“Auntie, look! It’s Young Master Klaus! He’s entered the City and Region Warrior Rankings!” One of the maids came running over, her face bright with excitement, holding a glass tablet phone in her hands.
Klaus’s mother was sitting peacefully in their small garden, weaving something when the maid arrived. She looked up and asked, “What’s that?”
The maid beamed. “It’s a ranking that shows the strongest warriors in the city and region. Only the best of the best make it. And Master Klaus just appeared at number 90 for the City Ranking and 360 for the Region!” She smiled wider, clearly proud to be working for Klaus, even if she was just a maid.
“There’s something like that?” Klaus’s mother replied, surprise filling her voice. She watched as the maid pulled up a video on the tablet, showing Klaus battling a Ground Drake Lizard King. As the video played, an unreadable expression crossed her face.
“Can you call him for me?” she asked, reaching for her phone.
The maid nodded and quickly dialed Klaus’s number. In no time, Klaus’s handsome face appeared on the screen.
“Mom, is everything alright?” Klaus asked concern in his voice, his expression showing a bit of panic.
“Everything’s fine. But what about you? Are you having fun yet?” his mother asked, her gaze warm but knowing.
“Not really,” Klaus said with a smile, biting into a piece of bread. “I’m just sitting here, enjoying the food you prepared for me.”
“You scoundrel!” his mother huffed, her face reddening with frustration. “What did I tell you before you entered the Forbidden Zone?” She had seen the video of him fighting the massive Ground Drake Lizard King, yet here he was, joking about it like it was nothing.
“Mom, you worry too much. At this rate, you’ll age faster from all this stress,” Klaus teased gently, his smile not hiding the affection in his voice.
His mother’s frustration was clear, but so was the love behind it. “You’ll come here and let me scold you properly. I’m still your mother, after all,” she said sternly.
Klaus’s voice softened as he replied, “I promise I won’t do anything that’ll put my life in danger. This life of mine belongs to you. These monsters don’t have the right to take it.”
His mother’s heart softened at his words. “Just be careful,” she said with a sigh. “You’ve already become a hot topic.”
Klaus chuckled. “Hehe, soon enough, everyone will be bowing at my feet.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You, what are you up to?” she asked, but before she could continue, Klaus flashed a mischievous smile.
“Eat more protein, Mom,” he said, then hung up.
Helen, the maid, couldn’t help but smile as she watched the mother and son’s interaction. The past few days had been the happiest of her life as a maid. Aside from cleaning with the other staff, she spent most of her time with Klaus’s mother, almost like her personal attendant.
“Keeps me updated on whatever that brat is up to,” Klaus’s mother instructed. Helen nodded before leaving the garden.
Left alone again, Klaus’s mother sighed. “He’s just like his father,” she muttered to herself. “I guess he’ll soon find out what really happened.” She shook her head and returned to her weaving, her mind still lingering on the past.
After Klaus entered the warrior rankings, his name spread like wildfire. No longer confined to just Ross City, Klaus’s reputation reached other cities throughout the Eastern Region of the Northern Union.
Entering the Regional Chart meant his points had surpassed most of the warriors on the City Charts and even overshadowed many on the Regional Chart.
The Eastern Region consists of 24 cities and 12 powerful clans. Each city and clan has its own elite warriors who have spent months, even years, racking up points to earn their spots on the charts. These warriors risk their lives by venturing into the most dangerous parts of the Forbidden Zones, battling high-tier monsters. Their bravery has earned them respect throughout the region.
Yet, out of nowhere, Klaus—a young Ascended warrior who had awakened less than a month ago—shot past them all. He appeared on the charts with shocking speed, surpassing many of the elites who had long held their positions. No one could believe it.
Ross City became a buzz of excitement. People flooded in from other cities, hoping to gain Klaus’s favor, or simply to meet the rising star themselves. His name was on everyone’s lips.
But the person at the center of it all, Klaus, was far from the commotion. He was perched high in a tree, calmly eating his meal, oblivious to the chaos he’d caused.
“That fireball destroyed all my money,” he muttered to himself, gazing at the charred battlefield in the distance.
Earlier, after defeating the Tier 5 Terror, Klaus had taken some time to rest and chat with Anna. She seemed eager to share everything she knew. In her excited ramblings, she explained that the military was responsible for overseeing the Forbidden Zones.
