Heroic Era, Year 980.
"Latest front-line battle report: Hero Sakar killed in action!!!"
"What?!"
In the kingdom's interior, far from the front-line slaughter, an unbelievable report arrived. Those who heard it were first stunned, then gripped by extreme panic.
The Hero killed in action? This was a disaster that had not occurred in centuries.
Even the demon race had never rampaged to this extent. Everyone was now paralyzed by fear and confusion. They couldn't imagine fighting the Demon King without the Hero's strength.
The world was on the brink of crisis.
"How could this be?"
Evelyn found the intelligence impossible to process. Three years ago, she had met the Hero once. That power—shattering mountains and cracking the earth—had given her an unparalleled shock. After three years of growth, the Hero must have been even stronger, yet she never expected this. Just imagining the enemy that did it sent shivers down her spine.
What next? How would humanity resist the Demon King?
Mei and Evelyn walked through a burned-out village. All that remained were charred husks; the villagers' corpses lay tragically on the ground.
Evelyn's face was grim to the extreme.
Bandit raids.
Previous experiences had filled Evelyn with an extreme hatred for bandits and slave traders. Every time she witnessed such devastation, her anger and sorrow intensified.
Suddenly, from the death-laden air, a baby's cry reached her ears. Evelyn's spirit stirred. She hurried toward the sound and found a child hidden in the bushes.
She held the child, her eyes complex. "Must only be a few months old."
Holding the child, Evelyn seemed to reach a final decision. After finding a family to adopt the baby, she quietly packed her bag and set off alone early one morning. Before leaving, she bowed deeply to Mei outside the door, leaving a farewell letter. Mei appeared completely oblivious, only opening the door a long while later.
[Teacher, thank you for your care over the years. Your kindness will forever be etched in my heart. Although I am very reluctant to leave, I have something more important I must do...]
The letter was a simple goodbye. A stone placed on the doorstep held a notebook underneath, rustling in the wind.
[I have written down all the unforgettable memories from our journey. I am not good at expressing myself, nor do I know how to say goodbye face-to-face. Please forgive my disrespect, Teacher. Your student dedicates these memories to you, hoping that in the future, I can still accompany you in this way...]
A gentle breeze blew. Evelyn's farewell words carried on the wind, leaving behind the rustling paper. She watched Mei's figure grow smaller and smaller, disappearing at the end of the road.
From beginning to end, Evelyn could not be as detached as Mei. While bandit raids might leave survivors, the demon race left nothing. Humanity was in constant crisis.
She resolutely headed toward the front lines. After a long journey, she joined the war as a Tier 2 mage. Along the prolonged battlefront and in the cruel war, where Tier 3 and Tier 4 powerhouses clashed, her power was so insignificant it couldn't even make a ripple.
She was merely cannon fodder.
However, thanks to the guidance Mei had given her, she shone like a blazing sun compared to others of her tier. Her immense mana capacity and incredible regeneration allowed her to cast spells for long periods, like a tireless machine. One person equaled ten.
Coupled with the astounding destructive power her abundant mana granted her spells, it wasn't long before Evelyn's reputation spread. Because of this, she encountered Agnes once again on the front lines.
This time, Agnes's identity was fully confirmed: she was the Vice-Principal of the Royal Academy of Magic.
She told Evelyn: "Your talent should not be wasted on the battlefield. If you wish to contribute more to resisting the demon race, you must first elevate your magical proficiency."
And so, Evelyn left the front lines and followed Agnes to study at the Royal Academy of Magic. She was now twenty years old, and the memories of her journey with Mei gradually grew hazy.
During her time at the Academy, Evelyn was like a sponge, frantically absorbing knowledge and fixing her weaknesses. Just as Agnes had predicted, Evelyn's true talent erupted when her knowledge was organized into a coherent system.
She became a leading theoretical talent in magical research. She integrated Mei's past guidance into the existing magical system.
The essence of mana growth.
The theory of accelerated mana extraction.
In just a few decades, Evelyn single-handedly propelled the basic level of magic in the Hero's World forward by an entire era, significantly enhancing humanity's potential to resist the demon race.
Springs turned to autumns.
A withered maple leaf slowly drifted down.
The frail, old Evelyn stood peacefully beneath the maple tree. In stark contrast was Agnes, who remained as captivatingly beautiful as ever. The years had left no trace on her.
Evelyn's eyes were nostalgic as she mused, "I personally planted this tree when I first entered the Academy. In the blink of an eye, it's grown so tall."
"After all, it's been sixty-something years."
Evelyn chuckled. "Great Sage, you haven't changed a bit."
