The large chamber was illuminated by the bright light of the grail. The chamber looked completely different and out of place in this disgusting and dangerous forest.

It contained a shining, transparent liquid that continuously emitted mana. Alen could sense that the sheer amount of pure mana concentrated in the grail couldn’t be less than an ocean.

It was his first time seeing something like this. He had once heard in the storybooks his mother used to read that the Holy Grail contained a liquid with the ability to purify a person’s soul and mind. It was just a fantasy, but now Alen wasn’t completely sure if it was just a myth or not.

"But why is it placed in a place like this? I thought this type of artifact would be preserved in temples."

"And even if not there... at least not in a place like this where the only things lurking around are undead." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"What should I do now? Should I take it? Or should I leave it? What if it triggers some danger if I touch it? What if after touching that artifact I turn into an undead myself?"

"Damn! I’m starting to feel nervous now."

Alen bit his lip in thought. Finally, he made up his mind about what he should do with the artifact in front of him.

"Rather than it rotting in a place like this and getting destroyed by some undead, I will take it. It will also show respect to the person who left it for others to inherit."

"Hehehe... let’s go. It’s loot time!"

As Alen started to walk toward the grail, he waited for some mechanic to kick in and attack him. But as he waited, nothing happened.

He stepped forward a bit more and waited for a few seconds, but still, nothing happened.

"It seems there is no protective security. Well, that makes sense; it would have been difficult for anyone else to even find it."

"And besides, the illusion was a challenging security system itself, so there was no need for another trial."

As Alen continued walking toward the grail with cautious steps, he stepped through the magic circle.

As he entered the circle, it started to glow brightly. Alen closed his eyes as the intense light nearly blinded him.

As the light slowly subsided, the grail floating in front of him drifted directly into his hands.

[Ding! Item found!]

[Artifact: Holy Grail (X)]

[Description: The Holy Grail contains the purest form of liquid mana and carries the blessing of a God, granting the user unimaginable power. It will boost the person’s talent, and for most, it helps awaken their hidden potential. The effect of the Grail differs from person to person.]

He looked at the grail. Pure mana emitted from it, illuminating his eyes. He didn’t wait for a second; he brought the grail’s edge to his lips and drank it.

As he drank from the grail, his body slowly started to shine. The empty grail slipped from his hands and fell to the ground.

*CLANG!*

His vision started to blur as the bright light swallowed his eyes. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

...

Inside the Inner Sanctum, Alen woke up slowly. He couldn’t feel his body, as if he didn’t even have one. He looked ahead; the space around him was pure white, without even the slightest bit of any other color.

He looked down at himself. He was completely invisible, as if he wasn’t even there.

"What the hell...!"

Alen felt extremely panicked at not being able to see his own hands. Just as he was panicking, a flurry of notifications appeared.

[Ding! You have successfully consumed the ’Divinity’ of ’Nexus’]

[Ding! You have gained a massive boost to your stats!]

[Ding! You have gained a massive boost to your rank!]

[Upgrading Rank: E → E+ → D- → D → D+]

[Ding! Rank: D+]

[Ding! You have gained a massive affinity for Nature’s Mana! Your mana is purified by 500%]

[Ding! Your Mana Pool has increased tremendously!]

[Ding! You have gained recognition from the ’Order’ of ’Elements’]

[Ding! You have gained an affinity for all elements!]

[Ding! You have gained a New Title: The Elemental Master]

[Ding! Your body is upgrading from the Mortal level...]

[Ding! You have Awakened the Celestial Body!]

[Ding! You have gained a new technique: ’Nexus Elemental Art’!]

[Ding! Your hidden potential has been awakened!]

[Ding! You have gained the ability to manipulate ’Sound’]

[Ding! New Unique Element: Sound!]

[Ding! You have successfully bypassed the illusion to come here! You have passed the trial!]

[Ding! You have been granted the new title: ’Illusion Walker’!]

[Ding! You have gained 1x Memory Fragment]

...

In the outside world, the atmosphere was completely different.

A bright light emitted from Alen’s body, illuminating the entire chamber. His body started to float in the air. A pillar of golden light shot down toward him from the space above.

His body began to shine. His already pale skin became even more flawless. His facial features grew sharper and more defined. His pitch-black hair, which once mirrored the night sky, slowly turned a brilliant silver. His aura started to expand.

He grew a little taller. His muscles tightened, giving him a strong, well-built physique. He became several times more handsome than before.

He looked like a god with a human soul!

(Illustration has been uploaded! Click here!)

...

Inside the Inner Sanctum, entirely unaware of the physical changes happening to him on the outside, Alen focused on his status window.

[Status Window]

[Name: Alen]

[Age: 17]

[Title: The Outlier, The Elemental Master, Illusion Walker]

[Talent: Unknown]

[Rank: D+]

[Element: Sound]

[Physique: Celestial Body(0-★)]

[ATTRIBUTES]

[STR: 80/100]

[AGI: 85/100]

[DEF: 75/100]

[INT: 90/100]

[HP: 500/500]

[MP: 1000/1000]

[ABILITY]

1.???? (?)

[Description: Your ???? will not be affected by the ????????. The ????? will cancel every ????? recognized as a ?????. Your ???????????, so you will be ?????? Fate...]

2.Nexus Elemental Art (C-)

[Description: Attacks performed using this art will receive a 500% power boost. The proficiency of this Art depends on the user’s knowledge of the techniques. This Art is evolvable.]

[SKILLS]

Body Strengthening (Lv. 2)

[Description: Enhances the user’s physical body by reinforcing muscles, bones, and internal structure with mana. Increases strength, endurance, and resistance to damage. Effects scale with proficiency. Continuous use gradually improves the user’s base physique.]

Mana Concentration (Lv. 1)

[Description: Compresses a large amount of mana into a single focal point and forcibly discharges it, creating a devastating mana blast.]

Alen praised himself for gaining this much power. He is happy to see his own growth.

After Alen finished looking at the status window, a purple crystal suddenly floated out from his invisible body.

Alen looked at it curiously; he didn’t know where it had come from. He reached out to grab it, but the crystal floated just out of his grasp.

The crystal drifted several feet above him.

As Alen stared up at it, a massive, ancient throne suddenly emerged out of nowhere high in the sky.

The throne was tall. It didn’t look luxurious, but it was undeniably mysterious. There were seven empty holes carved directly into the center of the throne.

The purple crystal floated over to it and slotted perfectly into one of the holes.

A brilliant light expanded outward, illuminating the already bright surroundings even further. Alen had to close his eyes for a split second. When he opened them and looked back up, the throne had vanished, as if it had never even been there.

Alen felt extremely confused and in awe.

"What was that...?"