The Northern Wastes were a barren, rocky wasteland, now painted red with the blood of soldiers.
Heavy artillery fired relentlessly into the massive, swirling black vortex that tore through the fabric of reality—the Abyssal Gate. Hideous, mutated beasts with extra limbs and acidic blood poured out of the portal, crashing against the military barricades.
"Hold the line! Do not let them breach!" yelled a heavily armored commander, his sword glowing with frantic energy. But the fear in his soldiers' eyes was obvious. They were losing.
Suddenly, the deafening sound of gunfire and monster roars was interrupted by a calm, steady set of footsteps.
The soldiers turned to see a teenage boy walking right through the center of the barricade, his hands casually shoved into his pockets. He wore no armor, just torn clothes, but pinned to his chest was a glowing gold 'S' on an obsidian badge.
"Hey, kid! Are you insane?! Get back here!" a soldier screamed, reaching out to grab him.
The commander slapped the soldier's hand away, his eyes locked onto the black badge. He swallowed hard, immediately standing at attention and saluting. "S-Rank Hunter on site! Cease fire on the central lane! Let him through!"
Aryan ignored the military. His 'Eye of the Sovereign' was already analyzing the swirling black vortex.
[Target: Abyssal Gate (Corrupted Zone)]
[Recommended Level: 50+ (Full Party)]
[Warning: Extreme lethality detected. Monsters possess hyper-regeneration.]
"Hyper-regeneration?" Aryan chuckled softly. "Good. That means they won't die too quickly when I punch them."
He drew his E-Rank Shadow Fang dagger. It was a weak weapon for an S-Rank Hunter, but with his physical stats multiplying every time he leveled up, a butter knife would be deadly in his hands.
Aryan stepped right to the edge of the swirling black portal. The dark, corrupted mana violently lashed out at him, trying to tear his skin apart.
[Ding! Host is taking Corrupted Mana Damage.]
[Passive Skill: Absolute Invincibility activated! Damage nullified. +100 EXP.]
Aryan smiled. Even standing near the gate was giving him free experience points. This place was going to be an absolute goldmine.
Without looking back at the shocked soldiers, Aryan stepped into the darkness of the Abyssal Gate. The portal rippled and swallowed him whole.
The true test of the Infinite Upgrade System was about to begin.