Chapter 268

Chapter 268
## Chapter 268

—

**I Alone Level Up**

Only a half-hour remained. I needed to allocate my attributes and prepare for what was coming next. I promptly pulled up my status display.

《Stats》
Class: None
Strength: 40 (10+30)
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Intelligence: 10
Mana: 10
Unassigned Stat Points: 300

That window had been hovering in my field of vision since the moment I stepped onto the 11th floor. The interface was straightforward. It indicated that from a base Level 1 state, I had 300 points to distribute however I saw fit.

‘The effects of the Primordial Armor and the Celestial Whale Talisman haven’t changed.’

Essentially, everything remained the same except for my “base attributes.” My gear, tools, talismans, and even previous classes or techniques were intact. However, I was currently “Classless.” There was a specific reason for that.

《‘Great Transmission’ has synthesized the Hidden Class ‘Destroyer.’》
《Do you wish to accept the ‘Destroyer’ Hidden Class?》
《‘Great Transmission’ has synthesized the Hidden Class ‘Warlock.’》
《Do you wish to accept the ‘Warlock’ Hidden Class?》
《‘Great Transmission’ has synthesized the Hidden Class ‘Heavenly Demon.’》
《Do you wish to accept the ‘Heavenly Demon’ Hidden Class?》

This was the creation of Hidden Classes through the Great Transmission! After my landslide victory on the Island of God, this was a reward bestowed upon me by Gabriel, the Angel of Blessing. It granted me the power to manifest “Hidden Classes” based on my own feats.

When I initially departed the Island of God, “Destroyer” and “Warlock” had been generated. This time, after I mastered the Absorption Method and perfected the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, “Heavenly Demon” was added to the list. It was an absurdly powerful miracle. It meant that based on my achievements and acquisitions, I could manifest any corresponding “Hidden Class.”

‘To normally obtain the Heavenly Demon Hidden Class, I would have to travel to the Heavenly Mountain Demon Cult and receive formal recognition.’

Standard procedure would involve traveling to the Heavenly Mountain Demon Cult, toppling the reigning Heavenly Demon, winning the loyalty of ten million followers, and taking the throne to inherit the title. However, “Great Transmission” bypassed all established rituals for such classes. It was a power that birthed the legacy itself. Calling it a miracle or a cheat wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I could pick any of these three whenever I made my decision.

‘……The Heavenly Demon.’

Naturally, the title that stood out most was “Heavenly Demon.” It was a strong choice. If I took on that role while wielding the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, my martial dominance would be peerless. I had already witnessed the devastating combat power of a partial Heavenly Demon—someone who hadn’t even fully learned the Absorption Method. I had the potential to become the Primeval Heavenly Demon, the Evil God himself.

And yet.

‘Something doesn’t feel right.’

Perhaps it was because I had seen the hollow desperation of the Evil God, who had urged me to discard my soul. I wasn’t fond of the title Heavenly Demon. More importantly.

‘……Even the flawless Evil God ended up trapped within the Heavenly Demon Sword.’

Furthermore, even the Evil God at the height of his power was eventually imprisoned. Defeated by a single blade. “Heavenly Demon” was the title of a loser. My goal was only to triumph and move forward. I sought a legacy with a name so untouchable that no one would even dream of binding it. A legendary narrative that would tower over the world and strike fear into it!

‘I want it. A legacy that surpasses everything else.’

What I truly wanted from Great Transmission was one specific thing. I wanted an inheritance that eclipsed both the “Successor of the Stars” and the “Supreme Sword Saint” that Randolph held. If I were to ask if the Heavenly Demon was superior to those two, I honestly had my doubts. I wasn’t even sure if such a thing existed.

Thus, I kept the Heavenly Demon Hidden Class as a final fallback for now. First, I had to handle my attributes.

‘The cap for any single stat distribution is…… 100.’

To make the best use of the Celestial Whale Talisman, I had to focus on “Strength.”

