Crystal stared at the medal in her hands in a daze. She never once thought she would receive the opportunity to rule the world. She had spent all those years working hard, focusing on her research, just so that she would not have any regrets. She did all of it because she wanted to help more people and change their family's livelihoods.And now, Adrian was giving her the power to do just that.“C-Can I really do this?" Crystal muttered as she held the medal. Everything was proceeding at a rate too fast for her to fathom, making her feel extremely overwhelmed."Everything can change, so long as you work hard for it to happen." Adrian nodded firmly.Crystal looked up at him, not knowing how she was supposed to face the man who had changed her future completely."Let's go."Crystal nodded her head and softly responded, "Okay."The pair left the balcony and headed straight for Novemton.***Many rumors sprouted up in Novemton over the past two days, with who was going to become th
After the jeep stopped, Adrian and Crystal stepped out. Crystal was stunned when she saw how serious the atmosphere before her was."Welcome home, Your Majesty!" everyone shouted.Crystal took a deep breath and quietly looked at all of these people before turning to look at Adrian."Our hearts all connected the moment you decided to stand here. We all have the same goal in mind, and that's for the world to be at peace and prosper, with no one daring to invade us forever."Crystal shuddered and took another deep breath before she said, "I’ll need assistance from all of you from this day forward. Let us all work hand-in-hand to build a better future.""Until the day we die!" everyone shouted once more."Excellent! On behalf of the billions of people in Navia, I thank you all. Let's go."The crowd paved a path for Crystal and Adrian to enter Navia Palace. Upon arriving in the grand and luxurious-looking main hall, Crystal gave it a good look before heading for the throne, while the
The next day after the meeting ended, Crystal held a mega press conference. This was the first time she was facing the world, speaking to them from Navia Palace's main hall, becoming a symbol of hope for everyone.Or perhaps… She had become a symbol of life for everyone.People had accepted Crystal's existence. Some of them, of course, were observing her performance. Three days after she rose to power, she revamped all of the flaws that existed due to how Internal Affairs had run the country in the past. The Battle Warrior Departments were established, and the four major borders were restructured. Both internal and external Wyvern Peaks had been formed and completely under the command of Wyvern Peak's legate.After all of this happened, many began to feel how serious Crystal was about ruling the country. She was indeed doing her best to fulfill her duties. With her revolutionizing the world, many others began to pay more attention to what she was doing.Five days later, the elders
"Then congratulations on finally getting the time to kick back and relax. I'm sure our family will become a lot happier from now on," Samantha said with a smile."Adrian, look at your daughter. She's so cute!" Rue held Nova as she sat down, facing the camera.Adrian revealed a kind fatherly smile at Nova. "How heavy is she?""She's only in her first month, so she's just close to nine pounds right now. Don't worry, children grow really fast. You should hurry home to take a look at her."Adrian smiled. "Thank you for everything, Mother. Please take care of Sam and Nova. I'll only be home in a few days. There's still one small matter I need to deal with before I go home.""What? You're not coming home yet?" Rue exclaimed in shock."I'll be home once I deal with this one thing," Adrian said.Rue was about to say something more, but Samantha took the phone and said, "Go ahead and do whatever it is you have to do, Adrian. Take your time, we'll be waiting for you at home."Adrian smil
The middle-aged woman next to her cried when she heard this, while the middle-aged man smoked cigarette after cigarette.The girl once again said, "Father, Mother, I'm going to quit school and get a job. I'll take care of you two from now on.""No!" The man threw away his cigarette butt and looked at the girl. "You're our only remaining child now that your brother's gone, Olga. Also, what job could you possibly get if you don't finish your studies? I'll think of something for your mother's medical bills."The girl lowered her head. Her name was Olga Lector, and the man was her father, Bruce Lector. Her mother, Lily Hurst, was suddenly struck with a severe illness and they had spent all of their savings to have her treated. Olga wanted to quit school to find a job so that her mother's medical bills could be paid, and she was their only hope.The whole family sat there, depressed over what to do. Lily was always crying, and her body was growing weaker by the day. Her son had died in
Sure enough, Adrian was no different from what was on television.Excitedly, Bruised asked, "It really is you, sir. What brings you here? Is there something I can help you with?"Adrian replied, "Wyvern Peak has been at war with Internal Affairs over the past few years, and our supplies were cut off at the time, which is why our condolences have arrived so late. I'm truly sorry about Damian's passing, and I'm sorry you have had to suffer all these years."The whole family was stunned as they looked at Adrian in confusion.Adrian then made a gesture and Mya walked over with a bank card and paper note in her hands. She smiled and said, "This card contains one million and five hundred dollars, compensation for Damian's loss. We're sorry it arrived so late.""One million and five hundred thousand dollars?!" Lily's mouth hung wide open. That was a sum she and her husband would be able to earn throughout their entire lives. In a daze, she asked, "Th-This money is for us?"Mya nodded. "
