7: Kill 60,000 Creatures (S)
Only then did they see, in the distance, the corpse of a feline.
This feline… this one was twice the size of the other lynxes they had encountered earlier.
Shadow Lynx (Baron)
• Level: 1
• Power: 600
• Mana: 380
• Strength: 60
• Physique: 59
• Agility: 70
• Intelligence: 35
• Spirit: 38
The atmosphere fell silent due to the shock.
"The leader died just like that? Wasn't it too easy?" Pancho said, obviously stunned and a bit disappointed with the conclusion.
"Honestly, I must admit I expected…"
DING!
Congratulations on clearing the first floor of the Celestial Tower, Easy Mode.
Rewards are being calculated.
DING!
Congratulations on clearing the first floor with Rank S.
Rewards are being calculated.
DING!
Congratulations on clearing the first floor, Hidden Mode.
Rewards are being calculated.
Before Lesliana could finish speaking, system notifications exploded across everyone's status panels.
After hours and hours of nearly endless grinding, the reward notifications were like the most beautiful of all celestial songs.
Because even though it was Easy Mode… it had been truly difficult.
And the most terrifying thing was that this was only the first floor.
There were many more ahead.
"Hahaha! Now I'm really experiencing the world of games!" Pancho said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands as he waited for the rewards.
"Rewards? There are rewards?" Kiala asked, confused.
"Of course! Otherwise, why do you think we stayed here fighting this whole time?" Pancho replied, looking at her as if she were foolish.
"Seriously? I thought it was just for the crystals… but there are rewards too. What do you think it'll be? Money? Cars?" she asked with sparkling eyes.
"Oh, my poor sweet sister with the limited mind… things like what you just said won't matter anymore. With the Celestial Domain, the rules have changed. Like the old man said earlier, these crystals will definitely be the currency of the new era."
After speaking, his excitement vanished instantly.
He looked back at the lynx corpses…
And his face turned into near-crying.
"What's wrong?" his sister asked, confused by his sudden shift in mood.
"I just remembered we still have to collect all the crystals."
With that sentence, all the festive atmosphere died. Then, out of nowhere, at everyone's feet, two treasure chests identical to treasure chests appeared: one bronze, the other white. Another phenomenon that, this time, was considered a true miracle.
Three mountains appeared.
The largest was made of rabbit corpses.
Another of lynxes.
Another of stacked wood.
And a small pile of crystals appeared beside them.
Of all these miracles, this one was considered the true miracle.
The idea of not having to collect crystals again was something all of them deeply desired.
Like a fastest-hand challenge, everyone except Danilo grabbed the chests, inspected them, and opened them. Some started with the bronze one, and Lesliana opened the white one.
The white chest released a blinding light as it opened. A bright shine flooded everything when Lesliana lifted the lid. A golden egg appeared in her hands. It was dazzling. It was only gold — yet mesmerizing.
Suddenly, a scream burst from Lesliana. So sudden it startled everyone.
"The ancestral one! It's really the ancestral one!" she cried, emotional, tears running down as she held the fifty-centimeter egg.
Golden Crow of the Nine Suns
Rank: Super Divine
Level: 1 (Bound)
Aside from the name, rank, and level, nothing else could be seen. Probably because it was still incubating.
"Drop your blood on it," Pancho said, his gaze full of poorly disguised envy.
Lesliana grabbed the sword she had left on the ground earlier and tried to cut her palm — but struggled due to her high attributes. And the moment she managed it, the wound closed instantly.
"How? Why did it close?" she asked, stunned.
The others were just as confused until they remembered the shared passive. One of them: Infinite Regeneration. They might not have used it during battle due to the disparity between them and the enemies, but now the ability revealed its strength — it healed even when they didn't want it to. Including now.
With such an ability, they would have trouble dying even if they wished.
"Big bad wolf, do something! Because of you I can't even bleed!" Lesliana complained, looking at Danilo and waiting for a solution.
"What do you want me to do? If you can't even injure yourself, is that my fault?" he asked, shocked at her audacity.
She was really blaming him for preventing her from getting hurt.
She was truly bold.
"I don't know, but you must do something. If you think about it, this isn't just an egg. It's not a pet. It could become our first child. So we need to put our blood on it. That way it'll recognize both of us as its parents," she said, excitement overflowing in her voice.
After hearing that, Danilo was speechless.
This was a Super Divine-level beast.
And this foolish woman wanted to share it with him.
Although there might be influence from absolute loyalty, Lesliana had always been like that. One of the main traits that made him fall hopelessly in love with her in Azeroth was exactly that.
She shared almost everything — often to the point of embarrassment.
She believed she only didn't share clothes because of gender differences, although she frequently wore his shirts at home.
After two lifetimes of betrayal, one filled with plots and manipulation in Azeroth, that innocence and simplicity only increased his desire to grow stronger and protect her so that nothing from the past would repeat.
"If you can't even injure yourself, what do you want me to do?" he asked again, in a tone of false confusion.
Deep down, he knew what needed to be done — but it was too cruel.
Once done, Lesliana would remember it forever — and one of her biggest flaws was never forgetting grudges.
"I don't know, but do something."
"No," he said firmly. "If I do it, you'll definitely complain about it forever. And I don't want headaches."
"Why are you acting like this? Since when have you become so sensitive? I'm the woman here and I'm asking you. You have my permission, yet you're acting shy. If I didn't know you, I might even believe you. But since I know you, better not."
Seeing his hesitation, she calmed down.
"Alright. I know you're worried I'll blame you later. But I promise I won't. I swear."
"As if your promises meant anything," he replied, disdainful.
"I'm serious. I promise, right here in front of everyone, that I won't blame you," she said.
"Are you really sure? This will hurt. It'll hurt so much I already feel pity for you."
"Absolutely sure. Go ahead," she replied, trembling, as if she knew she would suffer soon, but still determined.
"Okay, then close your eyes," Danilo said.
She closed her eyes.
Danilo's ring shifted from a bow to a katana.
A painful scream echoed.
And then they saw a hand fall to the ground — Lesliana's hand.
Danilo carefully picked up the egg and bathed it in the blood.
And then, magically, like a living rope, the blood solidified and reattached the hand from the ground back to her arm.
The Infinite Regeneration ability took effect.
"You cut my hand…"