The players were so excited they could barely speak coherently.
Messages on the World Channel were refreshing at a terrifying speedâso fast that no one could even tell who was saying what anymore.
Some people dug up the old posts mocking Faustus and started slapping faces one by one.
Others were already doing the math in their headsâif they could follow a godlike figure like him, maybe they could get a share of the spoils too...
But beneath all that excitement and noise was something else entirely:
the entire player baseâs almost blind worship of Faustus.
He was no longer merely the "number one player."
He had become a god among playersâthe absolute ceiling that all others could only look up to and never hope to reach.
...
Yet inside the encrypted channels of the major guilds, the atmosphere was completely different.
The core group of Eternal Hawk had been silent for a long time.
At last, someone broke the deadlock.
"Guild Leader... are we still recruiting?"
Whitehead Falcon said nothing.
"How about... we apply to join Doom Guild too? I heard the treatment there are pretty good."
"Are you insane? Weâre still one of the top guilds. You want us to become someone elseâs lackeys?"
"One of the top guilds? Open your eyes and look at the rankings. Doom Guildâs score is hundreds of times ours! Faustus alone could erase our entire guild from the map. What exactly are you still trying to hold onto?"
Silence fell over the channel again.
Whitehead Falcon let out a sigh, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper scraping stone.
"If any of you have connections... go ask whether Doom Guild is still taking people. Uh... donât make it public. Ask in private."
The moment those words came out, everyone understoodâ
even the guild leader had folded.
One had to know, this was the man once hailed as the one seated upon the throne of all Earthâs gold coins!
And yet even he had helplessly given up on resisting, even he had no choice but to admit defeat.
That alone was enough to show just how terrifying Faustusâs strength had become.
As unbelievable as it sounded, no one was actually that surprised.
Those who stood at the upper echelons of Earth had long since realized that this game was not merely a game.
Stellar was an eerie existence that was on the verge of merging with reality itself!
Even its absurd magic and monsters...
All of that meant the entire power structure of Earth was destined to be overturned!
It could be said that whoever controlled the greatest strength in the game would become the one who held the right to speak in the future world!
And by now, the situation could not have been clearer.
With his unrivaled power and influence, Faustus stood alone at the summit, looking down upon all players from on high.
If they still insisted on resisting as before, clinging to their little circles and stubborn pride, then the price would be simple:
they would be flung farther and farther behind by Doom Guild,
until at last they became nothing more than the most insignificant dust in the future world.
Inside the encrypted channel, one private message after another was quietly sent out.
Each was humbler than the last.
Each posture lower than the one before it.
...
World Zone 47.
At this moment, the player forum was in an uproar.
The title of the pinned post was blood-red, as though it had been carved out with a knife:
"Faustus Is Already InvincibleâWhat Are We Supposed to Fight Him With?"
The replies below were exploding at breakneck speed.
"Fight my ass! Didnât you all see it? He solo-killed the peak supreme-grade Angel King! Our zone doesnât even have a few supreme-grade powerhouses to begin withâwhat exactly are we supposed to use against him?"
"I said it a long time agoâdonât make an enemy of Faustus. None of you listened. Well? Now heâs gone and smashed straight through the angel race."
"Does anyone know if Faustus accepts players from other zones? I surrender! Iâll even be a guide for him if I have to!"
"Bro, have some backbone... and take me with you."
"Itâs over, itâs over. The NPCs in our zone are still discussing how to resist him. Are they brain-dead?"
"Stop discussing it. Just surrender already. Maybe then we can still get a spot in some foreign mercenary corps."
Panic spread like a plague.
Players from the other World Zones were finally beginning to understand a single fact.
Faustus had not come to compete with them.
He had come to rule them.
Resist?
With what?
Even the Angel Kingâs avatar had been killed by him. Who still dared claim Faustus couldnât do it?
...
Meanwhile, Faustus immediately sold off the reward.
[Ding! You have sold the special item "Heart of Immortality (supreme-grade)" Ă1 to Doom Guild for 1 copper coin, triggering Millionfold Boost!]
[The sold item belongs to the special item category. Please choose: quality boost / quantity boost!]
"Quality boost!"
[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained 1 gold coin! You have received [Eternal Sacred Heart (Divine-grade)] Ă1! (As the upper limit is unlocked, the itemâs grade will automatically increase.)]
Danielâs eyes widened instantly.
He hurriedly took out the reward to inspect it.
[Eternal Sacred Heart (Divine-grade)] (Growth-Type)
Level: 1
Grade: Divine-grade
Description:
After use, it can independently condense [Immortal Singularity].
[Primal Spirit] may be used to upgrade the Eternal Sacred Heart. The higher its level, the faster it condenses Immortal Singularity, and the greater its storage limit becomes.
[Primal Spirit] may be used to sacrifice the Eternal Sacred Heart. Once the amount sacrificed reaches a certain threshold, [Divine Realm] and [Sacred Realm] may be awakened.
Special Note:
Immortal Singularity condensation rate: 1 point every 60 minutes
Storage limit: 500 points
Required for next upgrade:
500,000 points of Primal Spirit (Level 2)
Description:
The difficulty of obtaining this item rivals that of a mortal plucking the stars from the heavens with flesh and blood alone. The odds are so vanishingly small that they are akin to an ant dreaming of shaking the throne of the gods!
"Hissâ!"
Daniel sucked in a sharp breath.
This itemâs effects were simply heaven-defying!
Even if a level 1 newbie obtained it, they could ascend to godhood on the spot!
And it could still continue to grow. In theory, its effects could be stacked upward without limit.
Damn!
Daniel felt that obtaining this single item alone had already made him an outrageous profit.
Without another word, he poured 500,000 points of Primal Spirit into it.
The Eternal Sacred Heart rose to Level 2. Its Immortal Singularity condensation speed shot up to 1 point every 6 minutes, and its storage cap also increased to 5,000 points.
[Ding! Would you like to use the special item "Eternal Sacred Heart"?]
"Use it!"
[Ding! You have used the special item "Eternal Sacred Heart"!]
Boomâ!
Danielâs body suddenly trembled.
"A divine spark?"
A smile curled at Danielâs lips.
A divine spark was merely one path to godhood, nothing more.
In the Endless Starfield, there were countless races born with talents similar to the Eternal Sacred Heart.
Such beings had no interest at all in fusing with some so-called divine spark.
He had just used 500,000 points of Primal Spirit, leaving him with another 500,000 still in hand.
Primal Spirit seemed to be a universal resource, something that only innate-race supreme-grade powerhouses could drop.
The Eternal Sacred Heart required 1,000,000 points for its next level, which meant he still didnât have enough for the time being.
But that was fine.
As long as he kept killing supreme-grade powerhouses of the innate races, he would eventually gather a steady supply.
It wasnât really that difficult.
With that thought, he took out the rest of the rewards.
[Arrow of Judgment (epic-grade forbidden spell)]
Effect:
Shoots an arrow condensed from the ultimate light element. Upon striking the target, the arrow explodes into a rain of holy light, continuously purging all corruption within the area and dealing 300 million damage per second to enemies (scales based on the userâs output). At the same time, the power of the light element surrounds the caster, forming [Absolute Protection], which generates a shield every second capable of absorbing 300 million damage (converted from output).
Special:
Consumes 10% of MP per second.
Description:
When the arrow is loosed, it becomes light itself. Wherever that light reaches, all enemies retreatâsuch is the judgment of the forbidden archer.