After leaving Lector Village, the weight in Adrian's heart was reduced only by a fraction. The last thing he wished to do was go through the name list of soldiers sacrificed in the line of duty and send his condolences to their families. This was something within his capabilities and something he needed to do.Meanwhile, Mya felt much more at ease. Inside the car, she heaved a long sigh before she said, "Damian's family will be able to live their lives a little better now that they've received that money. We've still got a long way to go. Just thinking about it makes me feel so tired.""Where to next?" Adrian asked."Hang on, let me check…" Mya opened up her file to take a look. She then squinted and said, "Next stop, Yelloton. Onward!"***Adrian and Mya headed to the next location in their jeeps, distributing both the money and death certificates belonging to the families of the fallen. Due to how many people were on that list, plus Adrian wanting to go through them all personal
Adrian and Mya walked over, placed the flowers before the tombstone, and took a step back.Mya tousled her hair and looked at the tombstones all over the mountains and lamented, "They all sacrificed themselves when they're in their prime. Everything we enjoy today is what they gave us with their lives."Adrian replied, "Yes, you're right. The dead can't be resurrected, but someone has to shoulder their burden and move on. All we can hope for is for their sacrifices to not be in vain."Mya nodded. "I feel really sad whenever I come here. It's as if I can still see everything that happened before my eyes.""Let's pay them our respects and leave.” After Adrian said this, he bent his knees and was just about to kneel when Mya pulled him back up and said, "You're the legate. You can't…""Have you forgotten that I no longer am one?"Mya looked at Adrian and smiled, getting down on her knees together with him as they paid their respects. When they got back on their feet, Mya said, "We w
The Daemon Emperor was startled."What is happening? This power..."Formless energy was surging forward, pressuring his nerves and senses.Below, Andy and the others trembled uncontrollably."Who is it?" Finnian stared into the crimson mist.Even Andy was horrified, his gaze locked on the unfolding scene in disbelief, and asked, "What is this? What exactly is happening?" At this moment, Adrian abruptly opened his eyes.Apparently, the Daemon Emperor had once conspired with Adrian's subordinates to ambush him.However, Adrian had managed to annihilate the traitors and sealed this Daemon Emperor. Now, fate had brought them together again."If I killed you once, I can kill you again." Adrian stood tall, his white robes fluttering in the air.The Daemon Emperor was stunned into silence."This is impossible! You're not that mortal boy!""Is that so? In this life, your end has come, and so has the era of the daemons." Adrian's voice was calm yet resolute. He stretched out his han
Adrian's face hardened at the words. He despised threats above all else. While he understood what the mysterious entity desired, he couldn't yet fully comprehend its implications or find a way to counter it. His only choice was to focus on growing stronger.Within the hot spring, waves of raw, terrifying power surged and crashed violently against Adrian's body.The force, though beneficial, was brutal and overwhelming. Adrian's body struggled to endure, cracking as though it were disintegrating."Arghhh!"A heart-wrenching scream echoed as Adrian's flesh was torn apart and his aura gradually dimmed."Ahhh!"His agonized cries echoed once more. He could no longer withstand the pain.In the distance, a towering figure appeared and sneered. "What's this? Can't take it anymore? Pathetic. Humans are truly the epitome of stupidity."Suddenly, Adrian erupted with an explosive surge of energy, and in that instant, he broke through to the pinnacle of the Void Stage."Hmm? He actually b
At that moment, the crowd was speechless.Adrian had ascended as if it were the easiest thing in the world.Faced with such a sight, no one could say much beyond admiration. Even if the Holy Son claimed Adrian had cheated, many secretly wished they could cheat the same way.Lacking Adrian's means, all they could do was envy him.Finnian chuckled. "Haha! You really caught us all by surprise, kid. Still, I'll count this as you repaying me a favor."For Finnian, the outcome couldn't have been better. With a broad smile, he seemed to have achieved his desired result. Adrian's successful climb was all that mattered to him.Once Adrian had vanished, the focus shifted to the rest of the group and their trials.When Adrian opened his eyes again, his entire body ached, but an oddly comforting sensation flowed through him. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now in a pond."Where am I?" he asked.Though uncertain about the place, Adrian knew he had cleared the trial and arriv
