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

Ethan floated in a strange, mist-filled space, below him stretched a vast, emerald-green lake. Despite the absence of any visible light source, the entire space glowed with an otherworldly brightness.

Scanning his surroundings, Ethan noticed a small island at the lake's center. Curious, he willed his body forward, intending to get a closer look.

Before he could react—

Whoosh!

The space shifted. In an instant, he found himself hovering above the island.

Ethan froze. 'What the hell?'

He tried again. With just a thought, he could instantly teleport anywhere within the space.

Testing the limits, he focused on the misty barrier surrounding the area. A blink later, he was at the edge, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move past it.

"You done messing around?"

A familiar voice boomed through the space.

"…Uh." Ethan hesitated. "Old man, where is this?"

He recognized the voice—it was Morzan.

"This is your mindscape," Morzan explained. "Or, to put it simply, the inside of your consciousness."

Ethan paused. "Great. Love that for me. Now, how do I get out?"

Morzan let out a long sigh.

Ethan waited. And waited.

But Morzan said nothing.

"Oh, come on! What's with the dramatic silence? Spit it out already!"

Ethan strained his ears, waiting for a response.

Nothing.

"…Hello?"

"Bad signal." Morzan's voice returned suddenly.

"…???" Ethan stared blankly into the void, his mind full of questions.

"Just listen," Morzan continued.

Then, silence. Again.

Ethan sighed in exasperation, crossing his arms. Finally, after what felt like forever, Morzan's voice crackled back in, this time in broken fragments:

"Central island… gate… open… enter…"

Luckily, Ethan wasn't an idiot. He got the gist. In a flash, he reappeared on the island. From afar, the island had seemed small, but the moment he set foot on it, everything changed.

Either he had shrunk, or the island had expanded endlessly.

At its center stood an ancient, imposing gate.The sight of it sent a strange chill down Ethan's spine, almost like the feeling of standing before the Gates of the Underworld.

Towering endlessly into the sky, its massive frame was carved with intricate, milky-white patterns. Wisps of mist coiled around the engravings, giving them an eerie, living presence.

But the most peculiar thing was the vine.

A single, pale vine coiled around the grand doorway, shifting ever so slightly, as if alive.

Ethan watched as fresh green leaves sprouted from it, slowly turning gold before withering and falling to the ground. The moment they touched the earth, they shattered into mist, dissolving back into the gate.

Standing there, Ethan could tell—this process had repeated itself countless times in just a few seconds. An odd sensation welled up inside him, a whisper of understanding just out of reach.

It was like trying to recall a dream slipping from his grasp. No matter how hard he focused, he couldn't quite seize it. The feeling weighed on his chest, like a stone pressing down on his lungs, making it hard to breathe.

"Steady your mind," Morzan's voice came again, this time crystal clear. "You're not ready to understand it yet. Focus all your Soul Power and break through the Gate of Ascension."

Finally, a full sentence.

"How the hell am I supposed to control Soul Power? I don't know how!" Ethan shouted at the sky.

His voice vanished into the void without a response.

Frustrated, he tried to calm his mind and focus.

Boom!

The island trembled beneath him. Ethan turned toward the sound, a towering column of emerald water shot up from the lake. Strangely, the water didn't splash back down. Instead, it simply faded into the air.

His eyes widened. 'Wait… did I do that?'

He concentrated again. Another surge of water spiraled upward. A smirk tugged at his lips as he directed the water toward the Gate of Ascension.

Boom!

The gate trembled.

A searing pain exploded in his skull, as if a massive boulder had been dropped onto his head. Darkness swallowed his vision, and he collapsed onto the island.

Ethan had no idea how much time had passed before a voice rang out beside him.

"Kid! You alive? Did you activate your Source Energy yet?"

Groaning, Ethan sat up, rubbing his head—only for his hand to pass right through it.

Oh, right. He wasn't in his real body.

"If by 'Source Energy' you mean that water column, then yeah, I guess." His voice was weak.

"Good. Now focus and summon even more to break through the gate," Morzan instructed. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

Ethan scowled. "Yeah, easy for you to say. I just blacked out from the pain. You got another method? And also, why the hell am I even here?"

Morzan let out a long hum before answering. "Nope, no other way. As for why you're here? That's on you, kid. Letting someone else probe your soul? If I hadn't caught it in time and kicked them out, your… well, let's just say it wouldn't have ended well."

Ethan's eye twitched. "The hell does that mean?"

Morzan ignored the question and continued, "You would've had to go through this eventually. It just happened earlier than expected. But that's actually a good thing. The sooner you master this, the better prepared you'll be for the Cataclysm five years from now."

Ethan's breath hitched. Five years…?

"Once you complete this step," Morzan went on, "you'll gain full control over your Soul Power. And with Source Energy supporting it, your soul will finally have a proper foundation."

"Without it, your Soul Power is like a rootless weed—easily torn away."

Morzan's voice carried a rare seriousness.

"With this, you'll also be able to mask your presence. No one will be able to tell you're a Soul-Wielder."

Then, his tone turned lazy again. "So yeah, keep slamming that gate. Sooner or later, it'll open. Your Source Energy isn't weak—it's just a matter of how much you can control."

"Oh, and once you're out of here, you still need to guide your energy into your core. If you waste this chance, you'll regret it forever."

What Morzan didn't mention was that this whole mess was kind of his fault. He'd been drinking when he sensed someone probing Ethan's soul. In his tipsy state, he'd lashed out a little… too hard.

That backlash had rattled Ethan's mindscape, slamming the Gate of Ascension shut.

But if he admitted that now, Ethan would lose his mind.

Ethan groaned and shot to his feet. "Old man, I just slammed into that gate once and nearly died from the pain. And now you want me to hit it harder? Why don't you try bashing your own head with a hammer and see how that feels?"

Morzan muttered under his breath, "Not like I haven't…" but didn't say it loud enough for Ethan to hear.

Instead, he simply fell silent, ignoring him completely.

That silence unsettled Ethan.

Meanwhile, Morzan frowned to himself.

By all logic, Ethan should've been able to break the gate with just one hit. It was nearly impossible to open from the outside, but from the inside? It should've been effortless.

So why hadn't it worked?

Even more concerning—when Morzan tried to probe Ethan's mindscape, he found the gate completely shut.

Something was off.

And whatever it was, even someone like him who had existed for countless millennia couldn't figure it out.