Ethan didn’t hesitate—he killed the leechspawn on the spot. Containment? Not happening. If killing monsters made him stronger, why would he not kill it?

  [Blood Strength permanently +2%]

  [Current Blood Strength: 10% — “Divine Mind Resonance” triggered. Divine Gift acquired.]

  At the same time, the blood mist that had splattered across the room flowed back into Ethan’s body, drawn in like iron filings to a magnet.

  He slumped into the sofa. He wouldn’t die from blood loss, and pain barely registered anymore, but the fist-sized hole in his chest still needed attention.

  “Holy—Ethan, you’re insane!” Tessa blurted, half laughing, half shaking.

  “Who’s Ethan?” he replied dryly. “You using the wrong name again?”

  “Fine, fine—Boss.” Tessa rolled her eyes. “Look at you, soaking in it. Are you okay? I’ve got a VitaHeal Pellet—take it.”

  She shoved a pill into his hand.

  “Another pill?” Ethan laughed. “I’m starting to think the girls in Unit 749 just love feeding me medicine.”

  “What do you mean another?” Tessa bristled. “Besides me, who’s been that generous? That thing costs five contribution points!”

  “There was someone,” Ethan said casually. “No connection, no small talk. She just tossed it to me and walked off. Generous enough that I started wondering if she was into me.”

  “So now I’m the cheap one?” Tessa snapped.

  Ethan didn’t keep sparring with her. He raised his wrist and called, “Aimee. Target’s down. Send cleanup.”

  [Target confirmed deceased. Mission complete. Rewards delivered. Check Unit 749 App for details.]

  Ethan opened the app and glanced over the deposit. Cash and contribution points—both posted.

  Now—

  What exactly was this “Divine Gift”?

  He focused.

  Three cards appeared in front of his vision:

  Random Slaughter-line Sequence Ability

  Blood regeneration speed +5%

  Spirit-herb bundle ×10

  Pick one of three.

  It wasn’t even a decision. Only the first option was truly rare—an ability draw.

  Ethan tapped Card 1.

  Scarlet light erupted.

  [Authority Sequence 015 — Latania’s Bloodmoon Greatbow]

  [Profile: Latania, a war-commander under the God of Slaughter, master of long-range killing. Signature art: the Bloodmoon Greatbow—one arrow spanning a thousand miles, erasing an army.]

  [Core Ability: Manifest the Bloodmoon Greatbow and fire a single devastating shot. Cost: 70% of your total blood.]

  Sequence 15—absurdly high.

  Most people drew somewhere between 11 and 100. Fifteen put him near the peak.

  The cost was brutal, though—seventy percent of his blood in one shot. For anyone else, using it once would be a suicide attempt.

  But Ethan had Blood Sovereign.

  Perfect synergy.

  And it was ranged.

  Blood Sovereign’s constructs weakened when they strayed too far from his body—this patched the exact hole in his kit.

  Let’s hope it hits like it promises.

  …

  Unit 749 Headquarters.

  “Deputy Director, I heard your precious daughter ran a mission with the new kid—Ethan Parker,” someone joked. “The report reads like a speedrun. Clean, decisive, immediate results.”

  “Looks like your plan worked,” another added. “Ethan actually kept your daughter in check.”

  “Less than two days for a clear,” someone else said. “And they killed up a rank. That’s a future star.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The Deputy Director smiled, nodding. “Still, there’s one small flaw.”

  “Oh? What flaw?”

  “The scene was… ugly,” the Deputy Director said mildly. “Would’ve been perfect if they’d contained it.”

  A round of laughter went up. “First mission. He finished it—that’s what matters. Once he grows up a bit, containment will be easy.”

  Off to the side, Caleb Shaw listened with quiet satisfaction.

  That fifty contribution points he’d spent hadn’t been wasted.

  Mentors earned credit when their trainees cleared missions, too.

  He twisted open his thermos and took a sip of goji tea—then another mentor, Marcus Vance, strolled over.

  “Caleb,” Marcus said pleasantly, “any chance you’ll let Ethan run a mission with my squad sometime? I’ll buy you dinner.”

  “Sure,” Caleb replied, nodding. “But Marcus—your ‘team bias’ deductions got flagged again.”

  Marcus’s smile twitched. “What are you looking at, you old creep?”

  …

  [Countdown: 74 hours]

  The timer until Ethan’s Reverse World survival mission triggered.

  For the next two days, Ethan prepared.

  Under Caleb’s guidance, he trained hard during the day and soaked in cultivation serum at night.

  His combat ability and level both climbed at a terrifying rate.

  Two days later, Ethan had reached lv37.

  It was great progress—but he still felt restless.

  He wanted monsters.

  Killing monsters increased Blood Strength. Blood Strength raised everything.

  That night, Caleb told Ethan and Tessa, “We’ve got a probationary investigator simulation drill.”

  “Simulation?” Ethan’s interest dropped immediately.

  “A training arena run,” Caleb explained. “Aimee generates virtual enemies.”

  “Virtual means pointless,” Ethan said, blunt. “Only real demons pay out.”

  “Don’t reject it yet,” Caleb said, smiling. “This one’s packed, because first place pays out something serious—one rare pill. Each person can take it only once in their lifetime, and it’s most effective at your current realm.”