"Haha, I am the Great Sage after all."
Amidst their conversation, Evelyn fell silent. Her eyes held a hint of longing. In a flash, she once again saw that figure walking ahead.
Distant by a thousand miles, yet so trustworthy. She was always on the road, never stopping, crossing ice and snow, traversing deserts, surmounting mountains and rivers.
She murmured to herself, "Teacher... I wonder how you are now..."
Hearing this, Agnes remembered Mei's figure. She couldn't help but sigh: "Your teacher... now that's quite an extraordinary character."
Looking back over a thousand years, that person had left the deepest impression on her—though they had only met once and never exchanged words.
"Hmm?"
Evelyn was slightly surprised. She knew her teacher was very strong, but she hadn't expected her to elicit such a sigh from the Great Sage.
The Great Sage, after all, was a Tier 6 mage.
She asked curiously, "I've never seen the Great Sage admire anyone like this. It seems my teacher's strength is quite formidable!"
"Strong?"
Agnes couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head and said, "That's not even close to what 'strong' can describe..."
Evelyn didn't fully understand. But she did grasp that her quiet teacher was an extraordinary figure—someone even a Great Sage admired.
At this thought, Evelyn smiled brightly, very pleased.
Indeed. She always knew her teacher was truly remarkable.
...
Heroic Era, Year 1050.
DONG—
A profound bell reverberated through the academy. On this day, Evelyn, one of the foundational Mages of the Hero's World magical era, passed away.
She lived to be 87.
Rustle—
Late autumn.
A gentle breeze stirred the fiery red maple leaves. A vibrant wreath lay on Evelyn's grave. Until her death, she had never managed to break through to become a Tier 3 Mage. Although she was a theoretical and research-oriented Mage, the immense power of the Hero in her youth had always been her aspiration. Unfortunately, her talent halted her at Tier 2, unable to progress further.
Agnes placed Evelyn's lifetime collection of memoirs on her grave. The autumn wind flipped through the notebook, landing on a page of text.
[I thought back to the time I once asked my teacher. Back then, I was completely ignorant of my own talent and limits. Remembering it now, Teacher's silence was probably her answer.]
"..."
[If there is any regret, it is that I truly wish to meet my teacher again. So many years have passed; I wonder how she is now...]
The funeral ceremony was now concluded. Agnes was about to leave.
In a flash, she seemed to glimpse a figure dressed as a traveler. That person stood silently before Evelyn's grave, allowing the gentle breeze to stir their robes.
Looking again, there was no one at Evelyn's grave.
"An illusion?"
Time seemed to return to that summer day in the rain, when Evelyn squatted by the lake, curiously watching a lotus leaf and a green frog, feeling surprised.
"Teacher, is that a frog?"
The childish voice in the rain began to grow mature and resolute. Evelyn shouldered her backpack, bowing deeply to Mei outside her door before parting ways.
[Your student dedicates all these beautiful memories to you, Teacher, hoping that in the future, your student can still accompany you in this way...]
Time froze at this moment, then flowed backward.
The wind closed the notebook by the door.
Suddenly, the travel log, brimming with memories, transformed into a streak of light and soared into the world, until it fell into Mei's palm, surviving in item form.
[Item Acquired: Infinite Secretary]
Mei closed the Infinite Secretary.
A final Tier 8 item had come into her possession in such a manner. This was something she had not expected at the outset; it had not originated from the Hero's hand. It was simply born from the hand of a mere Tier 2 girl.
Mei's journey was far from over, and Evelyn would not be her final travel companion. But this was indeed a precious memory. As long as she could still feel beauty, Mei's humanity would not disappear.
With the Infinite Secretary in hand, there was no need to remain on this floor. Mei looked down; she had farmed over a million Tier 6 items on this floor. Countless low-tier items.
She was very curious: did the Endless Space truly not notice?
The peak value of the 51st floor was already this high. Farming it a few more times wouldn't be an issue. But what if it was the 70th floor, or even the 80th, or perhaps an even higher-tier world?
Of course, Mei wasn't planning to easily set foot on worlds above the 80th floor just yet. A unique tier was very powerful, but she was by no means invincible. Arrogance would eventually demand a price.
Mei was always cautious.
Without hesitation.
Mei chose to continue conquering the upper floors, pushing from the 51st floor straight to the 60th, and then quickly breaking through to the 71st floor, entering a Tier 8 tiered world.
Subsequently, the Upgrade Tasks were completed one by one.
[Upgrade Task 6 · Completed]
[Energy Level Leap Charges: 0 ➡ 1]
"..."
[Upgrade Task 7 · Completed]
[Energy Level Leap Charges: 1 ➡ 2]
"..."
