I sat on the balcony of my mansion, the city lights flickering beneath the dark night sky. The cool breeze whispered of change—of the chaos to co.
Behind , Hui stood silently, arms crossed, her gaze as cold and watchful as ever.
Inside the villa, iyun and Ruxue were still trying to digest everything I’d told them.
Well—almost everything.
I didn’t ntion the system. Or the fact that I was a regressor.
So truths were better left buried. For now.
What mattered was action.
The world thought the Trials were over. That peace had returned.
They were dead wrong.
The Trials were rely the opening act. A prelude.
What’s coming next would shatter the very foundation of this world.
I had lived through it once already. I’d seen the skies split open, watched as Earth was forcefully rged with two entirely different planets—one a realm of demonic corruption, and the other a spiritual beast world of raw power and ancient hierarchies.
Back then, no one was prepared. Not a single soul.
Governnts fell. Order crumbled. Humanity, the weakest of the three races, was pushed to the brink of extinction.
Monsters were no longer just fantasy—they beca reality.
This ti, I won’t let history repeat itself.
I stood and opened my system panel.
[Ultimate Experience System]
Active
Class: Lawrenderer
Subclass: Trait Holder (Ultra-Rare)
Challenges Cleared: 10
Title: Trial Conqueror (Temporary)
I smirked.
Lawrenderer. A class that could manipulate rules themselves.
And the Trait Holder subclass... that was the true wildcard.
Its potential was still untapped. Traits could define destiny. And I could collect, modify, and wield them freely.
But before I began changing the world...
Step one: Capital.
Influence.
A foothold.
It didn’t matter how powerful I was—without wealth, infrastructure, and networks, I’d be nothing more than a lone powerhouse in a world ruled by factions and empires.
Money could buy awakened gear before it reached black markets.
Money could secure land—dungeon zones, ley lines, spiritual convergence points.
Money could create private forces, train elites, and build alliances while the world still thought everything was fine.
I pulled out my tablet and began listing nas. Companies that were nobodies now but would beco titans of industry after the fusion. Biotech firms that would discover mana compatibility. Weapon R&D labs that would develop soulbound arms. Investnt firms that would fund the first awakened rcenary corps.
I knew all their nas.
I knew their rise, their fall, their betrayals and their breakthroughs.
And this ti—I would be the one standing on top.
But before I could finish typing, Hui stepped beside , arms still folded.
"You look like a villain," she said flatly.
I glanced at her. "Not a villain. Just... prepared."
Her eyes narrowed. "And those two inside? What will you do if they beco burdens?"
"I’ll protect them," I said without hesitation. "No matter what."
She studied for a long second, then looked away. "You’d better. Because if you ever fall again, I’ll tear this world apart."
...That sounded a little too serious.
Yandere flag? Probably.
Still, I couldn’t afford distractions now.
In less than a month, the skies would turn red.
The first signs of planetary fusion would begin. Spatial rifts. Inexplicable phenona. Wild mana fluctuations. Everyone would think it was just a side effect of the Trials.
But I knew better.
And when the rge completed...
Three worlds would beco one.
Humans would be pushed to the bottom of the food chain.
Peace would vanish.
But this ti...
I’ll be ready.
As I stood on the balcony, deep in thought about the coming catastrophe, the world outside was already beginning to unravel.
The aftermath of the Trials had shaken the entire planet.
Those who awakened powers—so inspired, others corrupted—began abusing their strength. Cities descended into chaos. Law and order collapsed in several regions.
Even the area around my mansion wasn’t spared. Looting. Fires. Screams.
But I was calm.
I raised my hand and invoked my authority.
With my Lawrenderer class, casting a high-grade defensive barrier around the entire mansion was as simple as breathing. The mont I willed it, an invisible do of order ford—locking out violence, mana fluctuations, and even surveillance.
This class... it was absurdly powerful.
I could bend reality within my domain. Enforce rules. Break them. Rewrite them.
But I knew this peace was temporary.
Soon... they would show up.
The so-called "5S"—a group of five humans who would rise as the first major resistance to the erging chaos. They would fight cri, help civilians, and act as unofficial guardians of humanity.
And because of that, they would gain fa.
Influence.
