Chapter 75: Departure And Upgrade
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the tension within the family of three had risen little by little.
Their interactions with Mira and their daughter, little Ciara, had also increased.
During this time, Amon had chosen not to sign in.
Rather, he saved up the points he had accumulated.
Since he had spent time with his family and was unable to head out to kill monsters and level up, this was the most effective way to directly increase his strength.
He didn’t know the true depths of his family’s power, but he felt that with an even more terrifying physique and an upgraded Winter Frost Blade, he should be able to easily deal with SSS-rank hunters.
If his guess wasn’t wrong, there were no humans who had reached godhood.
And if there were...
That was the reason he was going to upgrade Close Yet So Far as well.
His family was his first priority.
...
The skies were dark as a faint wind drifted through the air.
The city beneath Amon carried on as usual.
Standing atop a tower, he gazed down at the bustling life below like a god staring upon mortals and finally said in his mind,
’It’s time.’
"System."
The moment Amon called out, a soft light emerged before materializing within his line of sight.
[Master: Amon Moonstone.]
[Level 43: 40,000/43,000]
[Rank: S-Rank]
[Talent: Danger Sense (SSS-rank) {+2}]
[Abilities: Close Yet So Far (God-Rank) {+3}]
[Skills: Flame Sword (C-rank) {+1}, Swift Dagger (F-rank) {+1}, Soul Sense (C-rank) {+1}]
[Techniques: Elegant Netherblade Sword Technique (Supreme Divine Rank) {+6}.]
[Equipments: World Key Fragment {+???}, Ataroth Mask {+???}, Winter Frost Blade {+5}, Bloodline Evolution Crystal {+1}, Dungeon Compass {God-rank}, Bloodline Tracing Compass {A-Rank}]
[Fate Points: 23]
Glancing at the twenty-three Fate Points he had, Amon decided to be very delicate with their use.
He studied the display for a moment before making a decision.
First, he had to upgrade the Supreme Divine Physique.
After that, he would upgrade the Winter Frost Blade. That would cost eleven Fate Points, leaving him with twelve.
He would then spend seven to evolve Soul Sense to God-rank, before upgrading Close Yet So Far and Danger Sense, completely emptying his reserves.
’This is frustrating. I need a method of gaining more Fate Points.’
Amon thought to himself and let out a faint sigh before commencing the process.
"System, upgrade Supreme Divine Physique."
The moment the command left his lips, the familiar mechanical voice echoed within his mind.
[Ding!]
[Would you like to spend 6 Fate Points to upgrade Supreme Divine Physique?]
"Yes."
The instant his confirmation fell, six Fate Points vanished.
[Fate Points: 17]
Then...
BOOM!
A terrifying force erupted from deep within his body.
Amon’s expression changed abruptly.
Veins bulged across his arms as every muscle fiber in his body began tearing apart and reconstructing itself at an absurd speed.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
His bones shattered and regrew while his blood surged like a raging river.
A golden radiance leaked from beneath his skin, and the surrounding air trembled.
Even the tower beneath his feet began to shake violently.
Amon clenched his teeth, veins writhing like living serpents across his forehead.
Pain.
Pure pain.
Yet compared to his previous evolutions, this was still manageable.
The Supreme Divine Physique was evolving.
Its foundation was becoming more terrifying.
Its limits were being pushed further.
Several minutes later, the process finally ended.
Amon slowly opened his eyes.
Instantly, a deep rumble echoed from within his body.
Without doing anything, the surrounding mana naturally flowed toward him.
His skin had become smoother and his muscles more refined.
Yet beneath that appearance hid explosive power capable of leveling mountains.
Amon clenched his fist.
BOOM!
The air exploded.
His eyes narrowed as he inspected his growth internally.
"At least three times stronger."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he realized his physique had now become a Mystical Divine Physique.
Without hesitation, he continued with the upgrades. There was still more to be done.
"Upgrade Winter Frost Blade."
[Ding!]
[Would you like to spend 5 Fate Points to upgrade Winter Frost Blade?]
"Yes."
[Fate Points: 12]
Instantly, the Winter Frost Blade appeared in midair from the system, and a terrifying cold spread outward.
The clouds above Cold Moon District began freezing.
