SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100-Chapter 131: Reality

"This is the new world I told you about. As you can see, there’s nothing here. Everything you build will be made with your own hands. The next time I pay you a visit, I’ll come with some surprises to help you settle in and start building."

"This place belongs to no one yet. But it will belong to those who prove themselves."

Gasps broke out among the crowd. A few stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief, while others leaned forward, visibly excited. Murmurs and stunned expressions rippled through the group as a mix of surprise and growing anticipation settled over them, much like the rising heat.

But what stirred them most was the promise—the Divine Being would return, not just with power, but with gifts.

All of them were burning with the desire to prove themselves, their hearts pounding with urgency and purpose.

Leon had a few moments of thought, then made a decision.

With a wave of his hand, he emptied out his inventory of all the treasure he had collected from the noble houses, along with cooking utensils that would be used by them.

The metallic clatter of utensils hitting the stone floor echoed sharply, mixing with the soft thuds of treasure chests and the dull clinks of gold coins spilling across the ground. The air grew heavier with the scent of old wealth—metal, wood polish, and faint traces of perfumed nobles long gone.

Everyone’s jaw dropped, eyes wide, as mountains of treasure materialized in a shimmer of golden light. The sudden burst of warmth from the light startled some, while others instinctively stepped back.

Though many were in awe, quite a few beggars felt a sharp pang of greed spark in their chests—raw instinct clawing its way forward. To them, these treasures were more than gold; they were escape, survival, even redemption—for themselves, and for the families they had long stopped dreaming about.

James was no different. While he felt greed for the gold and treasure chests in the mountain of wealth, his real desire was for the technique scrolls he saw scattered between them. The few skill stones made him drool, and he couldn’t forget the weapons, which were surely of higher rank than mere common ones.

Leon clapped his hands—CRACK!—a sharp burst of sound rang out like a whip through the air, followed by a rippling shockwave that swept across the crowd. Hair fluttered, clothes rustled, and a low buzz filled their ears, snapping everyone to rigid attention.

Using his mana, he floated a skill stone and technique scroll into the air with a soft hum, the items swirling above in a controlled orbit of silent power.

"As you can see, these are the things I need you to separate from the rest of the treasure—the scrolls and the strange-looking rocks ones in particular."

"Do it right away. I need them as soon as possible."

They weren’t buried in treasure, since the state of the items in storage remained unchanged when they were removed. Even still, it would take at least half an hour to separate them if he were to do it himself. But that wasn’t the point—Leon wanted to see how they handled it.

The beggars—children, adults, old men, and women—started their task eagerly. They didn’t even see it as labor. Being surrounded by so much treasure made them feel ecstatic, as if they were living in a dream.

And to them, this dream was a thousand times stronger than any they had dared to imagine.

Leon looked at his slave standing next to him, who hadn’t moved. He felt the greed through their connection and spoke to him in a calm voice.

"What’s your name?"

James, hearing his master’s words, quickly answered, still eyeing the treasure from the corner of his eye.

"My name is James, my lord."

"Hmm, James, help them, too. You have the same task."

"Yes, my lord!"

James was about to ask something else, but his master’s figure vanished from sight.

He had wanted to ask whether it was okay to leave such treasure with these people. He had already noticed quite a few of them showing clear signs of intent to steal from the pile.

But now that the lord was gone after giving his orders, he would follow them. He had been tempted to open just one scroll and peek inside—but knowing the horror of his lord, he would never dare, even if the lord wasn’t watching.

Fifteen minutes passed. The piles were sorted, the task done, yet the Divine Being did not return. A quiet tension built in the air as some began to glance around, unsure of what to do now.

Then, without warning, Leon’s figure silently materialized near the treasure, his presence immediately snapping every gaze back to him.

He looked at all of them. A murmur swept through the group, and they stood up instinctively, some brushing off their clothes, others straightening their backs with nervous excitement. The atmosphere shifted again—tense but hopeful—as every eye locked onto him.

James was the first to approach him. There was a faint look of relief on his face, as he had managed to control himself—not even opening a single scroll, no matter how much he had wanted to.

"My lord, the task is complete. You can check all the skill stones and technique scrolls. All of them are sorted out," he said, pointing at the two separate piles.

There were around 50 scrolls, and nearly 100 skill stones. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Good job, James."

James bowed his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"It wasn’t anything, my lord. I’m your slave. This was part of my job."

He didn’t say it outright, but he was feeling quite joyful—not just because of the praise, though that was part of it—but because of how different his lord seemed compared to when he had first met him.

It almost baffled him how easygoing his lord could appear. Yet James didn’t let his guard down, not even for a moment—because he knew that if angered, his lord would stop at nothing.

Leon had praised him for a simple task, knowing James hadn’t done anything more than follow his commands—not steal a thing, not even open a scroll.

Leon had expected he would, and had already prepared to torture him if he did.

Sparing his life was already a huge favor.

He was going to be most harsh on James.

That didn’t mean he would go easy on the beggars either.

He did pity them for what they had experienced in the past week. Even then, the most he could offer was one chance. If they caused problems or misbehaved, he would put a Slave Mark on them—beside whatever punishment awaited.

Using his mana to enhance his voice, Leon spoke while eyeing the hundred or so beggars.

"It’s good that you’ve completed the task I gave you. But it seems some of you grew greedy—despite my promise that you would never experience hunger again—and decided to steal treasure from the pile, thinking I wouldn’t notice."

His voice grew sharper now.

"Or maybe you saw my kindness earlier and tried to take it for granted. If that’s the case, you are completely mistaken."

James nodded while listening to his master’s words.

Hehe... these guys haven’t seen the true horror of Master. It’ll be fun to see the unlucky ones when they turn into ice statues.

James didn’t consider himself particularly smart, but he had enough sense to recognize where these people came from—their sunken faces, dirty appearances, horrible stench, and visible wounds told the story.

He knew they were actual beggars—unlike him, who had become one due to circumstance.

"Because everyone here came from the same misery, the same filth, the same hopelessness. I gave you a chance—a real chance. But if you think kindness means weakness, then let me remind you... I can take everything back in an instant."

"I’ve given each of you a chance. If you can’t hold onto it, then don’t expect mercy—only consequences."

A tense stillness spread through the crowd. No one dared to move. Some clutched their sleeves tightly, others lowered their heads, trembling ever so slightly. The Divine Being’s calm voice carried the weight of absolute authority—enough to freeze the air around them.

His gaze swept over the crowd one last time—and for just a moment, his eyes lingered on someone.

"Let’s see who deserves what comes next," he murmured.