"Okay, let me see what you have," Michael said.
Mike called his secretary and instructed her to bring out their best inventory.
A few minutes later, several items were displayed. Michael's eyes were immediately drawn to a dark black sword that seemed to hum with a subtle, deadly momentum. His gaze then shifted to a set of body armor, its design and material clearly superior to the one he had found in the space ring.
While there were other swords and armor, each with unique features, the dark black set was unmistakably the best. In the end, Michael selected the matching black sword and armor.
"How much for these two?"
Mike, observing Michael's discerning choice, was not surprised. "The body armor is 300 million credits. The sword, 500 million."
Michael transferred the payment without hesitation and placed the new gear into his space ring.
"I'll see you soon, Mike," Michael said as a farewell before stepping out of the building.
Mike watched him leave, a complex, unreadable expression on his face. He then picked up his communication device and dialed a secure number.
A cold, composed voice answered. "Speak."
"Madam, I have important news regarding the young master," Mike explained hurriedly, before relaying everything he had observed without omitting a single detail.
"Understood. Continue to monitor him until he leaves this battlefield and returns to headquarters."
On the other end of the call, an elegant woman sat in a high tower, looking down at the sprawling city. A video of Michael's meeting with Mike played on her screen. She paused it on a frame of Michael's face.
"My child… what has happened to you?" she whispered.
His posture, the set of his jaw, the look in his eyes—he was not the same innocent boy who had left home. Even through the video, she could sense a cold, refined killing intent. It was an aura one only earns by crawling out from piles of the dead, a transformation born of repeated near-death experiences.
"I can only confirm it in person," she thought, pushing her emotions aside. "Send him an invitation to the auction house," she ordered Mike.
"Yes, Ma'am."
After disconnecting, she stared at the screen for a long moment before making another call.
"Hello, honey." A deep, weary voice came from the other side.
"You need to see the video I just sent. It's about Michael."
A loud crash echoed through the line, as if something had been knocked over. "What about him? Is he alright?" The man's voice was suddenly tense.
After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice heavy. "Did something happen on the battlefield that we failed to see?"
"There were no reported incidents," she replied, "but the change in him is self-evident."
The man was quiet for a long time, grappling with the information. "You should meet him."
The woman sighed softly. "Do you truly believe he will see me? After… everything that happened."
"What do you mean, 'everything'? That situation was beyond our control!" His voice was thick with frustration and helplessness.
She knew, in her heart, that this man was more wounded by the past than anyone. "Alright," she conceded gently. "I will try to meet him and see how he feels."
Somewhere in the wilderness, Michael stood over another beast carcass, but no excitement showed on his face.
"I still can't comprehend the 2nd stage. It feels like something is missing," he muttered to himself, storing the body in his space ring.
He traveled toward the location the system had indicated for the ancient beast, a growing nervousness gnawing at him. "It's already the 5th day. Has something gone wrong?"
This ancient beast was the key to activating his bloodline earlier than planned.
[The host needs to relax. You are already invincible within your realm. Even if the alien group secured the ancient beast first, you could easily take it from them.]
The system's assurance did little to quell his anxiety. Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed through the forest. Michael spun around to see the colossal corpse of a behemoth, its mere dead eyes still radiating immense pressure.
He flashed to its side and stored the gigantic body in his ring without a moment's delay. The moment he did, an attack slammed into his position.
"Just in time to earn a little more," Michael said, a wave of relief washing over him. A great burden had been lifted; his future was still on track.
"There wasn't anything missing from my technique," he realized. "From the moment I learned about the bloodline, I became obsessed. I forgot that I once fought to the death without any special lineage."
He was now more concerned with his recent mental state than the attacking aliens. With this newfound clarity, his movements in the ensuing fight became more fluid and precise. Before the alien squad could fully react, they were all dead.
"There is no challenge left on this battlefield," he murmured, taking a long, deep look at the wilderness that had been the first proving ground of his new life.
[Status Panel]
Name: Michael K.
Age: 25
Cultivation: Late-Stage Warlord
Bloodline: ??? (Not Activated)
Gene Level: 1 (Normal Human)
Cultivation Method: Qi Forged Path (Body and Mind Tempering Method)
Martial Art: Nine-stage Thunder Sword Body (2nd Stage)
Race: Human
[Intelligence 1:]
In 1 month and 18 days, a new inheritance space will open 150 km from Ravine City. It will remain undetected for 20 days. Contains 20 drops of dragon blood for partial bloodline activation.
[Intelligence 2:]
In 15 days, the Golden Stalk Auction House will auction a seemingly ordinary crystal containing a Thunder Core. It greatly enhances the body and aids in Domain formation.
As he returned to base, Michael confronted his next problem: how to extract the blood from an ancient beast of such a high realm.
"System, how can I extract the blood?"
[There are three choices for the host:]
[1. Use it directly. High risk, but simple.]
[2. Find an external expert. Effective, but may attract greedy attention.]
[3. Utilize system assistance. Requires payment.]
"Payment? How?" Michael asked.
[The host will receive tasks according to the inheritance rules. Upon completion, you will earn points to pay for system services.]
As Michael pondered this, the system spoke again, its tone almost accommodating.
[The host need not worry about future mechanics. Your current strength does not qualify you to access other system functions. As bloodline activation is critical for rapid growth, I will temporarily modify the rules for this single transaction.]