Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World

[Golden Pill of Ascension absorbed!]

[+50 Combat Score extracted!]

[Current Combat Score: 120.25 -> 170.25]

The energy from the pill surged through Caelus’s body like liquid fire.

He could feel every cell in his body absorbing the golden essence, compressing and strengthening with each passing second.

His muscles tightened and grew denser, his bones hardened like steel, and his internal organs optimized themselves automatically.

It was an incredible sensation.

They portioned the remaining essence between themselves.

[+25 Combat Score absorbed!]

[Current Combat Score: 170.25 -> 195.25 (Ace-Rank)]

Another wave of power flooded through him.

His body had now far surpassed what it was just moments ago.

Sylvia received her share as well.

[+50 Combat Score extracted!]

[+25 Combat Score absorbed!]

[Current Combat Score: 115.47 -> 190.47 (Ace-Rank)]

She let out a satisfied sigh as the golden energy merged with her vampire physiology.

Her crimson eyes glowed brighter than before, and her aura became noticeably more oppressive.

Soon, additional notifications appeared before their eyes.

[Merit Obtained: +1]

[Merit Obtained: +1]

[Additional Reward Obtained]

[Unique Card Obtained: Path Hunter’s Blessing]

[Path Hunter’s Blessing: When in the Path to Worlds, you will gain Origin Credits for every kill.]

"Oh?"

Caelus and Sylvia were pleasantly surprised by the additional rewards.

They examined the card carefully before equipping it immediately.

It kind of reminded them of the Mods they had back in the Abyss.

Those Mods had been incredibly useful for farming resources and gaining advantages.

Caelus wondered whether those would ever come back or not.

He missed having those extra bonuses during combat.

But for now, this Path Hunter’s Blessing would have to do.

He turned toward the Vanswara Stronghold people who were all staring at them with stunned expressions.

Their faces were pale with shock and disbelief. The mighty Lord Aquila had been reduced to a dried husk in mere minutes. His entire army had been slaughtered by a rain of golden swords.

And now two players stood among the carnage like it was nothing.

Caelus chuckled evilly and stared at them.

"Starting now, I will be the ruler of the Vanswara Stronghold."

The crowd erupted immediately.

"What?!"

"Just a player thinks he can rule Vanswara?!"

"We have plenty of powerhouses here at 500 Combat Score!"

"You will be hunted down!"

"The noble clans will destroy you!"

"You’re dead! You hear me?! Dead!"

"The Aquila Clan will have their revenge!"

Caelus listened to their threats with an amused expression.

They were all bark and no bite.

None of them had the courage to actually attack him after what they just witnessed.

He turned to Sylvia and smiled.

"Let’s run away now. My Vampire Wifey."

As he said that, they both turned around and ran.

They could no longer stay in the Vanswara Stronghold safely.

Not after killing a noble clan head in broad daylight. Not after declaring themselves rulers in front of hundreds of witnesses.

The streets blurred past them as they sprinted toward the exit portal.

Citizens screamed and dove out of their way.

Guards tried to intercept them but were too slow to react.

As they fled through the streets, somewhere deep within Vanswara, a young man stared at a screen with a shocked expression.

He was sitting in a dark room filled with monitors and holographic displays.

His hands trembled as he pulled out a hologram device from his pocket.

The hologram flickered to life, showing a picture of Caelus.

But it was from the Abyss.

The image showed Caelus standing victorious over a fallen enemy, his dragon features partially visible.

His eyes darted between the old image and the live footage of Caelus fleeing through the streets.

There was no doubt about it.

It was the same person.

Meanwhile, in a grand hall elsewhere in the stronghold, several noble figures gathered around a massive obsidian table.

The room was decorated with banners from various noble clans, each one representing centuries of power and influence.

Lord Vexian of the Serpent Clan slammed his fist down on the table.

The impact cracked the obsidian surface.

"Some players killed Lord Aquila?! This is unacceptable!"

His serpentine eyes blazed with fury.

Lady Morwen of the Raven Clan nodded coldly from across the table.

Her dark robes seemed to absorb the light around her.

"We need to kill them immediately." She said with an icy tone. "We cannot let players think they can challenge us."

"If word spreads that players can kill our nobles without consequence, we’ll have chaos."

Duke Harlan of the Iron Bastion crossed his arms over his massive chest.

He was built like a mountain, with armor that looked like it weighed more than most men.

"I’ve already dispatched hunters." He said. "They won’t escape Vanswara alive."

"My best trackers are on the case as we speak."

Lord Vexian sneered with satisfaction.

"Good, make an example of them."

"I want their heads mounted on the city gates."

"Every player in this stronghold needs to learn their place."

The other nobles murmured in agreement.

Players were beneath them.

Players were insects.

And insects needed to be crushed.

Caelus and Sylvia burst out of the stronghold’s exit portal and found themselves back in the Path to Worlds.

The twisted landscape stretched before them once more.

Fragmented worlds floated in the void, connected by bridges of starlight and broken pathways.

The sky was a swirling mass of purple and black, dotted with distant stars.

It was disorienting but also strangely beautiful.

Almost immediately, a Darkspawn lunged at them from behind a floating rock.

Its twisted form was all claws and teeth, eyes glowing with malevolent hunger.

"SCREEECH!"

[Skill Activated: Chaos Bolt]

Caelus raised his hand and fired without even looking.

The bolt of Chaos energy struck the Darkspawn center mass.

It vaporized instantly, leaving nothing but dissipating particles.

[Ding!]

[Kill Registered!]

[+1,000,000 Origin Credits!]

Caelus’s eyes widened at the notification.

"One million Origin Credits?!"

He stared at the number in disbelief.

That was more than he had ever received from a single kill.

Sylvia noticed another Darkspawn approaching from the side.

[Skill Activated: Blood Spear]

A crimson spear formed in her hand and she hurled it at the creature.

The spear pierced through its head and pinned it to a floating rock.

[Ding!]

[Kill Registered!]

[+1,000,000 Origin Credits!]

"I got one million too!"

Sylvia’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

They stared at each other in shock.

These cards were way stronger than they expected.

If every Darkspawn kill gave them a million Origin Credits, they could become incredibly wealthy just by hunting in the Path to Worlds.

"Caelus, I think we just hit the jackpot."

"Yeah." Caelus nodded with a growing smile. "I think we did."

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