Guan Tong looked at his personal terminal's interface and quickly understood what was happening.
'So that's it. One way to raise my Psychic Power limit is by repeatedly draining it completely and letting it recover.'
Ever since he had gained Psychic Power, he had used it all up nearly every day. He would use every little bit as soon as it recovered.
From the end of the first Apocalypse Rule until now, with the second rule about to conclude, he had done this every single day for a total of 25 days.
Although an increased limit was something to be happy about, it took far too long...
"Nearly a month of constant draining and recovery, and my limit only went up by one point," Guan Tong lamented. "It's just too inefficient."
Still, any increase to the limit was a good thing.
He then made the most of the remaining time, taking a new device he had bought up to the rooftop a little after 8:00.
The "device" was actually a small, high-speed electric motor.
His previous record of 21 seconds had been achieved with a selfie stick, but a selfie stick's rotation speed was nothing compared to an electric motor.
All Guan Tong had to do was turn on the motor and attach a thin wooden stick to it.
He merged his "Shadow" with the shadow of the wooden stick, adjusted the angle, and then switched the motor to maximum power.
WHIRRRRRRR!
With the motor at full power, the thin wooden stick on top spun at an incredible rate, moving so fast it became a blur.
Naturally, its shadow also shot between the buildings at a speed the naked eye could barely follow. Guan Tong felt he had barely registered what was happening before the data display in front of him announced the challenge was complete.
Current Distance: 42,195 meters, Time: 14 seconds
'I really broke it!'
Guan Tong smiled as he looked at the data.
From 21 seconds down to 14—a full seven seconds faster!
'This time is good enough,' he thought. 'There's no need to try for an even faster record.'
Shortly after, at 9:00 sharp, the ten-day period for the second Apocalypse Rule came to an end.
[Rule Period Ended]
[Congratulations on passing the trial of the second Apocalypse Rule.]
[With your first-place result, you have advanced from the group stage to the final rankings.]
[Final ranking results are now available. The top three have been announced.]
[First Place: Shadow, Time: 14 seconds]
[Second Place: Lucifer, Time: 15 minutes 56 seconds]
[Third Place: Baqizi, Time: 19 minutes 06 seconds]
[Congratulations! With your challenge time of 14 seconds, you have achieved the final rank of World Number One.]
[Your final ranking rewards have been delivered to your storage. They can be viewed via your personal terminal.]
[New features unlocked. They can be viewed via your personal terminal.]
[The Sublimation Store has been stocked with new items. They can be viewed via your personal terminal.]
[The third Apocalypse Rule will be announced in thirty days.]
At 9:00 sharp, the Fire Thief's voice resounded in everyone's mind.
When countless people heard that Shadow had taken world number one with a time of 14 seconds, they were absolutely floored.
The 21-second time that had been rumored online was already absurd, but to think he could improve on it... it was simply unbelievable.
In comparison, the second and third-place finishers—whose times were also incredible—seemed much more normal next to Shadow.
Then again, finishing a full marathon in under 20 minutes was still a feat far beyond the reach of most people...
But rather than focusing on Shadow, the public was more interested in the new features on their terminals.
Besides, the Sublimation Store had also been updated, so everyone was eager to see what new goodies were available.
As for Guan Tong, seeing the "World Number One" title land in his lap, it would be impossible to say he wasn't thrilled.
He immediately opened his personal terminal and found that his previous group had been automatically disbanded.
[Current Group Members: 20,000]
[Number of Challengers Who Completed the Rule: 109]
[This group has been disbanded.]
'...Out of a group of twenty thousand people, just over one hundred completed the challenge for the second rule. That success rate is really...'
'Guan Tong figured it was directly related to the fact that the penalty for failing this rule wasn't fatal.'
Since failure wasn't fatal, many people didn't feel the pressure and just adopted a half-hearted, "just-get-by" attitude.
He opened his storage, and inside was a treasure chest.
[Challenge Ranking Treasure Chest (Glory Level)]: Open to receive a random item reward.
'A Glory Level chest!'
Guan Tong's eyes lit up. He remembered that the reward for clearing the first Apocalypse Rule was just a Bronze Level chest.
'Who knows how many tiers higher Glory Level is than Bronze Level... This is a reward truly worthy of being world number one.'
"Open."
[Obtained Item: Genetic Optimization Base Liquid]
[Genetic Optimization Base Liquid]: When consumed, comprehensively optimizes and repairs genetic defects.
'This...'
Looking at the random item he'd received, Guan Tong felt like he had just won the lottery.
'Judging by the description, even if this stuff doesn't turn me into a superman, it should at least enhance my physical attributes across the board, right?'
Without a second thought, Guan Tong chose to use it.
A small vial, only a few dozen milliliters, appeared in his hand, containing a pale golden liquid.
He twisted off the cap and drank it down.
GLUG, GLUG.
The base liquid was tasteless, just like water.
But within seconds of drinking it, Guan Tong felt his entire body begin to burn up.
It wasn't exactly painful, but it felt like a high fever, and his consciousness instantly started to blur.
Guan Tong wanted to make it back to his room and lie down, but after taking just one step, he collapsed onto the living room floor with a THUD.
...He lost consciousness...
An unknown amount of time later, Guan Tong groggily awoke.
He opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall.
'3:00 PM? I was out for six hours...'
Stunned, Guan Tong scrambled to his feet. As he stood up, he realized his body had undergone several changes.
The first thing he noticed was a feeling of lightness—not just in his body, but in his mind as well.
It was like formatting a phone with a full memory; his thoughts became incredibly clear and sharp.
He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Even his face and physique had changed slightly.
It wasn't that he had gotten taller or more handsome. If he had to describe it, it was that everything had become more... harmonious!
'Yes, harmonious.'
Guan Tong looked at his reflection and thought, 'Is all this from that bottle of Genetic Optimization Base Liquid?'
He walked out of the bathroom and looked out the window.
His vision was unbelievably clear. Guan Tong subconsciously raised a hand to touch the corner of his eye.
'My vision, too...'
He used to be slightly nearsighted, but now his vision was unnaturally sharp. He could clearly see the potted plants on the balcony of the building across the street.
'Did the Genetic Optimization Base Liquid really change that much?'
Guan Tong immediately opened his personal terminal to check.
[Name: Guan Tong]
[Nickname: Shadow]
[Title: Orderkeeper]
[Psychic Power: 114]
[Sublimation Coin: 100]
[Overall Biological Profile: Excellent]
'There it is!'
Guan Tong was thrilled. The most direct change from the base liquid was reflected in the increase to his Psychic Power limit!
His limit, which had been 97, was now 114!
To think that before, he had to drain himself dry over and over just to raise it by a single point!
Moreover, by breaking the 100-point threshold, his Overall Biological Profile had also been upgraded from "Average" to "Excellent."