Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

Ethan stood frozen, his eyes locked onto the ancient characters etched into the seal. Everything else—Bongo's mockery, the flickering firelight, the faint rustle of wind—faded into nothing.

The words of the second part of the prophecy echoed in his mind:

'Four seals unite, the King appears.

The sand sea unified, now at hand.

Eight years to break the void and return to the sky. One hundred years, the sand sea becomes a forest.'

He had never truly grasped their meaning until now. But seeing this seal—feeling its quiet, terrifying weight—everything clicked. That's what it meant. That's what they were talking about. But who had left those words behind? And just how long ago had they been spoken?

"Ethan," Uncle Jed said, his tone unusually grim. Gone was the usual laid-back smirk he always wore. "You alone must know this. Not even a whisper to anyone from Hurricane City. If word gets out, it might cause tremors across the Sea of Death. And someone... someone might try to silence you."

That warning landed like a hammer. It wasn't just a threat—it was a promise. Ethan glanced at Julian, who nodded solemnly beside him. From what Julian had told him, there had once been a War God–rank City Lord eliminated in under a minute. That alone said enough. The Sea of Death wasn't just dangerous—it was crawling with hidden monsters, old powers who had retreated from the world but could still shake it if they chose to stir. If their interests were even lightly brushed, if the balance tipped—those relics of the old world would awaken.

Ethan breathed out slowly. He was lucky. The people he had met so far—Julian, Jed, the quadruplet sisters—they were trustworthy. If he'd ended up in any city other than Beastfall, who knew if he would've lived long enough to understand the seal's meaning?

"Dinner's ready!" Bongo shouted, shattering the tension like glass.

The scent of roasted meat filled the room, and Ethan didn't hesitate. He grabbed a chunk of sizzling flesh from some unrecognizable beast and bit in, the savory flavor grounding him back in the moment. Bongo brought out fruit wines and several strange beverages.

As they ate, Julian explained the rules of the upcoming Sacred Assembly. There were no preliminaries—the trial was the final event. Each region's main city had already selected their champions, usually the top ten from major regional festivals. In Beastfall's case, that had been the recent Beastfall Festival.

But Beastfall was different.

Half of their top ten were beast-folk, and Regis—Beastfall's former City Lord—had gone to Hurricane City alone, without sending a single representative. A stalling move. A sacrifice.

Julian added that Regis had told him: if Ethan woke up, he was to pick participants and send them to Hurricane City. The journey would take over two months by Cliffstrider, unless they traveled nonstop—which might cut it to just over a month. The Sacred Assembly was three months away. Time was already tight.

This Assembly wasn't just a competition. It was the Sea of Death's once-in-a-millennium bridge to the outside world. The trial's entrance connected both realms. Outsiders would enter. Many would die. Many more would rise. It was opportunity and death, hand-in-hand.

"Used to be, participants from the Sea of Death could work together," Julian said between sips of wine. "But for the past ten thousand years... every city fends for itself. Backstabbing is more common than alliances. That's why the gains have dropped, and the body count's skyrocketed."

Ethan set his cup down. "So how are the rankings decided in the end?"

Uncle Jed leaned back, swirling his drink. "Simple. Herbs and demon beast cores. A hundred-year-old spirit herb gets you one point. Thousand-year-old ones earn ten. Beyond that, every extra year adds ten more. A ten-thousand-year herb? That's two hundred points, minimum. Beast cores follow the same rule. Other treasures... they're yours if you find them. But the cores and herbs—half used to be handed over to Hurricane City."

Ethan nodded slowly, already calculating. According to Julian, Hurricane City had pissed off the other three cities a long time ago. Their resentment ran deep. But no one dared make the first move. They were scared. Because of what happened to Forgotten City ten thousand years ago.

Three people had attacked it. All three were suspected to be peak War God–rank Energy Users from Hurricane City. Just three of them had wiped out a city. That left a mark on history no one forgot.

Ethan had once asked Julian whether Beastfall had any hidden aces—powerhouses in reserve. Julian had only shaken his head. If anyone knew, it would've been Regis. As for Clearspring and Forgotten... they were mysteries.

By the time the meal was over, dawn was breaking on the horizon.

Suddenly, Ethan's Soul Sense stirred. He smiled faintly and stood up. "Julian, quietly deploy the Central Dominion Guards. Break them into small squads and have them assemble outside the city. Make sure it's discreet. I'll meet you tonight. I'm heading back first."

Julian blinked. "W-What are we doing with that many experts?"

Ethan's smile deepened. "You'll see."

He turned to Uncle Jed. "Jed, could you maybe turn it down a notch? Your aura is practically screaming 'supreme powerhouse' right now."

Uncle Jed let out a satisfied grunt. "Just broke through a threshold. It'll stabilize in a few days."

Ethan chuckled and vanished in a flicker, reappearing at his room's entrance.

He pushed the door open and found Rose and Mia standing near his bed. Crystal and Fern had just stirred awake. Their expressions lit up when they saw him.

"Young Master!"

The four girls beamed in unison. Rose crossed her arms and shot a teasing glare at the other two.

"Oh? Crystal, Fern... Still lazing around with Young Master, huh?" she said with mock scolding.

"We... we were watching over him... and then..." Fern muttered, confused. They had been feeding him, hadn't they? Why had they suddenly passed out?

"No more of that," Ethan said with a soft smile. "Don't call me Young Master anymore. Just call me Ethan. Or, well... just Ethan's fine."

The girls looked at each other, then chorused, "Okay, Young Master!"

Ethan sighed. "Now, go wash up. I'm taking you all out today."

Their eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Really?! Young Mast—uh, Ethan!" Rose shouted, bouncing on her heels.

He nodded and waved his hand, summoning a spread of breakfast: warm bread, grilled sausages, and cold milk.

"Of course. We'll head out as soon as you finish eating."

Ethan had heard bits and pieces during his coma—half-dreamed conversations, soft voices around him. He remembered the sisters speaking of wanting to leave the mansion, to walk through the city like normal people. But for three long years, they'd rarely left the courtyard. And after they began tending to him, their world shrank even further.

This was the least he could do.

Tonight, he would leave Beastfall City. He didn't know when he'd return. Three years had passed in the blink of an eye. Only five years remained in his mission. There was no time to waste.

"Yay, yay!" Rose shouted again.

Crystal coughed politely. "Let's not scare him off now."

"I'll go make food for the Young Master—uh, Ethan!" Fern said, already moving.

Ethan flashed to the door and blocked her path. "I've eaten. You four eat now."

He didn't even finish the sentence before Mia, ever carefree, had already grabbed a sausage. She licked it slowly, teasingly, and popped it in her mouth.

"So good..."

Ethan froze. His mind flashed back to yesterday—his last conscious moment. He remembered their worried faces, the warmth of their hands. And then... the details blurred, but one thing stood out: the four girls covered in fluids…? Mia, in particular, had been... in the middle. Her face, her mouth...

He shook his head fast. Don't go there. Focus.

When he looked up, the four girls were holding the cups of milk he had conjured, casting strange glances his way. Their eyes flicked down—then snapped back up, cheeks flushed.

"What?" Ethan asked. "Drink it. It'll get cold."

They hesitated, then, as if steeling themselves, brought the cups to their lips.

Their expressions softened at the first sip. Warm, creamy, a little sweet.

"Wow... it's so good! This... this isn't like that stuff from yesterday!" Mia blurted out.

Ethan's expression darkened instantly.

Her shout echoed in the room. And in that moment, everything made a little too much sense.