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

Ethan scowled as Morzan went silent again, muttering curses under his breath. That old man had said his newly awakened energy would fade if he didn't stabilize it, and Celeste had warned him about the same thing.

Clearly, 'energy' was something rare and valuable in their eyes. Which meant he needed to get the hell out of this place.

With no other option, he focused again, summoning more Source Energy.

One column of water…

Two… Three… Four…

By the time he reached nine, he hit his limit. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't summon a tenth.

Fine. He'd just have to make do.

Locking onto the Gate of Ascension, he controlled all nine water columns and slammed them against it.

BOOM!

Everything went dark. An eternity seemed to pass before Ethan slowly regained consciousness.

"Kid! You still alive?" Morzan's voice was urgent.

Ethan didn't answer.

He sat there, blankly staring at the massive gate in front of him, a crushing sense of helplessness settled in. Even after throwing everything he had at it, the damn thing was still shut.

No way out.

Without opening the Gate of Ascension, he couldn't regain control of his body.

Would he die here?

And if he did, what about the Cataclysm Morzan had mentioned? What about Lyla? His friends waiting for him outside? Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Ethan clenched his fists. He refused to accept this.

But Morzan said nothing. He already knew Ethan had failed.

Silence stretched between them.

Then, Ethan took a deep breath and stood. That's when he noticed something strange.

His previously transparent body was now glowing with a faint green aura, the same shade as the lake water. Even the intricate white carvings on the gate had taken on a slight emerald tint.

Did… did I stain the gate with the water?

He didn't dwell on it.

Summoning his Source Energy again, he launched another attack.

Again.

And again.

Each time, he blacked out from the pain. Each time, he woke up stronger. Gradually, he found himself controlling twelve water columns with ease. Now, he could strike the gate twice before passing out, but the pain was unbearable—like his soul was being torn apart.

Then, out of nowhere, Morzan spoke.

"Try a different angle."

Ethan blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Go around. Try from the other side."

Wait.

No way. Had he been—?

Heart pounding, Ethan circled the gate. As he reached the opposite side, his breath hitched. The once-white gate was now completely emerald, almost jade-like.

A ridiculous thought crept into his mind.

'No way I've been attacking the back this whole time… right?'

Stepping onto the platform, he hesitantly placed his hands on the massive doors.

Then, with a gentle push—

HUMMMMMM—

The gate swung open effortlessly. Ethan stared, dumbfounded.

"…Are you f***ing kidding me?"

---

Meanwhile, in the real world, Ethan had been sitting motionless for two hours. Celeste and the others had kept a close eye on him the entire time.

He remained perfectly still one moment, then trembled violently the next, his brows furrowing in deep concentration.

No one knew what was happening to him. And none of them could do a damn thing to help.

Just moments ago, Doe had attempted to probe Ethan's condition again when she saw his entire body trembling violently, but the moment her Soul Power made contact, a surge of emerald energy blasted it away.

She barely withdrew in time—any slower, and she would've been injured again.

What shocked her most, however, was that the green energy wasn't a foreign force.

It was Ethan's own Soul Power.

It was the first time she had ever seen someone's soul take on a distinct color. With even Doe unable to intervene, the others had no choice but to wait.

Either Ethan would pull through on his own, or his energy would fade, and he'd wake up naturally. None of them realized that Ethan was currently trapped inside his own mindscape, unable to break free.

Inside his consciousness, Ethan stepped beyond the Gate of Ascension, his mind screaming numerous curses.

'All this time… I was pushing the wrong damn side?!'

And to make matters worse, it had opened with the slightest push.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, he felt his awareness slam back into his physical body. At the same time, he gained a strange new perception—an inner sight.

His entire body appeared as a dark void, with a single golden speck darting around like a restless firefly. It looked like a seed, aimlessly bouncing from place to place inside him.

"Wrap it in your will," Morzan's voice instructed. "Guide it into your core."

For the first time, Morzan's voice came through with perfect clarity.

A soft green mist—his Soul Power, rose from the top of Ethan's head. To his eyes, it looked like faint, drifting vapor. The golden seed, on the other hand, felt strangely solid.

At first, Ethan thought it would be difficult to capture.

But the moment his Soul Power touched it, the seed instantly calmed, as if a child finding its mother. A wave of warmth and familiarity radiated from it.

Ethan's heart leapt in excitement. 'That was easier than I thought.'

Morzan let out a small hum of surprise. "Well, well. Seems like you fused with Source Energy by accident while inside the mindscape."

Then, after a brief pause, he muttered, "And just as I expected, your Source Energy is linked to the Essence of Life. Giving you the King of Elves bloodline was the right choice after all. Maybe… just maybe… you can reach that level in five years."

Ethan stayed silent, fully focused.

The seed had stopped resisting, but moving it was still a challenge. Especially when guiding it toward his core— the point where his energy converged.

But as soon as his awareness reached that spot, he froze.

It was empty. Completely void.

There was no energy pool, no power center, nothing.

His stomach twisted. 'Wait… isn't it impossible to be a fighter without a core?'

He had heard the rumors. Those without a core were considered almost useless, at best, slightly stronger than an average person with enough training.

Honestly, he had never dreamed of becoming a warrior in the first place. After all, gathering energy in one's core was rare, only one in a thousand people succeeded.

He had never dared to hope for it. But now, standing at this threshold…

What was he supposed to do?

"Quit panicking," Morzan grumbled. "You haven't even formed your core yet. Get that energy into place, and then you'll have a core."

Ethan blinked. Oh. So this was just the beginning.

He really was a complete novice at this.

'Maybe I should ask Doe to be my teacher…?'

For now, though, he had bigger things to worry about. Focusing again, he poured more Soul Power into the golden seed, slowly pulling it into his core.

HUMMMMM—!

A deep resonance rang through his body.

And at the same time—

Back in the real world, Celeste and the others tensed as violent winds erupted around the camp.