Anna had even told Klaus about the rewards the military offered to those who contributed significantly to the battle against monsters. She proudly showed him a badge she had earned after defending a city that had nearly been destroyed when a Forbidden Zone had been overrun.
From Anna’s descriptions, Klaus realized his recent achievements would earn him great rewards when he returned. Because of this, he only gathered a few rare Tier 4 monster bodies to bring back to Madam Fei and let the others take the rest. They were beyond overjoyed at his generosity.
After spending some time chatting with them and taking a few selfies, Klaus left, already planning his next big hunt. His experience point (EXP) progress bar showed he needed 10 million more points to reach Level 9. He sighed, knowing that even if he wiped out another region, it might not be enough for a breakthrough.
The monsters in the Forbidden Zones rewarded him with more EXP, but they were mostly Tier 3, which wasn’t enough to satisfy his growing need for EXP points.
Every level up added an additional 2 million points to his requirement. Right now, he needed 15 million more points just to advance to Level 9. Unlike others, Klaus needed to reach Level 12 before he could break through to the next stage.
“Ah, I guess I’ll use the monster cores to make up the difference,” Klaus muttered, looking ahead. “For now, I need a new target.”
Turning his gaze towards the Central Region, he smiled. “The central zones it is. With my undistributed points, those zombies won’t know what hit them.” The thought of battling the zombies excited him, but first, he needed a short break.
“Wait a minute,” Klaus mused. “If the fire destroyed all my money, shouldn’t the ice balance it out? Hehe, I never should’ve used that fireball in the first place.” He jumped down from his perch and started running in a certain direction. After a while of running, he stopped, pulled out a map, and activated its tracking feature. After confirming no one was nearby, he set his next plan into motion.
A small ice ball appeared in his hand, gradually growing larger until it was the size of a basketball. With a determined flick of his wrist, Klaus hurled it forward.
BOOM!
The ice ball exploded, freezing everything within a 10-kilometer radius in solid ice. Massive ice spikes jutted out from the frozen ground like jagged teeth. Klaus smiled in satisfaction and continued practicing. Slowly, the ice began to spread, stretching from kilometers to miles until the entire environment turned into an icy wasteland.
Anna had shown Klaus a map feature that displayed the number of people in the forest and their current locations. Thankfully, no one had been in the Eastern Section when Klaus detonated his fireball.
According to Anna, the Western Section contained rare monsters and valuable herbs, making it a popular hunting spot. As for the Central Section, no one dared to venture there. Klaus intended to go next, hoping to level up quickly and reach the Master stage before the City Selection for the Celestial Mountain Academy.
“I should probably make this next move look cooler than that fireball,” Klaus said, deep in thought. He walked to a nearby mountain and sat down, pondering his next move. After a few moments, his eyes brightened with an idea. “Lotus Flower,” he whispered to himself.
Spreading his arms wide, Klaus began to form ice in the shape of a delicate flower. But before the first petal could fully take shape, it exploded, freezing Klaus solid in a block of ice. He quickly heated his body, shattering the icy prison.
“Ugh, that hurt,” Klaus grumbled as he freed himself from the shattered ice.
He immediately began forming another ice flower. This time, a petal took shape, followed by another, and then another. When the fifth petal began to form, it cracked and exploded, encasing Klaus in a solid statue of ice.
Once again, Klaus used his fire to shatter the ice. “Hehe, almost there,” he smiled and began forming the ice petals once more. This time, the first five petals appeared, followed by the sixth and seventh appearing simultaneously. The eighth petal soon joined, and then the ninth.
However, as the ninth appeared, Klaus felt a sudden blockage. It was as if no more petals could be formed.
“The moment of truth,” Klaus said with a grin. He channeled his Star Qi into the lotus. As soon as the energy made contact, Klaus felt a sharp pain in his head and then lost consciousness. Despite this, the lotus did not dissipate. Instead, it began to spin.
The petals of the lotus started to transform. They grew longer, and nine marks appeared on each petal. These marks took the form of Stars. After the stars appeared almost instantly, they vanished, but one of the smaller stars on the first petal remained, taking on a deep golden hue.
Gradually, the lotus shrank and entered Klaus’s forehead.