Steven hovered over Pluto's desolate surface, the stars glinting through the Garuda's curved cockpit window. Behind him, the Leviathan rested silently, cloaked in the vacuum of space. Alone among the planets, Pluto felt less like a rock and more like a sentinel—watching, waiting.
Steven leaned back. "Earth's not ready for any of this."
But he was. The Super Growth System had changed him. The quiet high-schooler who once failed in class was now capable of conquering star systems. Yet with this power came responsibility, burden, and ambition. Steven wanted to buy the entire Solar System.
He docked the Garuda to the Leviathan and made his way to the ship's observatory. With a flick of his Bracelet of Hermes, he marked the observatory's coordinates and teleported back to Earth.
After taking a moment to rest, Steven accessed the intergalactic network through his communication device. What began as idle browsing soon turned into a deep knowledge dive. He explored the vast intergalactic network, absorbing knowledge and uncovering fascinating information. Eventually, he stumbled upon the official site for registering and purchasing celestial bodies.
The site offered options to register and buy planets, stars, star systems, and even entire galaxies. To proceed, Steven needed to provide his identity along with the coordinates of the celestial object he intended to claim. The prices were staggering—a star system cost one million cosmic credits, which happened to be the exact amount Steven possessed. The price for galaxies was even more astronomical, requiring a billion cosmic credits for ownership. Steven was utterly amazed by the scale of these transactions and the possibilities they presented.
[Super Growth System X Rich Lord System— Task: Purchase the Solar System. Reward: 10K SP, 1 Billion USD, 10M Cosmic Credits, a battalion from a retired military regiment, and a private uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean.]
Steven was astounded. He couldn't help but marvel at the System's mechanics, wondering if it was truly rewarding him for his actions or simply multiplying his wealth exponentially. It felt almost surreal—spend a million and receive ten million in return. A self-reinforcing feedback loop of wealth and power. Beyond the monetary gains, the additional rewards were equally mind-blowing: a private island and a loyal retired military regiment at his disposal.
Steven quickly filled in all the required details to claim ownership of the Solar System—its coordinates, star type, planetary bodies, orbital paths—all pulled seamlessly from the Garuda's cutting-edge mapping system capable of charting the entire cosmos. Within moments, Steven completed the entire process and received confirmation that a team of inspectors would arrive at the Solar System in three days.
With the task almost complete, Steven decided to train. He activated his Genesis System and, with a decisive thought, Steven teleported to God's Sanctuary.
Upon arrival, he noticed the remains of a beetle shell—one he'd previously hunted. But something had already fed on it.
"What a waste of Ordinary Geno Points," he muttered.
Determined to explore further, Steven began walking along the small stream that meandered through the dense jungle. Clad in ordinary beast soul armor, he was cautious, unwilling to risk another encounter that might cost him his life. To prepare for potential battles, he had equipped himself with a variety of traditional weapons, including spears, swords, and axes. While his Blackfang Dagger was a reliable tool, its limited range made it more suitable for dissecting beast corpses and preparing meat rather than combat.
Currently, Steven gripped a violet spiral-shafted spear, its twin-bladed tips crafted from obsidian-black crystals streaked with golden veins. The weapon was meticulously designed for hunting, with a razor-sharp spearhead capable of piercing through tough beast hides. Its extended reach allowed Steven to keep dangerous creatures at a safe distance. He planned to use the spear to flip over beetles with ease, finishing them off with a decisive stab. Confident in his preparation, Steven continued his journey deeper into the jungle, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.
Steven forged ahead, slicing through tall grass, vines, and weeds with his spear. Suddenly, a strange, insect-like noise caught his attention. Alert and cautious, he moved toward the sound. In a small clearing, he spotted a massive beetle, roughly large enough to reach Steven's waist and armored like a tank, locked in a fierce struggle with a similar giant insect resembling a giant praying mantis.
