My Life Changed with the Unlimited System

Ethan almost laughed out loud when he saw the report claiming he was a Middle Four-Star Ascendant.

"Middle Four-Star?" he muttered under his breath. "I can't even break through to Lower One-Star right now."

He had been tracking his progress carefully. Based on what he understood about the system and levels, he figured he needed to reach at least Level 10.

He believed that was what needed to be achieved before he could step into the real Lower One-Star rank. Right now, he was still trying to push through his current limit.

The EXP required to level up was massive, too, and he was lacking missions right now.

While his mind was still turning, a soft chime echoed in his head.

He allowed the system message to appear in front of his eyes.

=====

[New Mission: Land A Hit]

Objective:

Land at least one successful hit on Instructor Bamba during the training session.

Rewards:

50,000 EXP Access to Dragon Ascension Method I

=====

'Dragon Ascension Method I,' Ethan's eyes lit up.

Anything that would allow him to become stronger would be his dream right now. Besides, the mission seemed simple to him.

"Just one hit?" he whispered, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "That sounds easy enough."

Something changed in his expression. The others saw it right away. His nervousness was gone. The uncertainty in his eyes vanished. What was left now was a calm kind of focus.

Instructor Bamba, standing at the center of the arena, suddenly reached into his belt and took out a small metal device. It looked like a thick wristband.

"This," Bamba said, his voice steady, "is one of Nemesis's inventions. It can restrict any Ascendant's rank and power."

He strapped the device to his wrist. A soft click sounded as it activated. Bamba's aura surged for a moment, then pulled back and settled into something much calmer.

"You'll now face me as a Middle Four-Star," he said.

Everyone felt it. The pressure from his presence was still there, but it was no longer crushing like before. It was manageable. The pressure was still heavy, but not overwhelming.

Ethan braced himself and tried to circulate his power. Even with all his power released right now, he still couldn't fully stand against Bamba's aura. His knees felt tight. His breath wasn't steady. But he held firm.

At least better than most of the Vanguards here.

It was expected.

He could rival a Middle Four-Star for brief moments, but he wasn't truly there yet.

The other Vanguards were watching closely. Some of them frowned. They could sense Ethan's aura clearly now.

"Lower One-Star?" someone whispered, their voice filled with disbelief. "Are you serious? His aura is so weak."

Another snorted. "How did someone like that even get through the recruitment phase? Nemesis isn't supposed to be a daycare."

"Maybe he faked his results somehow," a third added. "Or bribed someone. No way they accepted him based on skill alone."

"Come on. This is Nemesis," someone else muttered. "Unless he's related to a Core Leader or someone with rank, there's no way he should be here."

Even among elites, envy and suspicion found their way in. Not everyone was happy to see a new face, especially when they couldn't sense the kind of power they expected.

Some scoffed under their breath. Others shook their heads in quiet frustration.

"Every year, they say standards are rising. And yet… they bring in someone like him?"

"Yeah, but..." one of the older operatives hesitated, frowning slightly. "It doesn't feel like a normal Lower One-Star aura."

That comment earned a few puzzled looks.

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain. It's weak, yeah. But... It's stable. Too stable."

"Stable?" a younger operative echoed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Like… It's not undeveloped. It's contained. Controlled. There's something under it. I don't know what, but I wouldn't take him lightly."

But the majority still leaned toward doubt. The idea of a recruit starting at the lowest possible tier among elites rubbed many the wrong way. They had bled and fought to climb their way up. To them, Ethan was just a shortcut in a uniform.

Maria stood quietly at the side, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Red gave a small shake of his head. Neither of them said a word.

Because both of them already knew something the others didn't.

And the others? They would learn soon enough.

Maria watched Ethan closely. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. 'He's still a Lower One-Star? Then how is he standing so steady under Bamba's aura?'

She didn't understand it.

Red, who stood beside her with his arms crossed, remained quiet. But his gaze was fixed on Ethan as well. He was thinking the same thing.

Both of them knew something others didn't. A fact that wasn't common knowledge to most Ascendants.

A Golden Ascendant was special.

They were rare for a reason. Even if a Golden Ascendant was only a Lower One-Star, they had the potential to fight against someone two full ranks above. That meant Ethan should be able to fight on even ground with a Lower Three-Star.

But that was it.

That was the limit of what should be possible.

Yet what they were seeing didn't match that.

