John lay quietly in his quarter given by the sect.
His eyes were half-closed.
But the mind is fully active.
Joining the sect…
At first glance—
It seemed unnecessary.
Pointless, even.
"Why risk life for a quest given by the system?"
The sect couldn't offer him anything.
Not techniques.
Not resources.
Not guidance.
And yet—
He still chose to come here.
Why?
John's eyes opened slightly.
A faint glint passed through them.
"…For the system."
Everything he had done so far—
Was not for strength.
But for plausibility.
If he had hidden for five days—
Done nothing—
Avoided all interaction—
And then suddenly—
Gained immense power through a "fortunate encounter"…
Would that be normal?
No.
It would be suspicious.
Very suspicious.
And if the system was observing—
Which he was almost certain it was—
Then that kind of abnormal behaviour…
Could attract attention.
Something he could not afford.
--
"So I needed a path."
A believable one.
Joining a sect—
A place where countless mortals gathered.
Where opportunities existed.
Where growth… was expected.
If he rose from here—
If he gained strength step by step—
Then even a "fortunate encounter" later…
Would seem reasonable.
John exhaled slowly.
"I didn't join to grow…"
"I joined to hide."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"And to give the system a story it can believe."
-----------
John sat cross-legged on the bed.
Eyes closed.
Mind racing.
The sect…
Didn't matter.
The system…
That was the real problem.
More specifically—
The Ranking Event.
John slowly opened his eyes.
"…First to ascend."
A simple condition.
But behind it—
A brutal race.
Only one person could take first place.
And the rewards—
Even he couldn't ignore them.
A 4-star beast…
Given so casually.
That alone proved one thing—
The system's resources far exceed anything in this world.
Which meant—
He could not afford to lose.
But the problem wasn't strength.
It was time.
John leaned back slightly.
"Ascending…"
From his million years of experience—
There were only three real paths.
The First Path — Borrowed Ascension
The easiest.
Find an already ascended immortal.
Gain their favour.
Be guided—
Or directly taken—
Across the boundary.
No need to struggle.
No need to fight.
Just… rely on others.
John's eyes turned cold.
"The fastest path."
And that was the problem.
Because speed—
Was everything in this ranking event?
Even a weak person—
If lucky enough—
Could ascend before him.
The Second Path — Trial of the World
The normal path.
Cultivate.
Grow stronger.
Until one day—
Challenge the Guardian.
The embodiment of the World's Will.
Defeat it—
And ascend.
Balanced.
Reliable.
But slow.
Too slow for a race like this.
The Third Path — Body Ascension
The hardest path.
Break all limits.
Ignore all laws.
Grow so powerful—
That the world itself rejects you.
Forcing you to ascend.
John's gaze sharpened.
"The strongest path."
And the one he intended to take.
Because with his resources—
With what the phoenix would bring—
He could complete it in a single day.
But—
His fingers tightened slightly.
"I have to wait."
Five days.
Five days before his resources arrive.
Five days where he is—
Weak.
And in those five days—
Anything could happen.
Someone could get lucky.
Someone could find an immortal.
Someone could take the first path—
And ascend before him.
John exhaled slowly.
"That's the real danger…"
Not the strong.
But the lucky.
Because in a system-driven world—
Luck could surpass effort.
Silence filled the room.
"I can't rush."
"But I can't fall behind either."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Then let's see…"
"Who makes the first move?"
-------
As John was contemplating such a thing
In unkown place,
In front of a vast spherical screen, rows of humonid alien sat observing the screen
John was right, the system was monitoring billions of humans in real-time
The No* showed on screen
{Current no of humans - 2 billion}
{No of humans completed the sect quest - 10 million}
A voice echoed from inside the screen
"How many humans are close to ascending?"
As soon as the voice came, the screen changed its colour
and an image of three people appears
------
First Candidate
A young man.
A faint red glow shimmered on his finger.
{Status: Subject has obtained a "fortunate encounter."}
{An ancient immortal resides within the ring.}
{The immortal is actively guiding the subject.}
A pause.
{Analysis: Confirmed connection to higher realm.}
{Estimated Ascension Time: 6 months}
The image faded.
Second Candidate
A young woman.
Standing calmly within a grand hall.
{Status: Selected through a hidden evaluation of sect.}
{Possesses peak-grade spirit root.}
{Accepted as a direct disciple of the sect's ancestor.}
A flicker of data.
{Analysis: Sect ancestor nearing ascension.}
{High probability of carrying subject to the higher realm.}
{Estimated Ascension Time: 1 month}
The image shifted again.
Third Candidate
A lone figure.
Sitting inside a dark cave.
Ancient markings covered the walls.
{Status: Teleported directly into ancient ruins.}
{By-passed primary danger zones.}
{Ruin contains a legacy teleportation array.}
A brief pause.
{Analysis: Upon activation, the subject will ascend instantly.}
{Estimated Ascension Time: ≤ 6 days}
Silence filled the space.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile John
"Alright, Prepration are compelte, I will head there tommorw"
"It's time to sleep"
Thinking about his plan john drifted to his sleep
When he opened his eyes again—
He sat upon a massive throne.
Below the throne—
Dozens of figures stood.
The crow-headed figure, who previously asked john
was also standing in the same place
Silent.
Respectful.
Sharp eyes.
An aura of intelligence—
And absolute loyalty.
Like he had been waiting.
John slowly opened his eyes.
The entire hall fell into deeper silence.
"Crow."
His voice echoed.
The crow-headed servant immediately bowed.
"I am here, Master."
John's gaze remained calm.
"Locate a lower world."
"East–South sector."
"Coordinates… 1345–2345."
"Bring me everything."
"History. Power structure. Hidden forces."
"Everything."
The crow didn't hesitate.
"Yes, Master."
The moment the words fell—
His figure vanished.
Time passed.
Only a few seconds.
Then—
He returned.
Reappearing silently in the hall.
But this time—
He held something.
A dark scroll.
And tons of books
He stepped forward and knelt.
"Master."
"All information regarding the specified lower world has been gathered."
"The history…"
"The major powers…"
"The hidden forces…"
"All recorded within."
He raised the scroll with both hands.
"Please review."
John looked down at it.
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes—
Deepened.
Because that location—
Was exactly where his current self existed.
A remote corner.
Millions of light-years away.
A place beneath his notice—
Until now.
Slowly—
He extended his hand.
And took the scroll.
The moment his fingers touched it—
Countless streams of information flooded his mind.
World history.
Sect distribution.
Hidden ruins.
Ancient dangers.
Everything—
Instantly understood.
and a small frown appear in john head