The mantis relentlessly slashed its black, scythe-like raptorial forelegs against the rock-hard shell of the massive beetle. The beetle, however, deflected each attack with ease, its thick, impenetrable armor holding firm. It countered with its powerful mandibles, snapping at the mantis's legs in an attempt to sever them. With a resounding SNAP, the beetle succeeded in tearing off one of the mantis's limbs and casually tossed it aside. Steven watched in stunned silence, amazed by the ferocity of the battle. This beetle was far stronger than any he had encountered before. Its shell was as solid and unyielding as diamond, seemingly indestructible. The mantis, meanwhile, wielded razor-sharp claws capable of slicing through Steven himself as effortlessly as cutting through butter.
Steven witnessed something even more bizarre. The beetle, which had been using its shell to deflect attacks, suddenly began glowing electric blue, resembling lightning as arcs of electricity crackled across its shell. In an instant, the attacking mantis was flung backwards like a ball tossed away, crashing into a nearby rock wall. The mantis quickly recovered, its scythe-like forelegs now ablaze with flames. With a few swift slashes, it unleashed fiery arcs, flying toward the beetle.
The two enormous insects collided once again, their battle escalating into a ferocious clash.
Steven had heard of such phenomena before. Each category of beast possessed distinct characteristics. Ordinary beasts were the weakest, while Primitive beasts were comparatively stronger, deadlier, and more ferocious, often going berserk to abandon defense and focus entirely on offense. Mutant beasts, on the other hand, were more intelligent and frequently displayed unique appearances due to mutations, granting them unconventional abilities. Sacred Blood beasts, however, were in a league of their own—they carried true bloodlines and had awakened elemental powers to fight their enemies.
The creatures clashing before Steven were undeniably Sacred Blood Beasts, the apex of power within God's Sanctuary—excluding the whispered tales of the mythical God Beasts. As the battle wore on, both beasts grew exhausted and severely injured. The mantis had been stripped of all its limbs by the beetle, while the beetle lay helplessly on its back, unable to right itself. These two mighty Sacred Blood Beasts now seemed like defenseless prey, as vulnerable as meat laid upon a chopping board.
Steven cautiously approached the creatures and saw the beetle snapping its mandibles furiously. "Oh, baby boy you are dead," Steven muttered as he plunged the spear into the beetle.
[You killed a Sacred Blood Black Armored Beetle. You can choose from the possible items for your loot. Consume the flesh to gain between 0-5 sacred geno points.]
The Genesis System materialized before him, showcasing a list of possible rewards. Without a moment's hesitation, Steven selected the Beast Soul.
[Ding! You obtained the Beast Soul of a Sacred Blood Black Armored Beetle. It is stored in your Beast Soul Inventory and can be accessed with just a thought. You may also transfer the Beast Soul to any individual possessing a Genesis System.]
Turning his attention to the mantis, he stepped forward and, with a swift and decisive thrust to its chest, brought the creature down for good.
[You killed a Sacred Blood Fiery Volcano Mantis. You can choose from the possible items for your loot. Consume the flesh to gain between 0-5 sacred geno points.]
Steven did the same and picked the beast soul.
[Ding! You obtained the Beast Soul of a Sacred Blood Fiery Volcano Mantis. It is stored in your Beast Soul Inventory and can be accessed with just a thought. You may also transfer the Beast Soul to any individual possessing a Genesis System.]
Steven retrieved both beast souls.
The beetle's soul formed a gothic-style armor, majestic and battle-scarred. The mantis's soul became a weapon—part saber, part scimitar, forged in the likeness of its deadly limb.
Steven swung the blade. A fiery arc ripped through the air, slicing a distant tree in half. Then he tested the armor—one punch into a boulder sent cracks of lightning rippling outward as the rock exploded into dust.
"Cool!" Steven shouted with joy as excitement bubbled inside him.
Determined not to waste precious geno points like last time, he began preparing the food with care. He boiled the beetle, which yielded meat remarkably similar to crab. While the beetle simmered in the large cauldron, Steven explored the nearby area, gathering the mantis limbs the beetle had torn apart and scattered. Once collected, he roasted the limbs over the fire until they were perfectly crisp. Finally, Steven savoured his meal, enhancing it with a few simple seasonings and sauces, accompanied by a fresh salad of tomato, onion, and curd.
With each bite he received Sacred geno points, which also increased his various stagnated stats like strength, agility, and stamina, and brought him closer to the strength of beasts that ruled the Sanctuary.