Snowflakes started falling despite it not being winter.
Noticing this, Amon immediately activated Close Yet So Far, shifting to a different location and isolating the phenomenon from the outside world.
Otherwise, half the city would have noticed.
The Winter Frost Blade floated in the air continuously.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Ancient runes appeared across its surface, and the blade lengthened.
Its silver edge transformed into crystal-like ice, and even the surrounding space seemed to freeze.
Moments later, the transformation completed, and the sword descended gently into Amon’s hand.
The instant he grasped it, countless fragments of information flooded his mind.
His eyes widened slightly as he realized the sword had evolved beyond an ordinary Supreme Divine-rank weapon.
Its ice could now affect concepts.
Not merely freezing flesh, it also possessed the attribute of freezing the mana within one’s body the moment they were struck.
Amon looked at the blade silently.
A terrifying weapon.
It was now far stronger than he had expected.
Without wasting another second, he shifted his attention to Soul Sense.
"Upgrade Soul Sense."
[Ding!]
[Would you like to spend 7 Fate Points to evolve Soul Sense into God-Rank?]
"Yes."
[Fate Points: 5]
As soon as the word left his mouth, the world vanished and Amon’s vision went dark.
Then suddenly, everything appeared before him.
The city.
The people.
The buildings.
The monsters hidden beneath the sewers.
The hunters sleeping in their homes.
Countless souls illuminated his perception.
His consciousness expanded uncontrollably.
Ten kilometers.
Twenty kilometers.
Fifty kilometers.
One hundred kilometers.
The world seemed transparent before him.
Amon felt as though he had transformed into a higher lifeform.
Nothing could hide from him.
Not emotions.
Not killing intent.
Not spiritual fluctuations.
Not even lies.
After several moments, the ability stabilized, and Amon slowly exhaled.
A dangerous glint flashed across his eyes.
This ability alone was enough to completely change the way he gathered information.
There were still five Fate Points remaining.
Without hesitation, he spent them.
"Upgrade Danger Sense."
[Ding!]
[Fate Points: 3]
Danger Sense instantly rose another level.
The world around him subtly changed.
Every object seemed surrounded by invisible threads.
Potential danger.
Potential safety.
Potential outcomes.
His instincts became sharper than ever before.
After a brief observation of the God-rank Danger Sense, he shifted his attention toward the final target of his evolution.
"Upgrade Close Yet So Far."
[Ding!]
[Fate Points: 0]
The moment the final three points disappeared...
Silence descended.
A strange silence.
The kind that existed before a storm.
Then reality shattered.
Amon’s pupils contracted.
Space around him fractured like glass.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
His God-rank ability had evolved once more, becoming a Supreme God-rank ability.
And for the first time since obtaining it...
He could sense its true nature.
Close Yet So Far was never merely a spatial ability.
It was a law.
A law governing distance itself.
Distance between objects.
Distance between attacks.
Distance between worlds.
Distance between possibilities.
Amon’s breathing slowed as a terrifying realization surfaced in his mind.
If he continued evolving this ability...
One day...
The distance between life and death.
The distance between past and future.
The distance between himself and godhood.
Could all become meaningless.
Before he could continue processing the revelation...
He sensed something and took a light step forward.
Instantly, space distorted.
The next instant, Amon’s hand rested on a door handle.
Click.
The door opened.
Kayla glanced at him, and her expression immediately softened with relief.
"Sorry, I took longer than usual," he replied with a smile as he closed the bathroom door behind him.
Kayla stared at Amon for a moment longer.
She noticed he had become even more handsome.
And he seemed... different.
Not distant in the ordinary sense.
More like there was something untouchable about him.
’It’s as though he’s in another world of his own?’
Kayla murmured inwardly.
"Are you alright?" she couldn’t help but ask.
Amon faintly smiled.
"It seems heading to the banquet has thrown your thoughts and emotions into turmoil."
He wrapped an arm around her slender waist and gently pulled her toward the seats of the airplane they were on.
"I... guess so."
Kayla pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and chose not to dwell on Amon’s changes.
They were currently on a plane, and within moments they would arrive at the banquet venue.
From here on, they had to proceed cautiously.
Everything they did would be for the sake of ensuring their daughter’s safety.
