The number hung in the air, projected by the System interface against the cold concrete of the bunker wall.
[Cost: 10,000,000 UP]
Ten million.
Lin Hao stared at it. A month ago, he was excited about finding a rusty dagger worth 10 UP. A week ago, he was sweating over a 5,000 UP purchase.
Now, the System was asking for the GDP of a small nation.
He looked at his current balance.
[Total UP: 3,176,080]
He was rich beyond measure compared to any other human on Earth. He could buy thousands of Spirit Stones. He could equip a battalion with Spirit Weapons.
But against the cost of ascending a planet? He was broke.
"Three million is nothing," he muttered, the realization bitter on his tongue. "I'm not even a third of the way there."
He sat down on the floor, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and visualized the timeline.
His exponential loop, the "Daily Boost" strategy, was currently generating 819,200 UP per day. Tonight at midnight, he would reinvest. The next payout would be 1,638,400 UP. The night after: 3,276,800 UP. The night after that: 6,553,600 UP.
He did the mental addition.
Current: 3.1M + Day 16 Gain (1.6M) = 4.7M + Day 17 Gain (3.2M) = 7.9M + Day 18 Gain (6.5M) = 14.4M
Three days.
It was a terrifyingly short amount of time to change the fate of the human race.
But it was also a terrifyingly long time to be stuck at a ceiling.
"If I stay at Level 9," Lin Hao reasoned aloud, "I am the strongest fish in the pond. But the moment I press that button... the pond becomes an ocean."
He looked at the description of the [Planar Ascension] again.
[Effect: Unlocks Spirit-Grade Flora/Fauna globally.]
That line chilled him.
Right now, Earth had "Mutated Beasts" (Level 1-5). They were animals twisted by the initial Reiki pulse.
"Spirit-Grade Fauna" meant Monsters. Real ones. Dragons. Hydras. Beasts that cultivated just like humans did.
If he pressed that button, he wouldn't just be unlocking his own path to Realm 1. He would be unlocking the cages of every dormant nightmare on the planet.
"I can't just wait," he whispered. "I have 3 million points. If I hoard them all for the Ascension, I'll ascend naked."
He looked at his balance: 3,176,080.
The math was clear. Even if he spent 500,000 UP right now on gear, it wouldn't delay the 10 Million goal by even a single day. The final payout on Day 18 was so massive (6.5M) that it would cover any minor spending sprees he went on now.
He stood up. A predatory light entered his eyes.
The "grind" wasn't just about waiting for the passive income. It was about spending the surplus.
He had three days to turn himself from a "Strong Martial Artist" into a "War God" fully equipped for the apocalypse he was about to trigger.
"System," he commanded. "Open Object Upgrade."
He reached into his inventory, the heavy, military-grade duffel bag he had brought down with him. He pulled out the black, sleek item he had purchased from the Dark Web listings weeks ago, the one he had never had the points to properly enhance.
It was a Sniper Rifle.
"Let's see what a Spirit-Grade bullet does to a mountain," he grinned.