Ding! Ding! Ding!
The notifications flooded Alex’s vision, one after another, each one announcing the death of a Grand Mage and the massive amount of experience points he had gained.
The numbers were staggering, almost incomprehensible to him.
[You have killed “Eleonore, Grand Mage” and gained 150 billion experience points!]
[You have killed “Grunt, Grand Mage” and gained 160 billion experience points!]
[You have killed “Ulrius, Grand Mage” and gained 155 billion experience points!]
[You have killed…]
The list went on and on, each name representing a powerful mage who had once stood at the pinnacle of magical prowess.
But now, they were nothing more than entries in Alex’s growing list of victories.
The experience points varied depending on the strength and combat experience of each Grand Mage, but one thing was clear: Alex had just gained an astronomical amount of experience.
Not a single Grand Mage gave him below 130 billion experience points too.
The final notification was the most significant though.
[You have killed “Isolde, Grand Mage Master” and gained 200 billion experience points!]
Isolde, the strongest of them all, had fallen, killing in his own domain.
The battle had been brutal, and Alex had barely survived.
If even one or two other Grand Mages had joined the fight, Alex would have been dead for sure, unable to revive himself or tank the damage.
He had been saved by the [Orb of the Unbreakable], a stroke of luck that had turned the tide in his favor.
But now, the fight was over, and the rewards were pouring in.
[+8.1 trillion experience points.]
“Holy hell,” Alex muttered under his breath, staring at the numbers.
They were so large that he couldn’t even begin to picture them in his mind.
It was beyond comprehension.
He decided not to bother trying to make sense of it and let the system handle the calculations.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The level-up notifications began to roll in, one after another, each one accompanied by a surge of power as Alex’s stats increased.
[You have reached level 935, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
[You have reached level 936, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
The notifications continued, each one marking another step forward in Alex’s journey.
The experience points were so vast that they carried him far beyond his current tier.
By the time the notifications slowed, Alex had reached an astonishing milestone.
[You have reached level 1000, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
But it didn’t stop there.
The system detected that Alex still had an overwhelming amount of experience points left over, enough to push him even further.
Beep!
[System has detected that too much experience is left over, as well as the fact you would be able to reach the next tier with your current available one!]
“Huh,” Alex said, his eyes widening as the system began to merge the excess experience.
[Merging…]
And then, the notifications started again.
[You have reached level 1001, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
It was insane.
The sheer amount of experience Alex had gained from killing the Grand Mages was enough to break through not one, but two tiers.
By the time the notifications finally stopped, Alex had reached an unbelievable level.
[You have reached level 1303, gaining 4 stat points to all attributes and 5 free points to assign.]
Alex stood there, stunned.
He had never expected to reach such heights before the [Chosen Games].
Killing the Grand Mages had been a desperate move, one he hadn’t planned for.
But now, he had reaped the rewards.
His power had skyrocketed, and he was stronger than ever.
But as the level-up notifications faded, another set of prompts appeared.
Alex expected to see a flood of extraction options, rewards from the Grand Mages he had defeated.
But to his surprise, only a single extraction prompt appeared.
“Why?” Alex muttered, confused.
He had expected to get a lot of loot from the Grand Mages.
Even if their skills were only “average,” he could still use their equipment for the [Crown of Calamity], right?
But the system had other plans.
[After killing the beings that were supposed to be extracted, you have gone too far from their location, cancelling it.]
“Oh, come on…” Alex groaned.
He remembered the rule: if you moved too far from the location where you killed an enemy, the extraction would be canceled.
It was a frustrating limitation, especially now that he had missed out on so many potential rewards.
At least he still had Isolde.
The [Grand Mage Master]’s extraction prompt appeared, offering three options.
[Extract something…]
[Grand Mage Master Core (Artifact++)]
[The Core of the strongest mage in Universal Descent.]
[Master Staff (Artifact++)]
[The staff that Isolde, the Grand Mage Master, uses, +5,000,000 Spirit]
[Staff Blade (Artifact+ Skill)]
[A skill that can only be used by infusing your mana into the staff you have in your hands.]
Alex looked at the options with a neutral expression.
None of them were particularly appealing.
The [Master Staff] was powerful, but it required him to hold it in his hands to use it.
Alex could already use magic without a staff, making it redundant.
The [Staff Blade] skill was similarly useless, it required a staff, and Alex already had the [Bleeding Dragon Claws] for close combat.
That left the [Grand Mage Master Core].
It was a beautiful artifact, glowing with an otherworldly light.
But as far as Alex could tell, it had no immediate use.
Still, it was the best option available.
“Hey, Crown of Calamity, will you absorb the [Master Staff] at least?” Alex asked, hoping to salvage something from the extraction.
[The Crown of Calamity will not absorb this staff, as the “Staff of Hatred” has better perks, and it does not like the “Master Staff.”]
Alex sighed.
The [Staff of Hatred] had better perks, including the ability to use it without magic and a 75% cooldown reduction.
The [Master Staff] was useless to him now.
With no other choice, Alex selected the [Grand Mage Master Core].
Ding!
[You have extracted the “Grand Mage Master Core” (Artifact++)]
The core appeared in his hand, its surface shimmering with a mesmerizing light.
It was the most beautiful core Alex had ever seen, a trophy worthy of the [Grand Mage Master].
But as he held it, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
It had no immediate use.
Still, he decided to keep it.
He lifted the core in front of the [Crown of Calamity], hoping it might absorb it.
“EAT!” he shouted, hoping that the crown considered him as its master too.
[No.]
“Damn it,” Alex muttered, ready to place the core in his [Digital Inventory Watch] for safekeeping like all the other items he forgot about.
Maybe it would be useful later.
But just as he was about to open his inventory, a loud BAM! echoed through the air.
Alex turned to see Arceus stepping out of the mansion, his staff spinning in his hand.
The air around him crackled with energy, and his eyes were locked on Alex.