The onlookers stared in bewilderment, their faces etched with confusion as they struggled to grasp the unfolding events.Meanwhile, Adrian seethed with barely contained rage. This wasn't his first encounter with such torment. Every few steps he ascended, another trial awaited.To Adrian, the relentless punishments felt suffocating. Yet he pressed on—this was the final stretch of the climb. "Adrian, hang in there!" Andy shouted, urging him to conquer the last step. To Andy, reaching that final step symbolized Adrian's growth. He had witnessed Adrian's remarkable resilience countless times and held unwavering faith in his potential. In Andy's eyes, Adrian was destined for greatness. Adrian's expression turned cold as he locked his gaze on the steps ahead. Determination flickered in his eyes. "If reaching the top guarantees a reward, it doesn't have to be me up there. As long as someone makes it, that's enough." With that, he shifted his focus to the void above and formed
Adrian felt as if every nerve in his body was beyond his control. A deep sense of grievance filled his heart as the divine thunder from the void relentlessly crashed down.Rage surged within him, but under the onslaught of endless forces, he felt weak and constrained.Still, he had no choice but to press forward. He knew victory was within reach if he could endure a little longer—giving up now would mean death.If he fell, the shame and humiliation would crush him.Below, the Holy Son and others waited, eager to see him fail and mock him. This left Adrian no option but to push forward, striving toward the void above and his ultimate goal.The violent forces continued to bombard him from the sky.With every step, the thunder's impact intensified tenfold. His soul, already battered from a fierce battle with a horde of beasts, now felt as though it was dragging his exhausted body forward.Anyone else would likely have succumbed to despair. After all, under such immense pressure, ev
The oppressive forces descending from the void seemed determined to halt Adrian’s ascent up the staircase.Yet he refused to yield. To him, these overwhelming challenges were merely obstacles to conquer.He pressed forward with relentless determination.Thunderbolts continued to rain down, but the ominous red light from before did not return—a relief, as he never wished to endure its crushing weight again.The memory of that light still haunted him, leaving a lingering sense of helplessness. Its suffocating pressure had drained his strength, reducing him to a gasping, powerless state.Despite the toll on his body and mind, Adrian remained singularly focused on reaching the final step. His burning desire for greater power drove him forward, unwavering and resolute.Step by step, he ascended, reaching the 95th step in what felt like an instant.Only five steps remained. His gaze locked onto the summit, and a wild glint lit his eyes. A daring idea sparked within him, consuming his
Adrian pondered his situation, his cold gaze reflecting simmering frustration. Yet deep down, he recognized that whoever had designed the staircase was far from ordinary.Creating such a formidable trial required unimaginable power.Even a pinnacle Void Stage expert—or perhaps someone of the Multiply Stage—might bow in reverence before the ladder's creator."He won't last much longer. The divine lightning in this void is utterly destructive. In moments, he'll be reduced to ashes," sneered the Holy Son, his sharp eyes gleaming with malice.To the Holy Son, Adrian's demise was inevitable. Adrian had dared to offend him, and he was certain such audacity could only lead to death.Adrian caught the Holy Son's words and cast him a frosty glare. His intent to kill was unmistakable, though now wasn't the time.The staircase was no place for personal vendettas—eliminating him here would require careful planning.He also knew the Holy Son carried seals of immense power. A reckless move co
Finnian's sharp gaze reflected a hint of admiration. "Kid, you owe me a big favor this time. You'd better treasure this opportunity."Adrian remained silent, unsure how to respond. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, though he fully grasped the challenges ahead.Fear was a luxury he couldn't afford—he'd come too far to back down now.Suddenly, a streak of red light surged from the void, hurtling toward Adrian with terrifying speed. His eyes widened in shock as the crimson beam struck him, slamming him against the staircase.Caught off guard, Adrian collapsed, sprawled helplessly on the steps.The crowd below watched in astonishment. No one had expected his seemingly indestructible body to be overwhelmed so easily.The Holy Son sneered. "Haha! It seems he's triggered some kind of taboo. Let's see how arrogant he is now!"His voice dripped with schadenfreude, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as he relished Adrian's struggle.Despite the crushing force, Adrian refused
"What exactly is up there pulling me so strongly?" Adrian's expression hardened as he pondered the mysterious force drawing him upward.A surge of violent energy erupted across the sky, crashing down like a raging storm.Adrian advanced cautiously, each step deliberate and precise.Gone were the reckless strides of before—now he moved with steely determination, fully aware of the lurking dangers.He'd learned that the void's formidable forces seemed to target him directly, compelling him to proceed step by step. Any attempt to bypass its unseen barriers would provoke a devastating strike."Ridiculous," Adrian muttered. "If I've chosen to climb, nothing will stop me."The void's relentless power intensified.Bolts of thunder hammered down mercilessly, battering Adrian's body. Yet fear never crossed his mind.What was there to be afraid of?To him, the divine thunder wasn't an obstacle—it was a crucible, a tool to temper his body and strengthen his resolve.Despite the storm, A