Weeks turned into months as Alex dedicated himself to an unwavering grind.
His goal was clear: reaching level 700 to qualify for the [Dragon Bloodline Trial].
The trial wasn’t something just anyone could attempt.
Its requirements alone were daunting, ensuring only the most elite could even dream of participating.
First, you had to reach level 700 and complete your tier 7 advancement task, a challenge in itself.
On top of that, your skills needed to be polished to perfection to handle the fierce battles ahead.
Then, you needed to be a member of a non-human race and maintain a solid standing within that race.
Lastly, three rare items were required to unlock entry into the trial.
And even if you met all those grueling requirements, there was no guarantee you’d get in.
Only 1,000 participants were accepted globally, and out of those, only 1 to 3 would ascend to become dragons.
The odds were astronomically slim, but Alex didn’t care.
He wasn’t motivated by fame or glory.
He didn’t even care what becoming a dragon might entail, whether he’d be accepted or seen as “lesser” for not being born a pure blood dragon.
None of it mattered.
For Alex, this was just another mountain to climb.
Every day, Alex stuck to a routine.
He spent most of his time on the ninth floor of the [Tower of Destiny], a place crawling with powerful monsters that offered substantial experience.
He had experimented with other training methods, such as exploring new maps or farming in the [Double Experience Zone], but nothing matched the efficiency of the ninth floor.
The grind was relentless, but the results spoke for themselves.
[You have reached level 493, gaining 4 stat points for every attribute and 5 free points to assign.]
…
[You have reached level 556, gaining 4 stat points for every attribute and 5 free points to assign.]
…
[You have reached level 678, gaining 4 stat points for every attribute and 5 free points to assign.]
And finally, after months of effort…
[You have reached level 700, gaining 4 stat points for every attribute and 5 free points to assign.]
Reaching level 700 came with a flood of new attribute points.
Combined with the points he extracted from monsters and the treasures he found, Alex’s stats had skyrocketed.
Most of the items he collected during this time weren’t particularly noteworthy.
They were mostly weaker weapons, armors, and consumables.
Anything remotely valuable was stored in his [Digital Inventory Watch] for later use or trade.
But it wasn’t just his level that saw progress.
Alex also made regular trips to the [Cave of Oblivion], an area that offered direct attribute bonuses instead of experience points.
[+32,870 Strength, +33,718 Vitality, +32,374 Agility, +34,837 Spirit.]
Alex alternated between farming monsters in the tower and grinding for attribute points in the cave.
This balance ensured he was growing in both power and survivability.
He even shared some of the attribute points he earned with Alice and Aurelia.
It was to make sure they would remain strong enough to handle whatever challenges lay ahead, even if they couldn’t accompany him on the trial.
He didn’t gain any new skills, talents, perks or even blood arts perks though.
Blood Arts perks usually got unlocked in a tough situation, but Alex never had something similar to that, meaning that he just used the [Blood Blades].
And as for [Skills], neither the monsters in the [Cave of Oblivion] or [Ninth Floor] had any options like this.
It was fine by him though, he already had everything he needed.
His efforts to strengthen himself didn’t stop there.
Alex also focused on advancing his [Undead Lord] talent.
While he spent most of his time on the ninth floor, he occasionally descended to the lower levels of the tower, where his undead army could efficiently wipe out hordes of weaker monsters.
[A-Level Advancement Task: Defeat 50,000 monsters with your undead.] (41,948/50,000)
Progress was steady, and Alex could feel the [Undead King] growing more impressed with each passing day.
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For the first time, the king even spoke words of praise.
“Good job, kid,” the undead king said, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic approval, “You’re close. Keep going.”
Alex smirked. He could sense how eager the undead king was to see this talent evolve.
Reaching S-Rank would not only increase his power dramatically but also unlock new types of undead and abilities.
It was a goal well worth the grind.
And then, it finally happened.
Ding!
[You have reached level 700, thus becoming a Tier 7 player!]
[Your experience is locked until you complete your advancement task.]
[Two classes detected: Unparalleled Mage, Assassin of Wrath…]
[SSS-Rating detected for previous task and dual class. Difficulty adjusted accordingly.]
Alex expected the difficulty adjustment. By now, the system always gave him tasks scaled to his overwhelming success.
The more he excelled, the more it raised the bar.
Still, he wasn’t afraid. He’d been through worse.
Completing the Tier 7 advancement task was the final hurdle before the [Dragon Bloodline Trial].
Without it, his progress would be frozen.
But this time, even Alex was caught off guard.
Ding!
[You will receive the hardest Tier 7 advancement task.]
He groaned. The message was all too familiar by now.
Since he kept achieving SSS-Ranking and doing incredibly good in the tasks he wads given, the system itself chose tasks based on his surroundings and power to make it difficult.
The farther he went, the more the system would give him an impossibly difficult task.
Every time he thought he might ease up and aim for an SS-Rank instead of SSS, he still ended up completing tasks perfectly, and the system retaliated by cranking the difficulty higher.
This one, though, was in a league of its own.
[Tier 7 Advancement Task: Receive a God’s Blessing.]
“What—” Alex froze, staring at the screen in disbelief.
[Your ratings will either be F or SSS. F if you fail to receive the blessing, and SSS if you succeed.]
[Time limit: 2 weeks.]
[If you do not manage to gain the God of Destiny’s approval and become his chosen one, you will receive the harshest punishment possible.]
“Harshest punishment possible?” he muttered.
For the first time in a while, genuine concern flickered across his face.
What did that even mean?
The answer came with another notification.
[If you fail, your level will be reduced by 300, meaning you will return to level 400 and the beginning of Tier 6.]
[You will not lose any stat points, items, or skills, however.]
“HOLY SHIT!”
Alex’s heart sank.
Months of effort, gone in an instant if he failed.
Dropping to level 400 meant losing his chance at the [Dragon Bloodline Trial].
And without the trial, humanity’s fate would hang by a thread.
The butterfly effect could be catastrophic.
He clenched his fists, fiery determination sparking in his eyes.
“I can’t fail,” he whispered.
He had planned to speak with Kaelios about the [God’s Blessing] soon anyway, but this changed everything.
There would be no casual conversation or easy request.
The task made it clear, earning the blessing would be anything but simple.
Kaelios might help him, but Alex was certain there would be conditions or even a trial involved if there was even an [Advancement Task] about that.
He couldn’t waste a second.
“World Map,” Alex mumbled, opening the interface.
The [Domains] section caught his attention. It was empty except for one location:
[Garden of Destiny – Domain of the God of Destiny.]
Click.
The teleportation light enveloped him, and he vanished.
Alex was ready.