《Your base ‘Strength’ has hit 100; you cannot assign more points here.》
《Please select other attributes.》

As I poured points into “Strength,” it capped out exactly after I used 90 points.

‘Base stat 100. That’s the limit. I have 210 points left.’

I rubbed my chin. A balanced distribution would usually be the smartest path. No attribute was useless. Even “Intelligence,” which many dismissed as secondary, was vital. It dictated the speed of mastering new things, mental fortitude, skill precision, success rates, and active time. Additionally, “Intelligence” influenced hidden variables like rapport with others.

‘Since the Iron-Blooded Monarch’s Heart provides the mental fortitude I need, I don’t need Intelligence for that right now.’

I didn’t need to grind for mastery at the moment, nor did I need to win anyone over. None of my current skills involved projectiles. Consequently, Intelligence could be deprioritized for combat. That left Agility, Stamina, and Mana. It was a question of how to split the remaining points among them.

‘Finished.’

I concluded the distribution and gave a satisfied nod.

《Stats》
Class: None
Strength: 130 (100+30)
Agility: 100
Stamina: 10
Intelligence: 40
Mana: 100
Unassigned Stat Points: 0

……This would do. Some might wonder why I boosted Intelligence instead of Stamina.

‘The uptime of Heavenly Demon Descent is tied to Intelligence.’

Higher Intelligence meant the skill lasted longer. With low Intelligence, there was a risk of the skill failing or being unusable. Since these mechanics weren’t explicitly stated in the skill descriptions, most people were oblivious to them.

‘It was only because all of Randolph’s attributes increased by 12 simultaneously that he didn’t need to focus on it.’

It was rare for every attribute to hit its maximum with every level up. Because of that, many people ignored the importance of raising Intelligence. At the very least, they should have sought it through gear, but Intelligence-boosting equipment was scarce. People usually hunted for Strength, Stamina, or Mana, never realizing that a single “skill failure” in a heated moment could mean death. It was worth the investment.

The real issue was Stamina. It sat at a measly 10—the level of a novice. Stamina was effectively my defense. A single graze would be a lethal hit.

‘I just have to avoid getting hit.’

It wouldn’t matter as long as I remained untouched. The others had far less knowledge about “stats” than I did. I wasn’t sure why the Tower of the War God had implemented the Player’s system here, but it gave me a massive head start. But I wasn’t stopping there.

‘I’m going to lock in this advantage completely.’

I hadn’t utilized “everything” in my arsenal yet. Beyond the Hidden Class, I still had the “Authorities” that tied back to Randolph.

《Welcome to the ‘Golden Rule Shop.’》
《Total Golden Rule time remaining: 13,440h 17m.》
《You have 10 ‘Perfect Golden Rules.’》
《A ‘Perfect Golden Rule’ allows you to buy any item from the list regardless of time limits.》
《Refreshing the inventory costs ‘10h.’》
《As the 1st place holder in the Hall of Fame, you can view 10 items at once.》

The sheer scale of it was ridiculous. ……Was there any better way to dominate than this? I had over 13,000 hours worth of “Broken Fragments of the Golden Rule.” Plus, I could buy anything on the list instantly with the “Perfect Golden Rules.” And that wasn’t all.

《Inventory refreshed.》
《Inventory refreshed.》
《Inventory refreshed.》
《Inventory refreshed.》
……

I kept cycling through the list until I found exactly what I needed! I treated the inventory like a high-stakes gacha pull in a mobile game. I didn’t care about the cost. It was only 10 hours per refresh. Even with constant cycling, I’d have plenty to spare. Roughly speaking, I could refresh the shop 1,344 times. While others were agonizing over a single pull with their life savings, I was relaxed, tapping my screen with a fortune backing me up.

‘Even Mansour would be jealous.’

Indeed, a billionaire might envy my current position. The Broken Fragments of the Golden Rule were assets that transcended simple currency. Furthermore, this shop stocked incredible rarities. While it didn’t sell Unique-grade items directly, it offered the “components” required to craft them. I suspected the Holy Blades “Path of Light” and “Sacred Path” held by Wilhelm were crafted using materials from this very shop.