[Upgrade Task 8 · Completed]
[Energy Level Leap Charges: 2 ➡ 3]
...
Conquering straight to the 80th floor, Mei completed three Upgrade Tasks, gaining three Energy Level Leaps, and continued to allocate all of them to [Veritas].
[Energy Level Leap Charges: 3 ➡ 0]
[Veritas · LV8 ⬆]
——
[Ability: Veritas]
[Level: LV8]
[Description: A unique tier independent of the Grade system. Those who enter this stage absolutely reign over their current grade. They cannot be eliminated unless by a higher-level Veritas.]
[Supplement: Veritas should have already been unique, but the power of the leap appears to have shattered this limit. Beyond Veritas, the higher dimension is watching.]
——
Unfortunately, despite three more Energy Level Leaps, Veritas still couldn't be pushed to a higher tier. And the 80th floor was pretty much where Mei should stop for now. Perhaps leaping Veritas to LV10 could push it to a higher tier, but the problem was how Mei could conquer up to the 100th floor. That would require her to possess Tier 10 power.
Tier 10? She was only Tier 8 at the moment; Tier 10 was truly unattainable.
However.
Now was not the time for distraction.
The moment she stepped onto the 80th floor, Mei recognized this world. That familiar sensation made her immediately unleash her true Tier 8 power.
The Upper Realm!
A world inhabited by unique Tier 8 entities residing on the 80th floor; this was perfectly logical. Mei's previously extinguished fighting intent instantly surged and erupted.
She would destroy this world!
Upon the divine throne deep within the Upper Realm, the King of World's eyes, spanning infinite distances, once again met Mei's gaze. The cold expression on his face finally rippled.
The King of World curved his lips into a smile. "I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
RUMBLE!
The two unique Tier 8s had yet to make a move, but their clashing auras alone shook the Upper Realm's space-time to its very foundations. The gods were terrified to the extreme. The golden-haired god guarding the Upper Realm gates screamed, clutching his head.
"Again?!"
Amidst the terrified screams.
A spear streaked across the Upper Realm. Wherever it passed, space-time fractured section by section. The King of World descended from his throne, an unparalleled, powerful aura enveloping the Upper Realm's multi-dimensional space-time.
Countless parallel worlds were affected, being destroyed one after another.
A vast sword light struck.
A single sword strike severed the King of World's spear. Mei stood in the void, wielding the Great Wilderness's innate killing artifact, the Cloud Water Sword, cleansing Yin and Yang, recreating Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.
As she swung her sword, she simultaneously unleashed streaks of light from her other hand. Item after item of Tier 8 magic treasures was cast out, their might shaking the void. Among these treasures was even Source Annihilation.
If the King of World couldn't be killed, Mei would directly obliterate his origin!
The King of World caught his spear with one hand. He gazed at Mei.
Though they were both unique Tier 8s, he felt an incredibly strong sense of oppression from Mei. This oppressive feeling surpassed even Veritas.
However, the King of World felt only excitement. He had been invincible in the Upper Realm for too long, and had long yearned for an opponent. Mei's appearance was exactly to his liking; he simply wanted to fight a glorious, satisfying battle to the fullest.
"Until death!"
His joyful roar accompanied his spear as it shattered the void, directly piercing through the Upper Realm. Mei's eyes burned bright: at this moment, she brought forth the Dragon's Mace, knocking aside the King of World's spear.
Then, the Cloud Water Sword swung down.
In an instant.
The Upper Realm collapsed. The boundless sword light severed countless parallel timelines of the Upper Realm, leaving a ghastly gash on the King of World's divine body.
...
The Upper Realm.
The gods scattered onto the world, utterly helpless against the battle between two unique Tier 8s. Just the residual power of the Cloud Water Sword's light, sweeping through the void, obliterated many Tier 8 gods.
The God of Judgment's expression was grim to the extreme.
"It's that person!" He would never mistake Mei.
The golden-haired god trembled, his face filled with despair.
"Don't talk about stopping them: there's no room for us to intervene at all. If this continues, not only our world, but all space-time will be destroyed!"
As he spoke.
BOOM!
A boundless sword light swept past, and the King of World's blood splattered across the void.
The gods were horrified.
"King of World!!"
The Cloud Water Sword's light severed countless parallel space-time world lines, obliterating innumerable parallel Upper Realms in an instant. Mei, holding the Cloud Water Sword, with magic treasures swirling around her, watched with an overbearing gaze as the King of World was struck down, falling into a parallel space-time.
...
In one of the Upper Realm's infinite parallel space-times.
