Alex signaled for them to watch out. Their movements were slow, careful not to alert the monsters ahead.Alex studied the creatures, but what surprised him was that the monsters weren't searching aimlessly; they stood alongside a human."Looks like someone from the Dark Cult is here with monsters."Meanwhile, at the mountain's entrance, the monster addressed the young human beside him."My Lord, according to the information we received from the demons, the inheritance they were searching for was on Blue Star. So why did you bring us here?"The young man was a divine sequence candidate of the Dark Cult, destined for future elder positions, but he wasn't satisfied with merely becoming an elder. He wanted a chance to compete with the true divine children and become Lord of the Dark Cult.His father, an elder of the Dark Cult, had sent him information about an inheritance that could help him fight for that position. But he hadn't expected so many competitors that he couldn't even make a m

Smith's trial was one of fire and ice.He stood on a battlefield that stretched to infinity, surrounded by enemies he couldn't see but could feel. Each one represented a failure, a regret, a moment he wished he could reclaim."You carry weight," a voice whispered. "Decades of it. Lost family. Comrades fallen. Decisions that haunt you."Smith gripped his weapon."I carry what I must. That's a soldier's burden.""Burden, yes. But also potential." A figure materialized an older version of himself, scarred and weary but somehow at peace. "I am what you could become if you let go of the weight."Smith studied the apparition."And if I don't?""Then you remain what you are. Good. Competent. But never great."The battle began. Not against external enemies, but against his own memories. Each fallen comrade appeared before him, forcing him to relive their deaths. Each failure played out again, demanding he face the pain.Smith fought through tears.On the third day, something shifted. His weap

The woman watched him silently for a long moment before speaking again."Fear is natural. But panic will not save you. The ninety-five thousand years may seem vast, but they will pass faster than you imagine. The question is not whether you are afraid, it is what you will do with the time you have."Alex forced himself to breathe, to think."Why are you telling me this? What do you gain?""Because you have potential. Because the inheritance you are undergoing trial for is far beyond this universe." She paused, her luminous form flickering. "Because my Lord has given me the task of finding an inheritor who can take his legacy beyond. If you gain the inheritance here, forget about Venerable even the Lord of the Universe will be a small thing. But for that, you need to be powerful enough to pass the trials set by my Lord."Alex stared at her, unsure what to say. If he passed the trial, he could survive and become a supreme being. But for that, he needed to pass the trial and he didn't eve

Alex used his sword to gauge his strength, swinging it experimentally through the air."It looks like my strength has grown too fast."He thought about domain and laws."Anyway, I'll be staying in the Star realm for quite a while."Just then, Alex felt it was time to leave. When he reached the spot where Smith, Eva, and David were practicing, he called out."Let's go. If we don't hurry, those aliens might appear here as well."Alex opened the hatch and climbed up to observe the surroundings. He saw a river about a hundred meters ahead."How the hell did this tunnel end up near a river?"He shook his head and signaled for them to follow.Alex emerged from the tunnel and surveyed the area."We're in an open area. Come on, we need to leave quickly."Smith nodded as they ran toward the direction of Star Base."We need to avoid the mountain range," Smith advised.David looked at the river."We could follow the river."Eva shook her head."We don't know if there are water monsters in the ri

Alex suddenly remembered something. When he was at Base 7 on Blue Star, someone had saved him.At the time, his knowledge wasn't sufficient to understand her strength. Even other soldiers had no idea, so they called her a 7th-rank warrior.Now he remembered she had been flying when she saved him. She was definitely a Star realm warrior. He had never gotten the chance to thank her."General, do you remember when I entered the battlefield for the first time on Blue Star? Someone saved my life. Can I know her identity? If she's in the base, I would like to meet her personally."Hearing this, General Walter was surprised. He had reviewed the footage of Alex's first battle and always assumed Alex had been hiding his strength, that he could have dealt with the monsters himself.Looks like Alex wasn't hiding his strength back then. He really started training after entering the base.Walter couldn't help but wonder how strong Alex might have been if he had trained hard from the very beginning