Level up is hard? I can Directly Purchase infinite Levels!-Chapter 99: Powerlessness, Borm’s Self-Doubt

Raine’s gaze settled on the final line.

He had now unlocked the ability to temporarily advance by three ranks. This meant that as long as he had enough bloodstone, he could leap straight past Expert and Master, directly reaching the Grandmaster tier!

It might even be Grandmaster Rank Nine!

Without a doubt, that would be an entirely new realm.

This was also one of the key reasons he had resolutely decided to head for the Starlight Archipelago.

Only a sufficiently powerful trump card could serve as the true catalyst for his continuous advancement and growth.

Suppressing the surging emotions in his chest, Raine shifted his attention to the skill interface.

He had already mastered a wide variety of abilities and achieved preliminary integration among them.

The Obsidian Golem Codex had crossed yet another threshold amid intense battles and had now reached four-star peak!

His physical strength, defense, and recovery abilities had all stepped onto a new level.

Coupled with the offensive art Thunder Arbiter, his physique had become even more resilient, and his destructive power far more terrifying.

Unfortunately, he still hadn’t found a suitable place to attempt pushing Thunder Arbiter to two stars.

This royal-lineage art possessed a total of five stars, and every single star brought an overwhelmingly powerful boost to combat strength!

With the continued refinement of movement-type skills such as Thunder Light and Lightstep, Raine was now capable of slaying Expert-rank opponents head-on without using temporary rank ascension.

If he further combined this with combat techniques from various alien races, battle would become even easier.

Recently, his greatest gains had come from the Energy Amplification Potion, which had strengthened his energy core.

His core had now expanded to more than ten times its original size, resembling a miniature ocean of stars, with its overall sturdiness multiplied severalfold.

The scale and might of the surging energy tides within far surpassed anything from the past.

This was one of the key reasons his combat power had skyrocketed by multiple tiers.

Because of this, he paid exceptional attention to reinforcing his core.

At present, he was still far from sensing any limit. He wanted to continue accumulating strength, letting his base combat power grow ever stronger.

When the time came to activate the Blood Devourer talent for temporary ascension, the power he displayed would be even more terrifying.

Finally, his eyes moved to his bloodstone reserves.

No matter the situation, he had to reserve enough bloodstone for temporary ascension—this was his greatest reliance.

To him, bloodstone was the finest resource of all.

It condensed an enemy’s blood qi and life essence. Not only could it be used to directly raise one’s rank, it could also subtly strengthen one’s will, offsetting the negative effects brought about by slaughter.

There was even a chance to obtain an enemy’s bloodline abilities during battle, enhancing one’s own physical potential...

It was a promotion resource countless people dreamed of!

At present, his bloodstone reserves were sufficient to support multiple Master-rank ascensions, and even several Grandmaster-rank ones!

Because of this, he had no worries whatsoever about this journey.

After lingering briefly, he spread his Thunder Light Wings and once more transformed into a streak of lightning, streaking through the sky.

This attack on Mistshadow City had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The top-tier experts of the gargoyle race had long been lurking in the shadows, seeking to strangle him.

By deliberately revealing himself and creating such a disturbance, he intended to draw their attention onto himself, easing the pressure on Iron Dragon Fortress.

As for what came next...

Whether they were Grandmaster-rank or Epic-rank, he would face them alone!

If they really pushed him to the brink, he could still advance without hesitation to Expert or Master.

At that point, with temporary rank ascension stacked on top, he couldn’t even imagine the manner in which they would die!

Of course, the consequence of doing so was that he might never be able to reach perfection at every single rank.

Within the same rank, the gap between him and those prodigies or Divine Scions would only grow wider...

...

The gargoyle race soon learned that Raine had already left Iron Dragon Fortress.

The Gargoyle King Platus did not let the matter rest.

On the contrary, he invited an Epic-rank elder of the clan to pursue Raine, deducing that his destination was most likely the Starlight Archipelago.

He also dispatched many of the clan’s young geniuses, spreading news of Raine’s movements to the prodigies of the major royal clans.

He intended to use their hands to eliminate this grave threat as quickly as possible!

After all, if Raine were allowed to grow, the first to suffer would be the gargoyle race itself!

...

Raine pressed forward at full speed.

This was the first time he had truly ventured beyond the battlefield, into territories controlled by the alien races.

Contrary to his expectations of a savage, primitive otherworld, what he saw along the way were vast stretches of ruined cities.

Even after more than a hundred years, one could still see the decayed frameworks of skyscrapers, the wreckage of massive metal mechs, and the tires of vehicles...

Raine descended into a field of ruins.

Walking along ancient streets overgrown with vines and weeds, he gazed at these familiar yet alien traces of human civilization, feeling as though lifetimes had passed.

Everything felt like a shattered dream.

He looked back toward the distant void.

Borm’s figure silently emerged from rippling space.

It was said that this lord had lived for a very long time—one of the survivors from the darkest era.

How much despair had he endured?

Just how hopeless had that dark age been?

Raine could not trace it, nor could he imagine it.

Because even today, the fate of the human race still teetered on the brink of extinction.

A barely perceptible ripple passed through Borm’s eyes.

Pain pushed to its extreme had long since transformed into a carving knife, etching everything deeply into his soul and bloodline.

Even the passage of time could not erase it.

"Can we... really take it back?"

Borm asked hoarsely, as if questioning Raine—or perhaps himself.

This was his homeland!

All the beauty in his memories originated from here.

Yet now, every inch of land reclaimed by the human race was paid for in blood.

How many more heroic spirits had to be buried before they could truly go home?

If they fought until their people withered away, how many would still be left to carry on the spark of battle?

Would the human race ultimately be reduced to a speck of dust in the torrent of history?

Whenever he witnessed such familiar scenes, doubt would occasionally take root in his heart.

"That’s certain. We will take it back,"

Raine answered without hesitation, looking straight at Borm.

"Even if the human race has already fallen into the abyss of despair, I will exhaust every effort to carve out a path forward... but I need time."

Borm quietly studied Raine.

He did not fully grasp the deeper meaning of those words.

But he knew that what this young man had given—and what he had borne—was no less than anyone else’s.

Raine offered no further explanation.

Confidence born in despair had to be forged through victory.

He possessed both the conviction and the foundation to say those words.

He simply needed time—

and more bloodstone.

Without lingering, he rose back into the sky.

He planned to cross the Koshi Range and head straight for the western shore of the Tidebound Battlefield, toward the Starlight Archipelago!

...

Koshi Range.

Many human geniuses from the rear lines were also attempting to cross this perilous mountain range on their way to the Tidebound Battlefield.

They were heading for the Starlight Archipelago partly for opportunities, and partly to provide as much cover as possible for the true prodigies of the human race.

They knew all too well that this journey meant a near-certain death.

But someone had to be sacrificed to exchange for even a sliver of hope for continuation.

This was not only resolve—it was helplessness forced upon them by cruel reality.

After all, no one was unafraid of death.

Humm—!

Deep within the mountains, a dazzling pillar of energy shot up from the ground, piercing the heavens and blasting the clouds into a massive vortex.

"There’s a precious anomalous flora!"

The human geniuses traversing the mountains immediately sensed the disturbance.

Many were forced to temporarily alter their routes, racing toward the location where the beam had erupted.

The anomalous flora appeared within a valley.

It was a golden lilybell, bearing thirty-six flower buds, each containing a fruit that radiated golden light.

The aura of the ripening fruit stirred the Nex of heaven and earth, gathering into a hazy mist, while its fragrance spread for dozens of miles!