Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

Chapter 144: Breakthrough

Celeste insisted that everyone get some rest while she stood watch alone. They all knew that if she slept, the Shadow Eater infection would worsen, so they didn't argue.

The night passed uneventfully. As dawn broke, she roused everyone to prepare for departure.

The mountain air was crisp and fresh in the early morning.

Ethan took a deep breath. Strangely enough, in both his lives, this was the first time he had ever camped out in the wild.

After a quick meal, Celeste checked their direction and led the way. At first, the journey was manageable, but after a few hours, the terrain became impassable. Vines and thorny undergrowth blocked the path, forcing Leo and Williams to take turns hacking through with machetes.

Even Victor, who had been keeping up without complaint, was drenched in sweat by noon.

Carrying a hundred-pound pack through rugged terrain was no joke. Even for three former elite soldiers, four years of civilian life had dulled their edge. Their training wasn't what it used to be.

Even Celeste, using air manipulation to lighten her steps, was reaching her limit—especially after pulling an all-nighter.

Yet Ethan, somehow, seemed completely unaffected. He didn't look exhausted like the rest of them. In fact, he seemed refreshed.

Everyone shot him weird glances, making him feel a little self-conscious. In the end, he took Celeste's pack without waiting for her to refuse.

Even with the added weight, he barely felt any strain. It puzzled him. There was something in the jungle, some kind of energy seeping into his body.

It kept him at peak condition.

And he noticed something else. The more weight he carried, the faster this strange energy flowed into him.

By midday, after their break, Leo resumed clearing the path, and Ethan grabbed his pack too. A little while later, still not feeling the strain, he took Victor's and Leo's packs as well.

No one said anything.

Victor and Leo just looked at Ethan with growing disbelief.

Celeste, however, gave him an approving nod.

An hour later, Ethan was carrying five backpacks, weighing at least 750 pounds. The strange energy surged into him faster than ever, but it still couldn't completely erase his exhaustion.

Another hour passed. Sweat drenched his entire body. Every step left a puddle in the dirt.

Celeste and the others slowed their pace, all eyes on him. Several times, Leo looked ready to step in, but Victor held him back, shaking his head.

One step. Ten steps. A hundred steps… to the others, he looked like he could collapse at any second.

Ethan's mind blurred. Only his will kept him moving. The world faded away until it felt like he was the only one left. Just like in the dreamworld, five thousand years, walking alone.

Then—

Crack.

Ethan swore he heard something shatter inside him. Like a chick breaking out of its shell, an unfamiliar power welled up from within.

Celeste and the others watched in shock as his bent back slowly straightened. The lifeless haze in his eyes cleared, replaced with a sharp, determined gaze.

Ethan glanced at Victor and Leo. Their expressions were frozen in disbelief.

Only Celeste spoke. "Not bad."

"Huh?" Ethan scratched his head, clueless about what had just happened.

Leo and Williams gave him a thumbs-up before speeding up their pace, cutting through the jungle with renewed vigor.

Victor walked up behind Ethan, clapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Congrats. You just broke past your physical limit."

Then he grabbed the backpacks off Ethan, tossing them back to Leo and Williams before taking Ethan's own pack as well.

"You just pushed past your limit. It's not a good idea to strain yourself right after. Take a break."

With that, Victor hoisted two backpacks and continued forward.

Ethan stood there, dazed.

The power that had surged within him earlier was still coursing through his body, circulating in a pattern he didn't understand.@@novelbin@@

'So… this is what breaking past my limits feels like?'

He had never studied combat training before, so he had no idea how to control the strange energy. He could only let it flow as it pleased.

But every time it cycled through him, he could feel himself getting stronger.

A voice suddenly whispered in his ear. "Kid, use your mind to connect with the energy inside you. Follow my guidance."

It was Doe.

Up ahead, Celeste turned her head slightly, as if Doe had just spoken to her as well.

A second later, she abruptly walked back to Ethan, eyeing him in surprise. "You actually awakened energy? How many times have you broken past your limit before?"

Hearing this, the others froze.

"Uh… I don't know. This should be my first time?"

As soon as Ethan answered, Celeste stared at him like he had grown a second head. Even Victor and the others had the same expression.

"Ethan, no way… You awakened energy on your first breakthrough?" Leo's face was filled with disbelief.

Ethan glanced at his own body. "If by 'energy' you mean whatever's running wild inside me, then yeah, I guess."

Williams who had since been quite , was listening intently. He had hoped Ethan would deny it.

But Ethan had confirmed it.

Williams didn't say a word. Instead, he silently unzipped his backpack, pulled out some supplies, and started setting up camp.

Victor and Leo exchanged looks before letting out a helpless chuckle and joining him.

Ethan frowned. "Uh… what are you guys doing?"

"I don't feel like talking to a freak," Leo muttered, side-eyeing him.

Celeste smirked. "We'll camp here for the night."

"But you—"

"Relax. A day or two won't kill me. Right now, you need Doe to help you stabilize that energy. If you miss this chance, you might regret it forever."

Ethan blinked.

Celeste had never spoken to him this gently before.

That night.

Doe stood beside Celeste, her translucent figure faintly glowing under the moonlight.

"You really can't guide his energy?" Celeste asked, frowning.

Doe puffed up her cheeks and glared at Ethan, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Guide my ass! This kid doesn't even have Energy Pathways!"

Celeste gave her a puzzled look. "Then… what's happening to him?"

Doe's expression darkened. She clenched her jaw before spitting out, "How the hell should I know? I tried to channel my Soul Power into him, and some freak force nearly shattered my damn soul!"

Her hands balled into fists as she trembled with frustration. "I've lived for over a hundred years, and this brat almost wiped me out! It's going to take forever for me to recover from this. I'm so pissed!"

Celeste watched her fume for a moment, then—she stifled a laugh.

Doe whipped her head around. "What the hell are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing…" Celeste said, covering her mouth. But her gaze drifted back to Ethan, a flicker of worry in her eyes.

At that moment, Ethan himself was growing frustrated.

Doe had promised to help him guide his energy, but the second they started, something had yanked his consciousness into a strange, unfamiliar space.