The stone wall stood silently, yet the scene before it left the warrior completely dumbfounded. He stared at Aline in shock, as if unable to trust his own eyes. She had done it. After fifteen long, grueling years… she had finally broken through.
For a heartbeat, his brain stalled, then sheer joy crashed over him like a tidal wave. He felt like a toddler overwhelmed by a mountain of candy—unrestrained, wild with happiness, unable to contain it. For a moment, his own recent Class Advancement reward paled in comparison to this moment.
His gaze darted to Aline's profile, and then to her status window.
[Windbell — Level 1000]
Gulp. The sound of his swallow echoed in the quiet gorge. Words failed him. Laughter exploded out of him instead, raw and unrestrained, bouncing off the valley walls. He laughed so hard his jaw cramped, forcing him to slap it back into place before the fit could stop.
"Hahaha! Finally! Aline, you've been stuck for fifteen damn years, and you actually did it! This is insane! This is—this is the best day ever!" He spun around like a madman, fists pumping in the air, throwing away every ounce of the dignified demeanor a top-tier human warrior was supposed to have.
Aline stood there in a daze, as if the world itself felt like a dream. Her usually gentle eyes were wide and unfocused, her lips parted slightly in disbelief. Then, slowly, her lashes dipped, and she offered him a soft, almost shy smile. "Yeah… big brother."
The warrior froze. That single word cracked something open inside him, a lump rising in his throat. She called me brother again. His eyes burned hot as he quickly turned his head, wiping them on the back of his hand before facing the stone wall once more.
"Demon-Slayer's Sword Insignia… who could've imagined it would be this incredible?" he said in awe. "If you hadn't insisted we come, Aline, I would've missed the greatest opportunity of my entire life!"
He shook his head, still stunned. "SSS-grade talent… Demon-Slayer truly is on a whole different level. Not only does he rise to the top on his own, but he leaves a legacy that boosts the entire human race. No one in the history of the Human Emperors has ever done anything like this."
Aline nodded softly, still staring at the glowing etchings on the wall, eyes distant, lost in thought.
"We've got to spread this news fast," the warrior said urgently. "If every human player gets the chance to observe this Sword Insignia, our entire race's strength will leap forward."
"Mm." Aline agreed quietly, finally pulling her gaze from the wall.
Two minutes had passed since the system announcement, yet the world chat remained a chaos of flashing messages.
"Has anyone managed to observe the Sword Insignia yet? What's the reward? If it's worth it, I'm buying a teleport scroll right now!"
"No clue! Our party's still clearing mobs—dammit, I just died!"
"Level 5 female knight here! Looking for a team to Wolf King Valley, I don't care about the loot, I just wanna see the Sword Insignia~"
"What's your talent grade?"
"E-grade…"
"Yeah, no thanks. At least C-grade if you wanna tag along."
"Aw, but my cup size's an E too (✿◡‿◡)."
"W-what the hell—I volunteer!"
Suddenly, one message stood out in the chaotic stream.
Windbell: "Thank you, Demon-Slayer. Your Sword Insignia gave me a second life. I'll be grateful for the rest of my days."
The world chat went dead silent for a split second before exploding again. A player at level 99 quickly typed:
"Miss Windbell, what do you mean by 'second life'? Could you elaborate, please?"
Then he saw her level.
"Holy crap—1000?! Grandma Windbell, I sincerely apologize! Please forgive your unworthy grandson!"
The chat went berserk. A thousand-level player? No wonder she'd seen the Sword Insignia first. Everyone wanted answers now, every player desperate to know what kind of miracle Demon-Slayer's legacy had triggered.
But Windbell didn't reply. The anticipation was agonizing. Players could only wait for another high-level powerhouse to clear the dungeon and spill the truth.
Finally, a new message appeared.
Swordbreaker: "I'll explain briefly. Aline has been stuck at level 999 for fifteen years. Just now, after observing Demon-Slayer's Sword Insignia, she successfully broke through to 1000. As for me, I got a Class Advancement opportunity. This proves that the Sword Insignia is insanely powerful. If you can, get in there and watch it yourselves. And remember, don't forget the man who dug the well you're drinking from—thank Demon-Slayer!"
The entire world chat detonated. Not just chat—the whole Human Alliance, the entire Blue Star Network of players erupted like a supernova. Human players from every corner of the Land of Divine Punishment scrambled to teleport to the newbie map.
