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

Even Victor, Williams, and even Celeste stared at Leo in stunned silence.

"This guy’s been bragging to us for years, and it turns out it was all just talk?" Williams muttered.

The problem was, in the eerie silence of their surroundings, everyone heard him loud and clear.

At that moment, Leo’s fingers twitched slightly. No one else noticed, but Ethan did. His heightened senses had been scanning their surroundings the moment they arrived, and he caught the movement instantly.

Leo had woken up the second Jade exposed him as a virgin. And now, unsure of how to face the embarrassment, he was pretending to be unconscious.

Ethan wasn’t about to let him off easy. He stepped forward and kicked him.

"If you’re awake, get your ass up. Quit playing dead and patch yourself up before you actually die."

Then, with a smirk, he added, "And what’s wrong with being a virgin? It’s not like we weren’t all virgins at some point."

Leo opened his eyes, looking at Ethan like he’d just been betrayed. As he slowly sat up, Celeste suddenly spoke.

"How old are you?"

Leo blinked. "Uh… what?"

"He’s twenty-six," Williams answered instantly.

"Oh."

Celeste’s lips curled into a knowing smile. She turned and walked away.

Leo, halfway through standing up, stumbled. His face said everything.

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At that moment, Ethan realized where they were. Somewhere inside the mountainside.

The western ridge near the village, most likely. The real shock, though? The entire mountain was hollow.

Ethan could tell this wasn’t natural, the walls bore clear marks of artificial excavation. But more importantly, his usual sensory range was being suppressed.

Under normal conditions, he could scan nearly a kilometer in all directions. But here? Barely a hundred meters.

Still, he knew which way to go. At the very edge of his perception, the black lynx was waiting.

It walked ahead, pausing occasionally, as if making sure they were following. The group moved forward, turning to a corner, and suddenly, the path ahead was lit.

A massive altar came into view.

The chamber was dimly illuminated by nine eternal lamps, their flames flickering with an eerie glow.

Ethan counted—nine lamps, nine corners of the altar. And at eight of those corners, skeletal remains lay motionless.

Feline remains.

The lynx crouched beside one of the skeletons. Curious, the group stepped closer.

The lynx looked up at Ethan, then stood, It let out a low, mournful howl, then lifted a paw and touched the bones beside it.

Slowly, it circled the altar, stopping at each skeleton. Every time, it howled again. Finally, it returned to the one empty corner. And lay down.

This time, its golden eyes were filled with something that looked almost… pleading.

Ethan frowned. "Are you saying… this last spot is yours? That you’re supposed to die here too?"

The lynx lifted its head. Then, to everyone’s shock—it nodded.

Without hesitation, it walked over to Ethan. And then, suddenly, it dropped to its knees, its forehead pressed against the cold stone floor.

"What the hell is this?" Victor muttered.

"Wait… does it want you to take it with us?" Leo asked, eyes widening. "It doesn’t want to die here?"

The lynx immediately lifted its head and nodded frantically.

Leo’s jaw dropped. "No way... This thing’s sentient? That’s...impossible." He trailed off, the implications sinking in. "Weren’t animals...?"

Ethan ignored him. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the lynx and asked, "How did the others die?"

He didn’t expect an answer, it was too complicated a question.

But the lynx tilted its head, considering. Then, it padded over to the first skeleton, It lifted a paw, touched the remains—then touched its own belly.

Then, it lay down and stuck out its tongue, going completely still.

"…Your mother?" Ethan asked slowly. "She gave birth to you… and died here?"

The lynx blinked, then, it nodded.

The group exchanged glances. Something wasn’t right. If this had happened for generations… why?

Why did each lynx come back here to die?

Celeste narrowed her eyes. "Couldn’t you just… not return?"

The lynx shook its head.

Then, without hesitation, it strode to the center of the altar. It dug its claws into the stone floor, scratching at it furiously.

Ethan and the others started to approach, but Celeste suddenly raised a hand.

"Wait."

They stopped.

"This altar is weird," Celeste muttered. "It might be rigged with something. Let’s not step on it just yet."

Her words made sense. No one moved forward.

Ethan narrowed his eyes and focused. Compressing his senses, he tried to pierce through the stone itself. His vision blurred. It took an immense amount of effort, draining his energy rapidly.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and after a few seconds, he gasped and pulled back.

Celeste immediately caught his arm. "What is it?" @@novelbin@@

Ethan steadied himself. "The altar itself is fine. But underground…"

He hesitated.

"I don’t know," he admitted. "Something’s down there, but I couldn’t make it out."

That was all Leo needed to hear. The second he knew the altar wasn’t dangerous, he sprinted forward.

The lynx was still digging when he arrived. It didn’t move away as Leo approached. Reaching behind his back, Leo pulled out a folding shovel, and judging by his stance, he was about to start digging.

"Wait—"

Leo swung the shovel and at the last second, Victor yanked him back.

"The hell are you doing?" Victor snapped.

Leo blinked. "Uh… digging?"

Victor clenched his teeth. "You idiot! Didn’t you hear Ethan? There’s something down there."

Leo looked confused. "Yeah, and I’m trying to dig it up."

Williams shoved him aside. "You wanna get yourself killed? Fine. Just wait until we’re gone."

Ethan ignored them and crouched beside the lynx. "What’s down there?" he asked. "I saw something like a jar. What’s inside?"

The lynx froze, then, its gaze shifted to Celeste. It pointed It’s paws at her, then at itself. And then it started digging again.

No one understood what it meant. Leo frowned. "Your soul’s trapped in there?"

The lynx rolled its eyes then, it pointed at itself, then at Celeste. Then kept digging.

The second time, it still wasn’t clear. Now, it was pacing in circles, clearly frustrated. Finally, it walked to Celeste, pointed at her again, then at the ground.

It’s paws then trailed to Williams’ shadow then, it flopped onto its back, showing its belly, pointing at itself again.

Only now did the group realize, Its stomach was slightly swollen.

Leo’s eyes widened. "Holy shit. This thing’s pregnant."

The group collectively turned toward the lynx.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"You’re saying… she has no shadow." He pointed at Celeste. "But he does." He gestured toward Williams.

The lynx nodded, then it placed a paw on its belly. After that, it furiously started digging at the altar’s center.

At long last, they finally had some clue.

Something connected shadows, the lynx’s unborn cub, and whatever was buried beneath this place.

But what exactly was down there? And why was the lynx so desperate to dig it up?