Absolute Cheater

As the dust settled, Ralvek groaned, pushing himself up from the rubble. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and let out a laugh. "Well, damn. Looks like we've got some real monsters here."

The clerk, still shocked, quickly composed herself and cleared her throat. "Asher… you pass. Easily."

Ralvek dusted himself off and turned to Valeris. "What about you? You fighting too?"

Valeris smirked. "Do I need to?"

Ralvek sighed, rubbing his temples. "No… I think I get the picture."

The clerk quickly scribbled something in her ledger. "Asher and Valeris, you are now officially ranked as Gold-Tier Mercenaries—the highest possible rank upon entry. Congratulations."

The crowd of mercenaries murmured among themselves, some in awe, others in fear. These two newcomers were not to be underestimated.

***

"Your first mission is the extermination of the Red Pelta Mountain Bandits?"

"Are you sure you want this one? This is your first mission—you guys could choose an easier one," said the receptionist, reading over the request.

Asher shook his head. "You've already seen our power. There's no need for weaker ones."

She sighed before nodding. "Alright then. The reward is 1,000 high-quality Astral Stones, plus anything you find in the bandit den. Aside from any living slaves, everything else is yours."

Asher and Valeris nodded in agreement.

In this world, Astral Stones were just another name for mana stones, which contained condensed Spirit Energy. The liquid form of Spirit Energy, known as Spirit Essence (Mana Essence), was even more valuable for cultivation. These stones came in different qualities based on the amount of Spirit Essence inside them: Low Quality, Medium Quality, High Quality, and Perfect Quality.

Asher and Valeris accepted the mission and left the mercenary guild, heading toward the Red Peak Mountains, where the bandit group was said to be hiding. With their strength, this mission was nothing more than a warm-up, but it was a good way to gather resources quickly.

"These Astral Stones should be useful for cultivation here," Valeris said, examining one of the lower-quality stones they had received as an advance payment. "But it's strange. This world lacks true magic, yet they have a system similar to mana cultivation."

"Yeah," Asher agreed. "But it's not surprising. Every universe has its own set of rules. This one just happens to focus on Spirit and Soul Energy instead of elemental magic."

After a few hours of flight, they arrived at the outskirts of the Red Peak Mountains. The terrain was rugged, filled with steep cliffs and dense forests. Asher extended his senses, scanning the area.

"There," he pointed toward a hidden valley nestled between the mountains. "That's where the bandits are hiding. I can sense a few dozen life forces, some stronger than others."

Valeris smirked. "Then let's not waste time."

Without hesitation, they descended, preparing to eliminate the bandits and claim their rewards.

Asher and Valeris landed quietly on the outskirts of the valley, blending into the shadows of the dense forest. From their vantage point, they could see a well-hidden encampment—wooden barricades, several tents, and a large stone fortress built into the mountain itself.

"They're more organized than I expected," Valeris remarked. "Not just common bandits."

Asher nodded. "Probably a rogue mercenary group or deserters from some army." He focused his senses and smirked. "There are about fifty of them, but only a handful are strong. The rest are just cannon fodder."

Valeris cracked her knuckles. "Do we wipe them out completely, or do you want to interrogate some of them?"

"Both," Asher said. "I want to see if they have anything valuable, and if any of them have a Soul Heart, we can use them."

Without another word, Asher vanished from sight, using his speed to appear in the middle of the camp. The bandits barely had time to react before he unleashed a wave of pressure, forcing the weaker ones to their knees.

"Who the hell—?!" one of the stronger bandits shouted, reaching for his weapon, but Valeris appeared behind him, slashing her claws through his throat before he could even finish his sentence.

Panic spread through the camp as bandits scrambled to fight back, but they were no match. Asher moved like a phantom, cutting down enemies with ruthless precision. Valeris, in her human form, tore through them effortlessly, her sheer physical strength making her an unstoppable force.

Within minutes, most of the bandits lay dead. The few survivors cowered in fear, hands raised in surrender.

"Now," Asher said, stepping over the bodies. "Let's see if any of you are useful."

