Chapter 9: Eternal Heaven (4)

Leon looked around the village. Nobody was talking now.

Everyone understood the message. There was only one path forward: become stronger.

A woman standing near the fountain whispered, "So we’re basically being forced into some kind of death game."

Leon heard her and glanced at the fear etched across her face. After a moment, he shook his head.

"Not exactly."

She turned toward him, confusion replacing some of the fear in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Leon looked past her, his gaze settling on the distant wooden gate that marked the village’s boundary.

"A death game implies someone is controlling the rules for entertainment," he said quietly. "But whatever this is, I don’t think Eternal Heaven brought us here just to watch us die. I think it actually wants us to reach the end."

The woman stared at him, her expression becoming even more uncertain. "And somehow, that’s supposed to make me feel better?"

"No."

Leon gave a slight shake of his head, his eyes remaining fixed on the gate.

"It shouldn’t."

Before anyone could respond, the system displayed another announcement.

[Special Notice.]

[Players who reach the Sovereign Rank or higher will gain access to a special realm.]

Leon immediately focused.

[Realm Designation: The Beyond.]

[The Beyond exists beyond the territories of Novice Villages and ordinary human settlements.]

[Other races reside within The Beyond.]

[Players may encounter, communicate with, trade with, cooperate with, or battle these races.]

[The Beyond contains monsters, civilizations, territories, dungeons, resources, and opportunities unavailable within the initial regions.]

[Experience gained from defeating powerful beings within The Beyond will greatly exceed the experience available in lower regions.]

The crowd exploded once again.

"Other races?"

"How many races are there?"

"Can they attack us?"

"So we can trade with them?"

"Does that mean there are elves?"

"Who cares about elves?! Did you hear the part about greater EXP?!"

Leon couldn’t help the faint smile that touched his lips. Now that sounded more interesting.

Eternal Heaven was not simply throwing humans into a dungeon. It was an entire world, and apparently, humanity wasn’t even the only species living inside it.

The system finally disappeared from the sky. For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then Leon heard a soft mechanical chime, and a translucent blue panel appeared directly in front of him.

He recognized it immediately: it had to be his Status Panel.

Leon stared at it with genuine curiosity before slowly reaching out and touching the screen. The panel expanded.

[Status]

Name: Leon Wes

Role: Support

STR: 5

AGI: 5

CON: 5

INT: 10

Stat Points: 0

Level: 1

Rank: Initiate

EXP: 0 / 100

HP: 100 / 100

MP: 100 / 100

Skills: Mana burst (Lvl.1, iron)

Role Talent: Close-Ranged Healing (C)

Inventory: Mana Staff (Iron) : 1/50

Extra

[Status]

Leon stared at the information. He was level one, Rank Initiate, a Support with a C-rank Role Talent.

On paper, Leon Wes was about as impressive as a particularly determined villager. But Leon eyes moved toward the final option: Extra. He tapped it.

The panel immediately changed.

[Extra Information]

[Special Talents Detected: 10]

Leon blinked. The first entry appeared.

[SSS-Rank Talent: Infinite Growth]

Then the second.

[SSS-Rank Talent: Supreme Comprehension]

The third followed.

[SSS-Rank Talent: Eternal Mana]

Leon slowly scrolled down.

[SSS-Rank Talent: Absolute Adaptation]

[SSS-Rank Talent: Skill Evolution]

[SSS-Rank Talent: Talent Devourer]

[SSS-Rank Talent: Perfect Body]

[SSS-Rank Talent: Lucky Fate]

[SSS-Rank Talent: Monarch’s Will]

[SSS-Rank Talent: Origin Eyes]

Leon stared at the list. His expression remained calm, but his eyes carried a faint glimmer.

The people around him were desperately trying to figure out how to survive with ordinary Roles and abilities. They had no idea that he had arrived carrying ten SSS-rank talents.

Ten. He had spent his first life trapped inside a body that was slowly betraying him.

Every day had been measured by pain, medication, hospital visits, and the knowledge that his future was shrinking. Now he had been given something completely different.

Potential. Unlimited potential.

Leon opened the information for Infinite Growth and read its description again. There was no visible ceiling.

Then he looked at Supreme Comprehension. He remembered the God of Transmigration’s explanation.

With enough time, he could potentially master countless abilities. His gaze moved to Eternal Mana.

Then Absolute Adaptation. Then Skill Evolution. Each one seemed capable of becoming terrifying when combined with the others.

Leon had initially been disappointed when he awakened as a Support. Now that disappointment seemed almost ridiculous.

He had spent his first life learning that appearances could be deceptive. A person who looked healthy could be dying, and a world that looked peaceful could be seconds away from destruction. And a C-rank healing ability could perhaps become something entirely different in the hands of someone with Skill Evolution.

Leon continued scrolling. At the bottom of the panel were two entries.

[Evolution Points: 10]

[Talent Fragments: 0]

His eyebrows rose.

"Evolution Points?"

He tapped the words. The system displayed a brief explanation.

[Evolution Points may be utilized to facilitate the evolution of compatible skills, talents, or other forms of power.]

Leon stared at the number: ten.

He had ten Evolution Points from the very beginning. That was useful. Very useful.

Then his eyes moved to Talent Fragments. Zero.

Unlike Evolution Points, there was no mystery about how he might acquire those: Talent Devourer.

Leon smiled faintly.

"So that’s how the pieces fit together."

He closed the Extra panel and returned to his main Status. Around him, the village had slowly begun coming alive again.

People were approaching NPCs, asking questions, examining shops, searching for quests, and trying to understand their new abilities. Others were gathering into groups, already discussing strategies for surviving the first hundred days.

Leon watched them for a moment. Some were terrified, some were excited, some were angry, and some were already trying to organize themselves.

It reminded him of the first moments after a disaster on Earth. The difference was that this time, there would be no rescue team coming.

There would be no hospital, and there would be no government powerful enough to stop what was happening. There would only be Eternal Heaven.

Leon looked toward the village gate again. Beyond it was an unknown world filled with monsters.

Somewhere outside were quests, EXP, treasures, dangers, and opportunities. Somewhere far beyond that were Sovereigns, the realm called The Beyond, countless other races, and eventually the path toward Eternal Life.

Leon slowly clenched his fists. For the first time since arriving in this world, the uncertainty didn’t frighten him. It excited him.

His previous life had ended because his body had placed a limit on him. This life had begun with ten talents that promised there might be no limit at all.

He had been given a second chance. This time, he won’t let any second of it go to waste.

Leon looked at the status panel one final time before dismissing it: level one, Initiate Rank, Support Role, C-rank healing.

Those were his visible weaknesses. The ten SSS-rank talents hidden beneath them were his true foundation.

A quiet smile appeared on his face.

"Level one, huh?"

Leon glanced toward the massive village gate.

"Then I suppose the first thing I need to do is change that."