Gazing at the overwhelming effects of [Eye of Insight], Daniel felt a surge of satisfaction wash over him.
With this new skill in hand, he no longer needed to worry about deception, illusion, or underhanded plots. All tricks, all disguises—aningless before the clarity of insight.
Just as he prepared to focus fully on clearing the underground labyrinth ahead, a notification box suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Current Number of God Rank Skills Acquired: 7]
[Divine Breakthrough Stage Unlocked – Narrow Escape]
[Narrow Escape]: When facing a life-threatening situation and you are completely powerless to act, this effect will automatically trigger. Upon activation, you will gain invincibility for a duration equal to 1 minute × the number of God Rank Skills you possess.
During this period, even true gods will be unable to harm you. Furthermore, your state will be fully restored, and all negative conditions will be cleansed.
Daniel blinked, montarily stunned.
He was sure he had only six God Rank Skills. Why was the system now registering seven?
Puzzled, he ran a quick ntal check.
Then it hit him—there was indeed one skill he had nearly forgotten. One so stealthy that even he tended to overlook it:
[Mist].
Right! That skill had always worked silently in the background. Even his own status panel didn’t reflect it.
Thank the stars it didn’t affect him, or the consequences might’ve been... amusingly tragic.
Now with the matter settled, Daniel shifted his attention back to the Divine Breakthrough stage.
The effect of [Narrow Escape] was beyond powerful—it was a built-in safety net, a failsafe against instant death. And now, since he possessed seven God Rank Skills, he had seven minutes of total invincibility.
That was more than enough to survive sothing on the scale of the Terra Fortress cataclysm, which had only lasted a minute or so.
Even when facing an incomprehensible force—one capable of annihilating cities—Daniel now had a window of complete protection.
It ant that even in a worst-case scenario, he would not die.
Pleased, Daniel cleared his thoughts and activated [Flashback], reappearing instantly at the entrance of the next underground labyrinth.
anwhile, outside Castle Mington, at a relatively obscure teleportation gate, several Awakeners were gathered.
They stood before an imposing labyrinth, a mix of nerves and anticipation in their eyes.
"Everyone," said their team leader, a composed and confident man with an SS-rank talent, "this labyrinth may be tough, but it’s the perfect challenge for us."
"If we clear Hell Mode, our team will finally appear on the radar of the higher-ups. That could be our breakthrough."
"We’re not nobles—we don’t have the resources or backing they do. But we all have S-rank or higher talents. That ans we’ve got the qualifications to fight."
"With teamwork, this will be our mont."
Nods rippled through the group. These were rogue Awakeners, independents who refused to submit to noble factions.
But just as they stepped toward the portal, sothing strange happened.
A glowing Dragon Glass Stele near the gate suddenly updated.
One of the Awakeners noticed it first and called out.
"Captain, didn’t you say no one’s ever cleared the Hell Mode of this labyrinth? Then what’s that?"
The captain frowned, turning to look.
And then his expression froze.
Etched in glowing letters at the top of the stele was a new na—
Daniel.
"How... how is that possible?!"
"I checked just one minute ago. There was nothing—no record at all!"
And they weren’t alone.
All around Castle Mington, similar reports erged.
Teams who had been preparing to challenge various Hell Mode labyrinths were now staring, wide-eyed, at steles that all read the sa thing:
"Hell Mode Cleared – Daniel."
And it wasn’t just one dungeon. It was all the pure combat-type Hell Mode labyrinths.
One after another. Like dominoes falling in sequence.
Within minutes, communication channels lit up with chatter and speculation. Reports flooded the network, all pointing to a chilling conclusion:
Every single Hell Mode combat labyrinth near Castle Mington had already been cleared.
And the na on every stele... was Daniel’s.
Even more terrifying than the clear rates were the completion tis.
Daniel’s clear tis weren’t just fast—they were inhuman.
The slowest record clocked in at 9 seconds.
The fastest? Just 3 seconds.
This revelation left the entire regional Awakener community reeling.
These were Hell Mode labyrinths—supposed to be elite challenges requiring highly coordinated teams.
But Daniel was clearing them in re monts.
How?
The human communication network was already ablaze with discussion surrounding the recent Southern Apocalypse. But now, that story had to share the spotlight with a new phenonon.
"This is madness! Every underground labyrinth near Castle Mington has been cleared!"
"No one saw him enter. No one saw him leave. Daniel’s presence is like that of a phantom!"
"So scholars suggest he might be using a powerful forbidden technique that could have catastrophic consequences for us all."
"Fake news! No forbidden spell could achieve this level of power. That scholar’s credibility is now in question."
"The administration has issued an ergency notice: The Ten Things Every Awakener Should Know About Forbidden Techniques."
Despite the skepticism, the eyewitness accounts could not be dismissed.
Awakeners across the region began flooding forums and chat channels, each recounting eerily similar encounters.
"I swear I’m not lying—I saw it happen. The stele updated right in front of my eyes!"
"Sa here! I was about to enter when suddenly—boom—Daniel’s na just appeared."
"I recorded it. I have the footage. See for yourself."
The video went viral almost instantly.
People all across the continent watched as the stele’s record updated spontaneously, as if so invisible force had carved Daniel’s na into reality.
It shook them.
Even many professors and high-level analysts, who had initially scoffed, now fell silent.
And then soone proposed a theory—one that sent shivers down many spines.
"What if... Daniel is no longer human?"
"You an... he’s beco a phantom?"
"Or maybe he’s just using a skill that perfectly conceals his existence. That’s more likely, right?"
"Wait, I’ve got a question," one user wrote. "According to the footage, Daniel’s record was logged at 00:37. But here’s the problem—I’m over 10,000 kiloters away, in Black Market Town... and he also cleared a labyrinth here at the sa ti."
Silence.
That comnt hit like a thunderbolt.
Was it possible?
Was Daniel appearing in multiple places simultaneously?
If so, how?
Had he mastered ti manipulation? Cloning? So form of reality-bending travel?
Or was sothing even more terrifying at work?
No one had the answer.
All they had was this chilling certainty:
Daniel was no longer playing by the rules of the world.
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