Auction house listings for teleport scrolls skyrocketed, prices climbing by the second.
Moments later, new messages flooded the chat:
"Holy hell, Swordbreaker wasn't lying! I just observed the Sword Insignia and got a second talent awakening! Demon-Slayer, I owe you my life!"
"Me too, Class Advancement unlocked! Demon-Slayer, you absolute legend!"
"THANK YOU, DEMON-SLAYER!"
"THANK YOU, DEMON-SLAYER!"
"THANK YOU, DEMON-SLAYER!"
The chorus of gratitude swept across every channel. Meanwhile, on the forums, Wolf King himself had just been crowned the most-killed boss in the last 24 hours. It was, without question, the creature's worst day in history.
"Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"
Inside Wolf King Valley, Noah sneezed several times in a row as he finished slaying yet another boss run. After leaving the Permanent Sword Insignia earlier, he'd immediately dived back into farming the dungeon. Now, glancing at the world chat full of messages thanking Demon-Slayer, he couldn't help but grin.
Feels good, he admitted silently. A little pride swelled in his chest, especially after seeing the message from a level 1000 player named Windbell promising eternal gratitude. Whether she meant it or not, it warmed him.
Then his eyes flicked to his experience bar, and his heart almost leapt out of his chest.
Experience +1
Experience +1
Experience +1
Thousands of system prompts scrolled endlessly. He blinked, leaned closer, and nearly cursed out loud.
"Wait… what the hell? I was at six million before… now I'm at fifty-six million?!" His breath hitched as realization dawned.
"That means… five thousand freaking players have already observed my Sword Insignia in just a few minutes?!"
He sucked in a sharp breath. Holy crap, he'd underestimated this. This dungeon legacy was hands down the greatest contribution to humanity in the Land of Divine Punishment's history. He needed more of these. As many as possible.
Compared to this, grinding mobs felt like a waste of time. This was effortless, pure profit while lying down. But Noah didn't let the praise or the skyrocketing experience make him complacent. His mind stayed razor-sharp. He still needed to stack his Vitality.
So, ignoring the chaos in chat, he buried himself in another relentless wave of dungeon runs.
By the time the afternoon sun dipped low and school hours ended, Noah had finally pushed his Vitality to 100,000 HP at Level 1. That was absurd, a stat comparable to top-tier level 200 players. In Divine Domain Mode, his Judgment Strike could easily blast over 1.5 million damage in a single hit.
"With this… I could solo-kill a level 200 boss," Noah muttered, eyes glinting with fierce determination. The thought thrilled him. But one problem remained:
According to the Land of Divine Punishment's system rules, leaving the newbie map required reaching level 50 and completing a breakthrough quest. Yet he couldn't gain levels normally anymore. How was he supposed to leave this cage?
Logging out of the game, Noah leaned back in his seat at the very back of the classroom, sighing deeply. At the same time, his deskmate Tang Xia mirrored him with her own exasperated sigh.
He shot her a sideways glance. "What are you sighing for?"
She fiddled with her ponytail, envy written all over her face. "That Sword Insignia Demon-Slayer left in the dungeon… I wish I could see it. But the moment I stepped out of the starter village, wild mobs wrecked me."
The classroom buzzed with chatter. Every student was caught up in Sword Insignia fever, lamenting their low levels, keeping them from witnessing the miracle themselves.
Noah grinned smugly. "What level are you even at? You'd get slaughtered out there."
Tang Xia huffed, about to kick him under the table, then realized her skirt had ridden up dangerously. Face flushed, she slammed her hands over it and jerked her leg back. "Hmph! Daddy's level twelve, thank you very much. What about you?"
He smirked, shouldering his bag. "Grandpa's level fifty. Leaving this newbie dump tomorrow. Wanna compare notes then?"
"Level fifty, my ass!" she shot back, glaring at him.
Banter over, Noah slung his backpack and strolled home, one hand casually in his pocket.
Half an hour later, he stepped through his front door on schedule.
"I'm home," he called out automatically toward the living room.
Kicking off his shoes, he wandered in—and froze. Sitting on the coffee table, sparkling like a shard of starlight, was a crystalline object that hummed faintly with power.
His eyes widened in shock.
"A… Link Crystal?!"