Most of the materials found here were relics of “fallen” legends—beings who had perished and faded away. The shop held the gear those figures once wielded. At the center of that collection was Wilhelm.

‘Wilhelm possessed eight Unique-grade pieces of equipment.’

When Wilhelm died, his items were broken down and moved to the Golden Rule Shop. Only two of those pieces had resurfaced in the world so far. Even if the resulting items weren’t perfect…

‘I should be able to assemble something.’

……I could probably put together one or two. If I kept refreshing, I might gather all the parts. Even if my luck failed me, it was fine. I planned to keep buying high-tier gear or talismans to use in the interim. I was genuinely curious to see how powerful I could become.

《Time until the ‘Equal Struggle’ begins: 4 minutes 29 seconds.》

A countdown appeared with every passing second. Less than five minutes remained. However, I was ready. I had cleaned out the Golden Rule Shop and reached my peak state.

‘I’m starting to feel a little bad for them.’

I gave a small shrug. This wasn’t going to be an equal struggle at all. My personal standard and power level had shifted entirely. But it wasn’t exactly cheating to use every tool at my disposal, was it? Looking around, the atmosphere had changed significantly.

‘Everyone has formed their cliques.’

The groups were set. They ranged from small bands of five to massive herds of a hundred. Almost no one was standing alone anymore. There were a few outliers, but they were mostly “rejects.” They had all gravitated toward those with power. Except for one person.

‘The last scion of the Empire’s Darkhan.’

The Darkhan territory had once hosted the Empire’s grand auction. But Darkhan had been ruined. Everyone there had perished during the failed raid on Baal, the Evil God of Calamity. Yet, a survivor had made it here. A blind youth with a bandage over his eyes stood alone, bearing the Darkhan insignia. He was one of the elites at Level 12! He clearly stood apart from the other rejects. Still, no one approached him.

“Shouldn’t all Imperial citizens gather under the protection of Dercian?”

“There’s nothing left for you in the ruins of Darkhan. Hahaha!”

Isabella’s birthplace. The Imperial survivors were flocking toward the Dercian nobility. Darkhan had once been a prestigious knightly house, but since its fall, it was only natural for people to defect to Dercian.

“Hey.”

Right then, a group approached me. I had been standing by myself. …Who were these guys?

“Do you have a death wish?”

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“Are you playing dumb? If you’re from the Holy City of Adrium, there’s no way you don’t recognize me.”

“Is it a law that everyone from Adrium has to know you? Are you the Pope or something?”

“……I am Aaron, son of Cardinal Johansson.”

Right. I recalled hearing that the Cardinal’s son had entered the tower. So this was the guy. He was accompanied by about 30 followers from Adrium.

“If you stay out here alone, you’ll be the first to go. That’s a guarantee.”

“I suppose that’s possible.”

“If you want to survive, give me the translated version of the ‘Mirror of Life and Death.’ If you do, I’ll let you into my circle.”

I was a bit taken aback. He was sharper than I thought. He had seen Lyca’s reaction and deduced that I had the decoded version. He seemed confident enough to take the risk of approaching me.

‘There’s a reason he’s so cocky.’

Aaron was Level 10. However, his entire squad was high-level. Their equipment was nothing short of magnificent—treasures that were at least Mythic grade. Their gear was doing the heavy lifting for them.

‘Most of them are Paladins assigned by the Cardinal.’

It was clear how much the Cardinal doted on his son. With a lineup like that, they wouldn’t be wiped out on the 11th floor even if they were outnumbered. Suddenly, Aaron stood his ground and loomed over me.

“Hand over the text and bow down. It’s your only chance at life.”

“…….”

“If you say no, I’ll make sure you’re the first one killed. Whatever you’re imagining, I’ll make it a thousand times worse. I’ll make you scream for the mercy of death.”