  Tessa nodded. “Yeah. My dad mentioned it. That pill can open, like, thirty apertures in one shot.”

  Ethan clicked his tongue. “Nepo baby.”

  Tessa lifted her chin. “If you become my little brother, I’ll get you one. Deal?”

  Ethan stared at her. “I’ll just take first place.”

  Caleb laughed. “You wanted missions so badly. If you take first in this drill, I’ll file a special request to fast-track you.”

  Ethan’s eyes sharpened. “Done.”

  “Oh,” Tessa added, “and Zane Ryder is coming back for the drill. He’s the bottom-tier lifeform in Room 304. Talks nonstop. I haven’t punched him in a while—kinda miss it.”

  Ethan looked pained. “304 was a nightmare before I moved in.”

  That evening, the training arena was packed—nearly a hundred probationary investigators.

  Including Derek Wolfe, and also Luna Frost—the cold, piano-goddess type—quiet as ever.

  “Lots of monsters here,” Tessa said, cracking her knuckles. “A bunch of strong rookies from the last year.”

  Aimee announced the rules:

  Rules: Teams of three. Defend a target outpost against waves of zombies.

  Kill a zombie: +1 point.

  A zombie breaches the outpost: ?1 point.

  Highest score wins.

  “Tess,” Ethan said with a grin, “if you and I team up, we’re basically unstoppable.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Dream on. Team games never let you pick your own teams. Aimee assigns squads using predictive balancing.”

  “Predictive balancing?”

  “Strong people get paired with weaker ones to even the field,” Tessa said. “Everyone gets a shot. Watch—the teams will post any second.”

  They did.

  [All participants, locate your assigned teammates. Simulation begins in 30 minutes.]

  As expected, Ethan and Tessa were split.

  Tessa wasn’t as ridiculous as Ethan, but she was still top-tier—a top-ten Sequence God-Chosen. Better than ninety-nine percent of the room.

  “If I win,” she said, smirking, “you call me Boss.”

  “If you win,” Ethan said smoothly, “you earned it. I’m not throwing.”

  They separated to find their squads.

  On the way, Ethan passed Luna.

  “Hey,” Ethan said, making it easy, “thanks for the VitaHeal Pellet last time.”

  “…Mm.” Luna gave the smallest nod.

  She wasn’t talkative, but inside her chest, everything churned.

  “We went to the same university,” Ethan continued with a friendly smile. “I saw you play piano at the freshman showcase.”

  Luna’s lips parted.

  The words she’d practiced a hundred times—Can we be friends?—stuck in her throat.

  Before she could force them out, someone called Ethan away.

  Friendship attempt: catastrophic failure.

  “BRO—YOU’RE ETHAN?!” A guy with an absurdly loud voice barreled over. “This is perfect! I got assigned to your squad—this is divine favor, I’m blessed!”

  “And you are?” Ethan asked, bracing himself.

  “Chase Nolan! I’m trash, bro. Absolute trash.” Chase laughed without shame. “If I wasn’t trash, how would the algorithm ever pair me with a walking cheat code like you?”

  Ethan stared at him. “…Right.”

  A quick exchange confirmed Chase had a Wind-line Sequence.

  High-tier wind could kill invisibly—wind blades like legendary weapons. But right now Chase could only create wind walls.

  Useful… barely.

  Soon their third teammate arrived.

  A girl.

  Baby face. Glasses. Black athletic wear that somehow still showed a very athletic figure.

  “H-hi,” she said, timid. “I’m Nora Paige.”

  “Ability?” Ethan asked.

  “War God line… gene release,” Nora said softly. “It enhances my body.”

  Chase burst out laughing. “You? You look like you’d apologize to a pillow. You’re melee enhancement? Come on—hit me once.”

  Nora flinched. “O-okay… sorry.”

  She stepped in and threw a small, polite punch.

  THUMP.

  It slammed into Chase’s chest like a wrecking ball.

  He folded—almost in half—and dropped to his knees, gagging on air, bile nearly coming up.

  Nora panicked. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—!”

  Chase’s face said: Bro I’m trash, I’m down.

  Nora’s face said: I’m trash too, I swear.

  Ethan looked up at the ceiling and inhaled slowly.

  Then he raised his wrist. “Aimee. I think you’re targeting me. Are you sure these teams are ‘balanced’?”

  He was about to add that Tessa’s team probably looked just as cursed—

  —but a voice cut in, carrying a faint, mocking edge.

  “Aimee assigns teams by predictive data. She doesn’t target anyone, and she doesn’t favor anyone.”

  Ethan looked up.

  A stylish guy approached—hair streaked red, black gloves, leather boots, like he’d walked out of a spy movie.

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “And you are?”

  “Jackson Raines.” The guy slid his hands into his pockets, talking like an upperclassman correcting a rookie. “I arrived six months before you. Heard you’ve been making noise.”

  Ethan’s smile was lazy. “And your point is?”

  “Instead of whining about teammates and balance,” Jackson said coolly, “try working harder. That’s my point.”

  Ethan snorted. “You know what they say? The emperor isn’t worried, but the palace eunuch is having a crisis.”

  Jackson’s expression darkened. “Did you just insult me?”