He activated his Appraisal ability, scanning the remaining bandits. His eyes showed disappointment when he saw there is no who had Soul heart.

"Tsk," Asher clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Not a single one of you is worth anything."

The bandits shivered under his gaze, their fear palpable. Some of them were already on the verge of passing out from sheer terror.

Valeris sighed. "So, what now? Kill them all?"

Asher rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Not yet. Even if they don't have Soul Hearts, they might still be useful in other ways."

He turned his gaze to the bandit leader, a burly man with a scar across his face. "You. Do you have any information worth sparing your life for?"

The man frantically nodded. "Y-Yes! I swear! There's a hidden auction house in the Black Iron City. They deal in rare cultivation materials, forbidden techniques, and even—" he hesitated before continuing, "even slaves with rare bloodlines or special talents."

Asher's eyes narrowed. "Slaves, huh?"

"Yes! Some of them might have Soul Hearts! The nobles and powerful sects buy them to raise as personal disciples or servants," the bandit leader quickly added, sensing Asher's interest.

Valeris crossed her arms. "An auction house dealing in rare talents… sounds like exactly what we need."

Asher smirked. "Not bad. Looks like you just saved your miserable life—temporarily."

The bandit leader exhaled in relief, but his relief was short-lived as Asher's fingers suddenly pierced his chest.

"Wha—" The man's eyes widened in shock as his body convulsed.

Asher absorbed his Spirit Energy, draining him dry in seconds. The bandit's corpse fell lifelessly to the ground.

The remaining bandits screamed in horror, but Asher simply wiped his hand clean. "Relax. I'm not wasting energy on weaklings like you."

He turned to Valeris. "Looks like our next stop is the Black Iron City."

She grinned. "Finally, something interesting."

"Anyway, let's first get the Astral Hearts," Asher said as he reached into each bandit's chest, extracting their crystalline cores.

"To think humans in this world are naturally born with these," Valeris mused as she observed the shimmering stones.

Asher inspected them carefully before fusing them all into one Astral heart, turning into one High Quality Astral Heart a level lower than Perfect quality. "I think you should use it. We can always get more for me later," he said, handing her the high quality Astral Heart.

She nodded. "Fine. But don't take too long to get yours. I don't like being ahead of you in power for too long."

Asher smirked. "Oh? Afraid I'll get weak?"

She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. Holding the Astral Heart in her palm, she closed her eyes and started the absorption process, letting the heart merge into her body.

Asher watched closely. "This will be interesting."

As Valeris absorbed the Astral Heart, her body trembled slightly as a powerful surge of energy coursed through her veins. Her dragonic bloodline resisted at first, but the new energy quickly integrated, forcing her body to adapt.

A faint black mist began to seep from her skin—impurities, remnants of her past cultivation, and excess energies that were no longer compatible with this universe's system. The mist thickened before evaporating completely, leaving her skin looking even more pristine, like polished jade.

Then, a sudden shift occurred—her aura, once at the peak of the True Transcendent Realm (Tenth Stage), rapidly regressed, falling all the way back to the peak of the First Transcendent Realm. The loss of power would have been alarming to any other cultivator, but Valeris remained calm. She clenched her fists and flexed her fingers, feeling the immense density in her body.

"...Strange," she murmured. "I've lost realm stages, but my body feels… much stronger."

Asher grinned. "I expected this. Your previous cultivation was built on a different universal system. Now, your foundation is restructured to match this world's laws, making you far more solid in power. Your physical strength is even beyond what it was before."

" But why?" She asked.

"It's normal this world have higher limit , there is bound to be difference after all" He said,

Valeris smirked, flexing her fingers again. "Interesting… So, by cultivating again under these new rules, I'll eventually become even stronger than before?"

"Exactly," Asher confirmed. "Your foundation is now purer, meaning your future breakthroughs will be much more stable. This also proves my theory—this world isn't weaker than ours, just different. Strength here is built differently."

Valeris chuckled, stretching her arms. "Good. Then let's hurry up and get your Astral Heart. I don't like being ahead of you for too long."

Asher smirked. "Let's see how long that lasts."