Awesome!" Brandon exclaimed in joy as he stared at the multicolored, brilliantly lit screen pulsating before him.

[Congratulations! You have ascended to the Origin. You have acquired 2nd tier inheritance rights!]

[You can choose one gene skill, one pet egg, and one genetic armament from the 2nd grade inheritance inventory!]

Brandon’s situation was quite troublesome.

Back during his ascension, when Seth had infiltrated Brandon’s soul with his will, the inheritance crystal had instinctively tried to protect him.

Though in the end Seth had anchored him, it wasn’t as tight, which led to his current situation.

He landed in the middle of a desert, the endless sea of sand stretching as far as his vision could see.

The starless sky wasn’t doing much to light the area, so he had to rely on the moon’s lackluster glare.

Brandon didn’t know how far he was from the rest, but he didn’t worry much about it.

After all, after a day they would be sent back to Earth. He would meet them then and explain. For now, he was too busy being giddy from his inheritance gains.

He rubbed his hands together, his lips crooking into a greedy smile.

He opened the second-tier inventory of the inheritance.

A screen containing a list flickered into his sight.

He scrolled and scrolled, his eyes getting brighter. Not only was everything good stuff — the least being Noble grade — it also seemed the list was endless.

’I’ve struck it rich!’ he jubilated, as his eyes scanned through the treasury.

He had three picks for three categories: gene skill crystals, companion pet eggs, and genetic armaments.

What the last was, he had no clue, but it sure sounded badass.

"There." Brandon halted over a gene skill that caught his eye.

Naturally, since he got the King of Myriad Flames inheritance crystal, every gene skill it offered was of the fire element category.

Brandon was quite happy with his current gene skill, Royal-grade Sinner’s Touch.

And unlike Seth and the others, he had no gene lineage to rely on to get gene skills.

So every opportunity he had to get one was a cherished chance. And now he wasn’t looking for something redundant.

He wanted a skill that could layer its effects upon his Sinner’s Touch like a foundation, multiplying his combat prowess.

And he found a skill that caught his attention — one with compatible synergy with his current skill.

It would make up for his heavy disadvantage in using items.

Though having an elemental gene skill might be cool, it implied a massive downside.

Especially if you were like Brandon, who used his body to project flames. That meant your weapons would never last, suffering damage from both user and enemy. The weapon always expended its durability very easily.

But this skill he had his eyes on fixed that flaw. Even more wonderful, it was a Monarch-grade skill!

[Gene Skill Crystal: Flame Armament!]

[Details: A skill that defies all laws of physics, converting energy to matter. Consolidating flames into items, the user can give said item a flame-related ability.]

Brandon was almost drooling.

"This is the perfect pick!"

Though there were other Monarch-grade skills, none was as unique as this.

Not only would this utilize effects from his first gene skill, it also granted exclusive versatility.

He could forge any item with pure flames, consolidate it into matter, and create a flame item which he could grant a flame-related ability of his choosing.

He didn’t hesitate any longer. The other Monarch grades, if looked at closely, were all redundant — even if they burned hotter or had exaggerated effects.

Brandon preferred versatility over rigidness.

He quickly made his selection, and another screen unraveled — the companion pet section.

Humans were still quite new to the Origin, so none of them had yet come across a companion egg drop.

Not even Seth, with his exaggerated 100% drop rate, had gotten any. That alone spoke volumes of their rarity.

Brandon scrolled without worries. Honestly, this was one section he didn’t know what to choose.

These were all flame Origin Beasts, with the same evolvable tag.

But Brandon had a rough choice in mind. Since he was so powerful, wouldn’t it be wonderful if he had his own healer?

Immediately this idea took root, he began to scroll in search of what he needed. It didn’t take much effort to come across the perfect candidate.

[Species: Starry Fume Fox]

[Rank: Awakened]

[Gene Skills: Endless Flame Revitalization (Noble grade), Ember of Amplification (Noble grade), Star Fire Breath (Noble grade)]

The skill that made him decide to get this beast, despite the fact that there were several Royal-grade pets available, was precisely Endless Flame Revitalization.

This skill allowed the pet to turn all flames within reach into a vitalizing healing agent.

As a flame user, choosing such a pet was a must — as well as a massive boon.

Now for the last section: genetic armament. Brandon’s eyes glowed in wonder.

"Aren’t these tech suit armors?" He blinked in awe. Human technology had never developed to such a phase.

To think there was still such advanced tech in the Origin. These were exoskeletal tech armors built from essence-rich metals, inscribed with high-quality runes for circuits.

They burned on the user’s essence as a power source. Each armament had distinct specialties.

Brandon scrolled through various armors, not knowing what he was looking for until he paused on one.

"Lady Luck Dance Suit Armor." Brandon murmured, his eyes flashing at the description.

"A genetic armament crafted by the Sylvie race, a special race with a binding trait of Luck stat.

It is said this armor can make its user so fortunate even the Sky Emperors fought for ownership. Still, it landed in the hands of the Myriad Flames King."

Luck was a stat? Brandon wondered as he read the description.

He had never seen a Luck stat. Except for the newly gained stat Will, there was nothing.

But still, such a unique armor — he had to try.

Hesitating a bit, he selected it. Void tremored as the space around Brandon warped and bent, forming a gaping hole.

From it, three items flew out...

Brandon quickly claimed them. Before even absorbing his gene crystal, he needed to satiate his curiosity.

He equipped the genetic armament.

A dark green metallic, glowing runic armor formed on his skin, flickering halos of yellow spewing from its seams.

It fitted Brandon’s frame perfectly, and he guffawed at how marvelous it felt.

It was like the surface armor was an extension of his senses.

He bent and touched the sand, feeling every grain, every speck of metal dust singled out, even the faint gales of wind brushing across his figure.

And more importantly, his vision wasn’t obstructed in any way. In short, it was vastly improved to a 360° omniscient vision.

’Tsk tsk tsk! Really badass. Hehe, even big bro’s armor can’t compete.’ Brandon was chuckling to himself when all of a sudden...

Whoosh!

The sand beneath sunk and swirled, turning into a whirlpool. A terrifying suction force dragged at him from beneath the surface.

"The fuck! I thought you said this was a Lucky suit!" Brandon wailed in confusion.

Before he vanished from the surface, the sand settled still, the wind blowing away all traces of anyone ever being there.