He was standing firm under Bamba's presence—a presence that belonged to someone at the Middle Four-Star level.

It wasn't supposed to be possible.

Bamba's eyes never left Ethan. His expression didn't change much, but he was definitely thinking.

'If he's really a Lower One-Star,' Bamba thought, 'then something's wrong here.'

He didn't like being wrong. And he didn't trust mistakes. Especially not in evaluations made by Helena and Luciano.

'They wouldn't mess this up. That much I'm sure of.'

Still, what he felt from Ethan didn't make sense. The pressure from the boy's aura wasn't strong, but it was calm. Too calm. Too stable.

Maria glanced at Red, her voice low.

"Something's different."

Red nodded. "Yeah. He shouldn't be able to stand like that."

Still, there was only one way to find out, by seeing how Ethan fared in the spar.

"Begin," Bamba said, his voice loud and clear.

He didn't move. He simply waited.

Ethan wasted no time.

Ethan shot forward without a second thought, using everything he had right from the start. There was no reason to hold back. Not against someone like Bamba.

'I'm still learning how to use fire properly,' he admitted to himself as he moved. 'Right now, it only helps boost my strength. I can't do much else with it.'

Golden flames began to wrap around his arms and legs, burning low but steadily. They didn't flare or explode. They didn't shoot out or spread like other Ascendants he'd seen.

They simply burned along his body, adding power to his punches and speed to his steps.

His movements were fast and clean. His feet glided across the floor. Each step was placed with purpose, his momentum building as the heat around him twisted the air with glowing sparks.

The other operatives nearby took a step back, caught off guard by the sight.

"Is that fire… golden?" someone asked quietly.

"I've never seen flame like that before."

"It's not just fire. That's something else."

Ethan wasn't listening. He was already within striking distance.

Bamba moved for the first time, lifting one arm.

Ethan's flaming punch slammed into it—and was stopped cold.

The impact created a sharp shockwave that echoed across the arena. Dust lifted off the ground, and the others squinted as the force rippled through the air.

Ethan didn't stop.

He followed up with a barrage of strikes. Fists, elbows, knees. Each attack came fast, chained together without pause. His style wasn't messy. It was calculated and efficient, with real technique behind every move.

But there was something missing.

The fire didn't do anything special.

It couldn't strike from a distance.

He couldn't launch flame bursts or coat the ground with fire.

His only ranged move—Flame Bullet—was simple and easy to dodge, especially for someone like Bamba.

So he kept things close. All of his attacks were physical, relying on raw strength and precision. The fire just made him hit harder. Nothing more.

And Bamba noticed.

He blocked most of the attacks with calm ease. He wasn't underestimating Ethan, but he wasn't struggling either.

Ethan, meanwhile, was giving it his all.

'My flames aren't enough yet,' he thought. 'I need to find a way to make them do more.'

But even so, he didn't stop. He couldn't.

Bamba didn't strike back.

He kept his arms up, his stance calm and steady. Each time Ethan launched an attack, Bamba blocked it or deflected it to the side, barely shifting his footing. His eyes stayed locked on Ethan, studying him. Measuring him.

He wasn't treating this like a normal spar.

He was watching.

Ethan noticed it too.

'He's not even trying to hit back,' Ethan thought. 'He's just… testing me.'

He pushed harder, trying different approaches. But every strike, every knee, every spinning elbow was stopped or brushed aside with ease. Still, he kept going, letting his instincts take over.

Then, without warning, Ethan backflipped away, landing lightly on his feet a few meters from Bamba.

He exhaled and narrowed his eyes, wiping sweat from his brow.

He still hadn't landed a single clean hit.

But he didn't feel like he had lost anything yet.

Up on the sidelines, some of the other Vanguards were whispering among themselves.

"He's not bad at all."

"His movements… they're not just random."

"He's using real techniques. Multiple styles. Could he be at Master tier?"

"It's starting to look like it. He's definitely not just some recruit who got lucky."

Even the ones who had looked down on him earlier were now quiet. Ethan's skill in hand-to-hand combat was clear. He wasn't wild. He wasn't relying on brute strength. His style had weight and timing. And most of all, it looked like he was slowly building something new out of everything he had learned.

Ethan stood there, catching his breath, eyes locked on Bamba.

'Let's see if this makes a difference,' Ethan thought.

He then willed for the system panel to appear in front of him.