The Transcenders' Forum was on fire.
"Come on, place your bets! Who's gonna snag the first clear for the Ascension Dungeon?"
"Do you even need to ask? White Eagle Nation's Holy Temple squad's got this in the bag."
"Ha! You're dreaming. Our Yamato Amaterasu Squad is the strongest—this first clear is ours."
"Don't make me laugh. You couldn't even take a single trial dungeon's first clear, and now you're talking big?"
"My money's on the Truth Seekers."
"Nah, I'm betting on Tony's squad."
Thread after thread burned hotter than wildfire. The whole world wanted to know: who would claim the very first Ascension Dungeon clear?
"It took over seven hours just to crack all ten trial dungeons. This one's supposed to be harder. I doubt we'll see a clear day today."
"Don't be so sure. The hardest part is always the start. Back then, nobody had any info, and everyone was cautious. Now that they know the mechanics and risks? The top Awakeners won't be held back by fear anymore, even if it's an Ascension run."
"Word is, both Great Xian and White Eagle Nation are forming 'Super Squads' made entirely of SSS talents. No strategies, no guides, just raw power pushing through."
"Great Xian, maybe, but White Eagle has that many SSS talents?"
"They've got more than you think, kid."
The chat scrolled endlessly, the hype reaching a fever pitch.
Tony stared at the glowing panel in front of him, his pulse ticking up.
Only one Zero-tier Ascension Dungeon existed. Normally, its icon was grayed out, inaccessible. But now, it shimmered, alive and waiting.
[You have selected Ascension Dungeon: Beastmen's Uprising (Part I)]
[Required Party Size: 5]
[Your current party does not meet the requirements. Entry denied.]
He wasn't surprised. Once his growth value maxed out, the option was unlocked. But his teammates—Yuqing, HighQiang, Yu Bowen, and Yan Wu—weren't capped yet. If they wanted in, they had to grind a little more.
The choice of dungeon didn't matter now. All first-class had been snatched away by the global race. Rewards were mediocre for anyone except Tony, and right now, farming was just a formality.
So he dragged his team back into the Lin Fortress Bloodbath. In ten brutal minutes, they ran it seven more times, filling the others' growth values to the brim.
"Big Bro Tony… we're going to the Ascension Dungeon next?" Yuqing's voice trembled with disbelief.
HighQiang and the others were equally stunned.
Not long ago, they were the rejects of the Awakened world—D and E talents no one wanted to team with. Now they'd bagged three first clears and were about to be the first players on the planet to step into an Ascension Dungeon. The thought was dizzying. Whether they'd survive… that was another question entirely.
Tony opened his mouth to reply when something strange happened. A cascade of memories—countless hours of sword drills, cutting arcs through the air—flooded his mind, then faded just as quickly.
"…Could it be?" he muttered, pulling up his skill panel.
[Skills: Sword Mastery Lv1, Phantom Step Lv0]
Sword Mastery had just ticked from Lv0 to Lv1. The effect line now reads: Sword damage increased by 11% instead of 10%.
Skills had experience gains. Prolonged use could level them up. But was it really that simple? He recalled the Shogunate dungeon. He'd used a sword there plenty of times. If experience alone caused this, it should have leveled up back then.
So why now?
Tony's gaze slid down to his talent panel.
[Effect 2: Breath Take Makes Me Stronger – Every breath enhances all aspects of your being, granting perfect control. Higher ranks amplify the growth.]
"All aspects…" His lips curved into a rare smile. "So it's not just stats. Even skills will improve on their own."
This was game-breaking. He wouldn't need tedious grinding; his skills would self-train to perfection over time. But it also meant one thing: he had to be careful what he learned. The earlier he acquired a good skill, the sooner it would snowball to its peak. Mediocre skills weren't worth locking a slot for eternity.
He checked his inventory. Only one skillbook remained: Cross Slash, a common quality. He ignored it with disdain.
From their Goblin Forest first clear, he'd earned two other items besides crystals:
[Command Token (Goblin Warrior)]
Summons a Goblin Warrior ally. Fades on death.
And…
[Two-Handed Greatsword]
Quality: Fine
Type: Weapon
Description: A finely forged knight's weapon once owned by a disciplined female cavalier.
Tony's eyes lit up. A Fine-tier weapon, at zero-tier? That was jackpot loot. Even in first-tier dungeons, this would be considered top gear.
"Finally, some real luck." He gripped the sword, feeling its perfect balance. With Sword Mastery active, this weapon would sing in his hands.
"Tony?" Yuqing called softly, breaking his thoughts.
He blinked, returning to reality. "We'll hold off for an hour. I've got something to handle first. Go do what you need in the meantime."
Back at his rented room in New Haven, Tony immediately logged into the Transcenders' Forum, heading straight to the trade hub. He listed both command tokens for trade, specifically requesting skills in return.
The forum exploded.
"Holy crap, there are summoning tokens in this game?!"
"With those, even scrubs like me could clear a dungeon."
"Yeah, keep dreaming, buddy."
He ignored the flood of messages, refreshing the listings every few minutes. Ten minutes later, a skillbook finally popped up for trade… but it was common quality, and the seller wanted both tokens in exchange.
Tony scoffed. Greedy bastard. Skills were worth more than items, sure, but equal quality should be a fair trade. He closed the tab without hesitation.
An hour later, no worthwhile trades appeared. He logged out with mild regret. The truth was simple: too few players had skills yet. Anyone who did wasn't stupid enough to sell.
The moment they regrouped, Tony selected the Ascension Dungeon again.
[You have selected: Beastmen's Uprising (Part I).]
[Party conditions met. Attempt to enter?]
[Warning: Death or voluntary exit counts as failure.]
[Warning: Upon failure, re-entry is barred for 10 days.]
Tony's eyes narrowed. So this was the real ruleset. Trial dungeons had been training wheels; as long as one player survived, everyone cleared. This time, there would be no safety net.
He looked at his team seriously. "You all understand what this means, right? If we fail, you get nothing. We all die for real, at least for this run."
Yuqing's answer was calm. "I'm fine with it."
"Same here," Yu Bowen said without hesitation. "Without you, it would take me forever to even see this dungeon. Beating billions of others to it once? Worth dying for."
Yan Wu grinned fiercely. "Ascension Dungeon… bring it on."
Tony's lips twitched into a smirk. "Then let's make history."
[Entry confirmed. Commencing transfer in 10… 9… 8…]
As the countdown ticked away, five silhouettes shimmered and vanished, stepping boldly into the unknown—the first squad in the world to face the Beastmen's Uprising.