CHAPTER 358: CHAPTER358-A GREAT ADVANCEMENT

At the edge of the abyss, countless awakeners from the myriad races were pouring in, relentlessly hunting down the monsters that continued to surge out of its depths.

But something was different this time.

Unlike before, when a monster fell, it now left behind a shimmering Exp Drop.

These Exp Drops varied in value, but each one carried roughly double the amount of experience that the slain creature would normally have provided.

In other words, after the Exp Drop system began functioning, the experience-gaining speed for humanity’s awakeners had essentially tripled.

At that very moment, a young awakener was moving cautiously along the fringes of the battlefield.

He was only level seventy-two, and in such a war zone, he had to keep every sense sharp, every nerve taut. A single careless move could cost him his life.

And yet he had no choice but to be here.

Because his father had entered the underground labyrinth more than ten hours ago and had not come out again.

The boy’s determination was simple. No matter the cost, he would raise his strength, venture into the labyrinth, and search for his father. He would fight by his side and bring him back.

But this battlefield was far beyond his reach.

Though he picked up scraps left behind, he had paid a heavy price for even those meager gains.

Now his body trembled with exhaustion, his limbs weak. He gazed blankly at the distant portal shimmering on the battlefield, and tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.

"Forgive me, Father... I tried my best. But I’m still too weak. I cannot help you at all."

Just then, a familiar figure flashed into view.

The boy froze, staring wide-eyed as the man appeared before him.

"Father... is it really you? My father?"

The middle-aged man looked down at him, his expression half-pained and half-amused.

"Silly child. What have you done to yourself? How did you end up in this state?"

"Here—take this. It will heal your injuries in an instant."

With trembling hands, the boy accepted what his father handed him. It was small, soft to the touch, and radiated a faint coolness.

[Exp Drop (Silver Rank)][Exp: 182.4 billion]

The boy’s eyes widened in disbelief.

What was this?

One tiny droplet, holding one hundred eighty-two billion experience points?

He stared at it in confusion, stunned by its power.

But his father simply pressed it into his mouth.

"Young fool, your generation is truly blessed. You’ve come at the right time, when fortune smiles upon us."

"Absorb it quickly. I look forward to the day when your strength surpasses mine."

"And I doubt I’ll have to wait long. After all, your talent is greater than mine ever was."

As the man spoke, the boy’s body lit up with waves of radiance. His level surged forward like a rocket climbing the sky.

Seventy-two.

Eighty-four.

Ninety-six.

One hundred!

With just a single drop of Exp, the boy’s level was nearly maxed out. And still there was more—overflowing, unable to be absorbed because the Star Upgrade Quest locked him at the cap. Without that restriction, he could have gained another ten levels easily.

Scenes like this played out again and again across the continent of the myriad races.

Young awakeners, who once would have had to grind endlessly through the underground labyrinths, no longer needed to spend months or years building up their strength.

Instead, with Exp Drops, they could be catapulted to the maximum level in an instant, and then proceed directly to the Star Upgrade Hall to complete their quests.

Within days, the levels of humans—and even of vassal races—soared at unprecedented speed. For low-level awakeners especially, their rise was like a rocket shooting into the heavens.

They lacked combat experience, of course. Their levels were inflated, their numbers swollen without the seasoning of true battle.

But level still meant power. Stats rose regardless of skill. And experience in fighting could always be earned later.

Besides, even if they died in battle, they no longer needed to fear. His Majesty Daniel would resurrect them.

Humanity, and even the entire alliance of races under them, experienced another massive leap forward in strength.

Soon, the abyss monsters spilling from the frontier were simply not enough.

They died in droves, and every corpse left Exp Drops behind—treasures that were scooped up eagerly by awakeners.

Far deeper, hidden in the heart of the abyss, Malkar, the Emperor of Abyss, cowered in silence.

The more he watched, the weaker he felt.

Only here, buried in the deepest depths, could he find even a sliver of comfort. For here, inside the abyss, he could not be killed.

But even that safety was uncertain.

Because if someone like Daniel chose to drag him out of the abyss, then death would be certain.

Malkar knew this.

And so he had become far more cautious than ever before. He dared not step even a little toward the surface. He only observed from the shadows, trembling as the events unfolded.

In his senses, the world was crawling with the aura of gold-rank monsters—hundreds, maybe thousands of them.

The oppressive pressure made his carapace crawl. Even he, an abyssal emperor, felt a chill down his spine.

The humans were terrifying. Too terrifying. Their strength was rising at a speed that defied reason.

Looking back, he thought of the choices he had made, and for once he felt gratitude toward his own caution.

If he had listened to those fools back then, if he had actually gone to war with humanity... then by now he would have been scattered to ashes, erased from existence.

He shivered again.

He did not know how many trump cards the humans still held in reserve. But even the little they had revealed was enough to terrify him to his core.

Meanwhile, before Daniel entered the seventh stage of the trial, he paused.

He froze time itself for a moment.

He wanted to test something—whether the skills he had plundered inside the Human Emperor Trial could be carried out of it.

The result was no surprise. He could not.

What was virtual remained virtual. It could never be transformed into reality. This too was part of the law laid down by the Supreme Will.

Once his brief experiment was complete, Daniel stepped forward again, triggering the seventh stage of the trial.

But what he saw this time startled him.

Unlike the battles and illusions before, the space before him transformed into a vast, towering museum.

Inside, endless rows of shelves stretched into the distance. They contained not only priceless historical relics, but also countless books.

Daniel extended his mind power and swept across the shelves. His awareness quivered.

The collection was immense—so immense it seemed to cover the entire history of humanity.

The books held knowledge beyond reckoning. Their contents varied endlessly, encompassing lore, wisdom, and heritage that stretched back into forgotten eras.

Daniel frowned, puzzled. Why had the trial brought him here, into such a place?

As the question formed, a figure appeared before him.

An elderly scholar, hair and beard white as snow, eyes filled with a calm and gentle glow.

There was no hostility in him at all. Instead, his gaze upon Daniel carried warmth, approval, and deep satisfaction.

"I believe that the fact you have come this far is proof enough of your strength," the scholar said.

"Now, I hope that here, you will find something of true value."