Eventually, the fractured governnts would be forced to acknowledge them. They would beco humanity’s public pillars. Heroes in the eyes of the masses. Tools in the hands of those with deeper agendas.
But I knew the truth. I had lived it.
They weren’t bad people... but they weren’t ready for what was coming either.
Still, their rise was inevitable—and I could use that.
With the knowledge I held, earning wealth wouldn’t be difficult this ti. I knew which stocks to buy, which patents to steal—whose loyalty to buy before the world even realized its value.
And so, step by step, I would build a private empire—one capable of surviving the collapse.
I closed the tablet and stood.
It was ti to act.
I sent a ssage through the system-linked communication node.
"iyun. Co to my room. We need to talk."
iyun arrived at my room promptly. I gestured for her to sit, the weight of what I was about to say settling heavily between us.
"Listen carefully," I began. "We need to establish an organization—call it the Challenger Association."
She blinked, intrigued but attentive.
"This association will be a haven for all challengers. A place where they register, receive ranks, and build their reputations. It has to grow fast, and it has to beco the strongest network before anyone else even thinks about it."
I locked eyes with her. "This isn’t just about power. It’s about survival. If we control the challengers, we control the future."
iyun nodded firmly, a spark of determination lighting her eyes. "Understood. I’ll get started imdiately."
Without hesitation, she rose and left the room, already moving to turn the plan into reality.
Chen Family Mansion – Hidden Council Hall
Within the heart of the Chen Family estate, deep beneath layers of reinforced stone and ancient formations, a quiet tension filled the chamber. Several elders stood around a long obsidian table, the flickering light of jade lanterns casting shadows across their weathered faces.
One of the younger core mbers spoke up, hesitantly, "Elder... the ancestor’s records spoke of a calamity that returns every thousand years. But the Trials ca early. Were they... wrong?"
The room fell silent.
Then ca a sharp bark from the First Elder. "Shut your mouth, brat."
The youth flinched, lowering his gaze.
"There is no such thing as absolute prophecy. Each generation faces its own catastrophe, shaped by its own hubris. Our Chen Family stood at the pinnacle of the world a thousand years ago... and yet today, we are rely one of the Great Families of China."
He paused, voice heavy with both pride and frustration.
"But that doesn’t an our legacy ends here."
Another elder nodded. "Indeed. Young Master Gin has cleared four Challenges already. The power he wields is far beyond what we expected. He could beco the cornerstone of our rise."
The First Elder’s eyes narrowed. "And what of the other one? The outcast... Chen Yu?"
There was a mont of hesitation before a reply ca.
"We... we’re still investigating. He vanished during the Trials, but sources say he returned just recently."
"He was the dragon," the First Elder muttered, more to himself than the others. "That boy... our ancestors weren’t speaking of Gin. They were speaking of Chen Yu. The one born in silence, forgotten by his own bloodline."
He slamd his hand on the table.
"No matter what it takes, bring him back to us. We can’t afford to let a dragon fly free."
UNKNOWN LOCATION
Sowhere beyond realms, untouched by ti.
Two elderly figures sat across from each other, an ancient chessboard resting between them. The pieces were unfamiliar—carved from bones of beasts and stones that shimred with starlight. Every move seed to ripple through the very fabric of space.
A gust of silence passed, broken only by the faint clink of a chess piece being moved.
One of them, cloaked in twilight threads, finally spoke.
"So... what do you think will happen this ti, in that lower realm?"
The other, eyes deep as galaxies, paused for a mont. His hand hovered over the board before placing a piece down with an almost inaudible click.
"I don’t know," he said calmly. "Perhaps... after a thousand years, soone will finally grasp true power. Soone will break the cycle... and ascend."
The first man chuckled softly. "Ascend, huh? Do you think it’ll be a hero—the so-called savior of calamity? Or a villain... soone who dominates the heavens and earth beneath him?"
"Hard to say," the second man replied, leaning back slightly. "Heroes and villains... those are mortal labels. Up here, we only see moves and outcos."
Silence fell again.
Then, with a faint gleam in his eyes, he added,
"But I do have my eyes on soone already."
The board glowed for a mont, one black piece subtly pulsing with light.
"The ga has only just begun."
Reviews
All reviews (0)