NOVEL WEB Chapter 668: Max's Plan
Max tapped his holowatch a few times, and a soft hum followed as a detailed holographic map of the 1-star sector materialized above the watch's surface. Lines, paths, and labels hovered in the air, glowing faintly.
His eyes scanned through it quickly, and in seconds, he located his designated living quarter—only to realize it wasn't anywhere near where the other recruits were currently gathered. In fact, it was quite far, situated deeper within the inner zone of the 1-star sector.
'I guess this area is meant for the regular recruits of the 1-star sector,' Max mused inwardly, observing how most of the others found their accommodations nearby.
That only confirmed his suspicion. Unlike them, he had been granted the title of a 1-star genius directly—something the others still needed to earn.
Without wasting any time, Max turned and began moving deeper into the sector, following the floating guidance of the map projected from his holowatch.
Along the way, he passed through winding stone paths flanked by spiritual trees and training fields. Young geniuses were scattered all over—some practicing techniques, others just chatting. Whispers followed him like a low breeze.
A few paused to stare in recognition, some raised their brows at his aura that showed only 8th level of Expert Rank, and a few even sneered with disdain.
Max paid no mind to any of them. He had faced worse. Eventually, he reached his designated quarter—a modest yet elegant structure that looked simple on the outside, triangular in its architecture but spacious and sturdy in design.
The walls were crafted with reinforced spirit wood and cloudstone tiles, and a faint protective array shimmered subtly around it.
Max stepped inside the house and gently shut the door behind him. The silence that followed felt oddly comforting after the day's chaos.
The interior was far more spacious than he expected—clean stone walls infused with faint spirit energy, wooden floors polished to a warm sheen, and glowing spirit orbs embedded in the ceiling providing a calm white light.
There was a simple but well-equipped kitchen in one corner, a wide training room sealed with soundproof runes, and a separate bedroom with a sturdy bed that looked far too inviting.
Without a second thought, Max collapsed onto the bed, letting his body sink into its soft embrace. As his breathing steadied, his thoughts began to wander back to the promise he had made—an oath forged under the weight of responsibility, and sealed by a soul contract—with Lyra.
"I have to reach the peak of Champion Rank at the very least in two years to stand a chance against the top geniuses of the Middle Domain… who'll be at the peak of Legend Rank by then," he murmured to himself, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
The gap in power was laughable—almost absurd. But Max had never been one to cower before the impossible.
He began thinking seriously, planning step by step how to bridge the chasm between him and the titans of the domain. After a long silence filled only by the occasional hum of energy from the walls, he made a decision.
"First, I need to break into Master Rank… and after that, I'll head into the 2-star sector."
That would be his immediate goal. Max understood one thing very clearly—even though the 1-star sector was already considered a place of privilege, it was far from being the best. It served as a broad entry point, accommodating a wide range of new recruits and ordinary geniuses who had barely scratched the surface of their potential.
The resources here were decent, the living quarters comfortable, and the environment encouraging, but it lacked the intense atmosphere and elite pressure needed to truly bring out one's peak.
There were still the 2-star and 3-star sectors beyond this, realms of strengths that ordinary talents couldn't even set foot in. Unlike the 1-star sector, where anyone accepted by the Great Ruler Empire could reside, the 2-star and 3-star regions operated under strict meritocracy.
Only those officially recognized as 2-star geniuses or above had the qualifications to live there, train there, and access the superior techniques, secret realms, and personalized guidance those places offered. The line was sharp and absolute.
It wasn't just a matter of strength anymore.
Max had already formed a solid plan—one that would push his strength through the roof in the fastest way possible. But for it to work, he had to first step into the 2-star sector. That wasn't just a preference; it was a necessity.
The 1-star section didn't have the kind of missions, opportunities, or access to the high-level resources his plan demanded. His goal was to take on missions for the Great Ruler Empire, the kind that paid in mana stones rather than ordinary rewards.
Back in the Lower Domain, the highest form of energy source was mana crystals. They were used extensively—fueling formations, powering tech artifacts, and serving as power source for teleportation runes. But they had their limits.
Mana crystals were coarse, their energy mixed with impurities and not nearly potent enough to meet the requirements of someone like Max anymore.
Mana stones, on the other hand, were something else entirely. They were a higher, more refined form of energy—pure, dense, and powerful. Max was confident that if he absorbed—or rather devoured—them using his ability, the amount of mana he'd gain would far surpass what he got from even high-rank beast cores.
Of course, beast cores were still valuable, and Max didn't plan to ignore them. But in terms of efficiency and raw output, mana stones were superior. That was why the plan revolved around one thing: doing mission after mission, racking up mana stones like crazy, and then feeding that power into himself until his strength soared.
But again, that kind of opportunity didn't exist in the 1-star sector. First, he had to prove he was more than just a fluke who beat two Thunder Monarch Hall recruits. He had to become a 2-star genius. Only then would the real training begin.
Max believed—no, he knew—that if things went according to plan, he would end up with more mana stones than beast cores, and at much better rates too.
In the world of Acaris, most beings—relied on beast cores to cultivate and increase the mana within their bodies. It was the standard method, the norm. Beast cores contained natural, beast-refined energy, and were directly absorbable for strengthening one's foundation.
Mana stones, on the other hand, were rarely used for cultivation. They were too pure, too volatile, and their energy too raw for ordinary ones to absorb safely. Instead, mana stones were primarily used in technical applications—powering formation arrays, fueling machinery, constructing void shuttles, and all sorts of complex mana-tech interfaces.
Because of that, while beast cores were hoarded and hunted down relentlessly by the masses for personal use, mana stones remained relatively more available in the market, especially for someone with authority and access.
And that was exactly where Max had the edge. Only he could devour mana stones to cultivate. His black flame ability didn't discriminate. It swallowed everything—cores, stones, elemental forces—and converted it into usable mana for him.
So his strategy was clean and focused: accept every possible mission under the Great Ruler Empire's banner, rack up mission points, and trade them not for beast cores like everyone else, but for massive quantities of mana stones.
That alone would allow him to grow at a rate no one else could match. It was bold, efficient, and unique to him. The path he was about to carve wasn't just unconventional—it was unparalleled.