overnight, stocked with neatly arranged clothes and essentials. A personal chauffeur was assigned to him, along with an armed escort consisting of three bulletproof vehicles to transport him to and from school.She also drafted a detailed list of house rules.There were schedules, checkpoints, and mandatory reviews of his daily progress. What should have been a simple task of supervising a teenager was treated like a corporate project. Emma monitored his academics, his physical condition, his sleep, and his diet with relentless precision.Watching her juggle all of this while still running the administrative core of the Tiger Guild made Rhys finally understand why she commanded so much respect despite

Nine[ Ultimate System Notification: Congratulations on completing all assigned tasks for the day. You have received one revitalization potion. ]The notification had barely finished displaying when Rhys felt something solid appear in his hand.He froze.“Whoa…”A small bottle rested in his palm. It felt real, unmistakably so. The surface was smooth and glasslike, cool to the touch, while the thick liquid inside shifted sluggishly with every slight movement.Rhys stared at it in disbelief.He did not understand how something could materialize out of nothing. The logic behind it escaped him completely, but he was far too exhausted to dwell on the impossibility of it all. At this point, he had reached a strange acceptance.Either he had completely lost his mind, or the system operated on principles far beyond anything he understood.Unscrewing the cap produced a soft pop. Rhys lifted the bottle and inhaled cautiously.The scent was strange. Metallic. It reminded him faintly of blood mix