After returning home, Lucas stepped into his room and shut the door behind him. Without wasting any time, he pulled the newly purchased Level 1 green dagger out of his spatial backpack and laid it gently on the table.
He sat down and took a breath. "Let's see if this works…"
His hand hovered over the green dagger, the Pale Blade gripped tightly in the other. He wasn't sure whether this low-level green weapon would qualify for devouring at this stage.
"I wonder if the Pale Blade needs a higher-level item now that it's been upgraded… well, only one way to find out."
He exhaled slowly, then pointed the Pale Blade at the green dagger and nodded firmly.
> Ding! Compatible weapon detected. Would you like to activate the Pale Blade's special effect: "Infinite Evolution"? Confirm: Yes / No.
"Yes, confirmed!"
The moment he answered, the green dagger shimmered with a soft white glow. It slowly disintegrated into floating specks of light, drifting toward the Pale Blade, which absorbed the energy greedily.
Lucas's eyes widened.
"It worked?!"
He stood up in surprise, barely believing it.
While he knew the Pale Blade could absorb Level 1 whiteboard daggers when it was still in its Ordinary grade, he wasn't sure if a Level 1 green dagger would work now that it had been upgraded to Excellent grade. He'd bought this dagger as a trial—didn't want to waste money unless he was sure.
And it worked.
That changed everything.
The Pale Blade didn't care about level—it only cared about item type and quality.
This meant Lucas could now upgrade the weapon at minimal cost, using the cheapest green daggers available. If it had required higher-level gear for each upgrade, he'd be in serious financial trouble by now.
He exhaled in relief, tension flowing from his shoulders.
"Thank goodness..."
Even the Level 20 green daggers he'd seen earlier were too pricey for his current savings. Buying several would've drained him dry.
But with this confirmed, he could rely on low-level greens to feed the weapon without breaking the bank.
His thoughts then drifted to the gear he'd collected.
He still had a blue, high-quality three-star dagger, and that purple school-issued Level 1 weapon collecting dust in his inventory. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head.
"No... I shouldn't waste that blue one," he muttered. "Better to sell it. With that money, I could buy five—no, maybe six Level 1 blue daggers instead."
After all, the Pale Blade had already surpassed that expensive blue weapon in performance.
Lucas pulled up his character panel and tapped on the Pale Blade.
> Grade: Excellent
Stars: ★★ (Two stars)
The stats had grown again, and this time the leap was even larger than when it was still ordinary.
Attack power had increased by 50 points
All other attributes gained an additional 15 points
He whistled in appreciation.
"The higher the grade, the better the growth rate... This is crazy."
He couldn't wait anymore. He had to keep evolving it.
So, without even resting, Lucas rushed out the door once again, driven by anticipation.
---
Today was the busiest day of his month.
In the morning, he'd cleared three Level 20 dungeons.
At noon, he visited a master craftsman to forge a pendant.
In the afternoon, he entered the Job Transfer Temple and singlehandedly cleared the transfer dungeon.
Then came the tests—his newly awakened skills, followed by the Pale Blade's devouring ability, and finally, the awkward encounter with Alexis Lane.
Now, after confirming that devouring only required item quality, he had yet another errand to run.
"This day just won't end…"
Lucas opened a map of Tianhai City on his phone and located several weapon shops. Memorizing their names and locations, he flagged down a cab and set off again.
"Painful… but worth it."
---
He made his first stop at a well-stocked weapon shop.
There, he reluctantly sold his Level 20 blue high-quality dagger, managing to offload it at a 15% discount. The money refilled his wallet just enough.
Then, he visited several more stores around the city, gathering resources.
Five green daggers.
Six blue daggers.
All Level 1.
And with that, he had officially emptied his savings.
Standing on the last shop's doorstep, Lucas opened his balance.
Remaining: 487 credits.
His soul left his body for a moment.
"I'm officially broke."
He was so stunned that he couldn't even bring himself to grab another cab.
He took the bus.
Back home, he dragged his feet down the road under the glow of the setting sun.
"Why does this blade eat money like it eats air?"
The Pale Blade was powerful, no doubt. But it was also an endless money pit. Upgrading through the lower tiers was already expensive. What would happen when he hit Rare, Epic, or Legendary grades?
He didn't even want to think about the cost of reaching Divine Weapon tier.
Lucas stared at the sky.
"I need a rich girlfriend… or at least a sugar mama…"
---
When he finally reached his front door and opened it, a familiar voice called out:
"Hey, you're back early today?"
His father, Frank, looked up from the sofa where the evening news was playing. He was clearly surprised.
"Tomorrow's the big assessment," Frank continued. "Why aren't you out grinding levels like the others?"
Lucas barely had the energy to reply. "I'm home…"
His mother, Martha, peeked out from the bathroom, wiping her face with a towel. "Lucas? Already home? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just tired," he said, collapsing onto the sofa.
Both parents approached, concern etched on their faces.
"You look exhausted," Martha said gently.
Frank, however, crossed his arms and adopted his usual strict tone. "Son, this exam is no joke. It determines your entire future. You've worked hard this month—don't stop now."
Lucas raised a hand weakly. "Dad, Mom… relax. I already reached Level 20. I'm confident I can make it into Kyoto University."
Both parents froze.
"Wait, what?! Level 20?!"
Frank's voice cracked.
Martha gasped. "You're serious?"
Lucas nodded and opened his status panel, displaying the glowing Level 20 badge under his name.
They stared at it.
Stared some more.
Finally, Frank stumbled back onto the sofa in disbelief.
"You… you really reached Level 20."
Martha clutched her chest. "That's… unbelievable. We only made it to Level 14 during our transfer month!"
They had struggled for every level back then—fighting wild beasts day and night, living on energy drinks and fatigue potions, sleeping four hours a night.
And now, their son had surpassed them with ease.
"Maybe the times are just different…" Frank muttered, lost in thought.
Lucas chuckled. "Or maybe your son is just that good."
Both parents sat beside him, speechless but beaming with pride.
With a Level 20 rank and powerful gear, Lucas wasn't just aiming for any college—he was heading straight for the top.
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