TZZZ—
The time of the entire world suddenly froze for an instant, then descended into chaotic disorder, leaping between the future and the past like a skipping film.
"What is happening?"
There was no King of World in this parallel Upper Realm. Unlike ordinary Tier 7s, who exist uniquely on a single eternal timeline, the King of World, as a unique Tier 8, had long transcended causality. All his innumerable possibilities were converged within his own being.
Similarly, any Tier 8 is a singular existence across multiple dimensions. A Tier 8 in one parallel space-time would not have an identical counterpart in another. Or perhaps, Tier 8s have no counterparts at all.
This parallel Upper Realm held only one Tier 8. As space-time plunged into chaos, an intense sense of danger emerged. Before it could react, the King of World crashed into this world.
COLLAPSE! COLLAPSE! COLLAPSE!
That magnificent body, carrying unimaginable power, descended. The moment he entered this space-time, vast swaths of it shattered, forcibly severing the entire continuum.
A severed timeline meant this world had no future. The Tier 8 inhabitant, caught in this disaster, was mentally convulsed, not knowing what had occurred.
Looking up.
An even more suffocating, despair-inducing pressure bore down. In an instant, boundless might shattered the world's existence, revealing an indescribably terrifying entity descending.
Where her gaze fell, space-time was annihilated.
Only then did the Tier 8 of this world realize the truth. Staring at the magnificent body that had first fallen, its soul chilled: "King of World?!!"
So strong! Unimaginably strong!
The King of World reached out, pulling his spear from the void. Ignoring his wounds, he felt a boiling excitement. He had forgotten how long it had been since he last bled.
"Hahahaha, again!" Death was not worth mentioning. This glorious battle could not be betrayed.
The King of World could feel Mei's overwhelming strength, yet he didn't understand why such a disparity existed since they were both unique Tier 8s.
Could there be a higher tier above the unique tier?
"If it truly exists, then let me witness your power!"
His spear shattered the void.
With a grim gaze, the King of World unleashed a strike that transcended space-time, causality, and all concepts: a strike imbued with the concept of Certain Hit, Absolute Victory, and Inevitable Death. His spear pierced through infinite space-time to fatally strike Mei.
Unfortunately.
It had no effect.
This was the disparity between him and Mei. Although both were unique Tier 8s, Mei's Veritas had broken through its limits. It could only be eliminated by a higher-tier Veritas.
HUM—
With the unique-tier blessing, the Heavenly Pagoda draped down strands of aura, blocking the strike that transcended all. Meanwhile, the Bagua Mirror cast down a beam of white light.
It struck the King of World, sending him further upstream along the Void World's timeline. Mei followed against the current. Though this was not a war of rebellion, it surpassed one, erasing countless world lines.
The scene shifted rapidly from future to past, flowing back to a primordial era. Mei, with an invincible stance, fought her way from a downstream world line all the way upstream to a crucial junction.
This was already the high Upper Realm of the void's origin.
It wasn't until she felt powerful resistance from the upstream timeline that Mei paused. To approach the void's origin further, she would have to integrate the downstream world lines to assault the source.
Faintly, Mei sensed scrutiny from the upstream lines near the void's origin, likely from powerful Tier 8 beings born of the void. She had no intention of rebelling against the origin itself, lest it lead to trouble. She allowed these entities to observe, unconcerned.
...
The boundless upstream void.
The King of World sat cross-legged amidst his shattered world, his chest pierced by the Cloud Water Sword. This had severed all his possibilities, concepts, and fundamental information: his very Core. The root information of his existence was erased.
He would no longer exist in the world.
His body was collapsing, vanishing into nothingness. Yet, the King of World let out a hearty laugh, looking at Mei: "Indeed, there is a higher tier above the unique tier, isn't there?"
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so thoroughly defeated.
Mei said nothing. She merely reached out, recalling the Cloud Water Sword.
Ultimately, Source Annihilation had not been needed. Mei had a clear understanding of her power: a unique Tier 8 was no match for her.
"A pity."
With a final sigh, the King of World vanished. Only at his death did he understand there was a tier above Veritas, but he no longer had the chance to touch it.
A burst of light appeared. The interface displayed a notification.
[Item Acquired: Chapter of Infinity]
——
[Item: Chapter of Infinity]
[Type: Item]
[Description: The ultimate hidden reward of the 80th floor of Endless Space. Using this item grants the opportunity to speak with Endless Space on equal terms.]
——
Perhaps because Veritas cannot be dropped, the King of World left no weapons or personal items. Instead, he dropped the Chapter of Infinity.
This was highly illogical.
This strange feeling made Mei grasp the meaning: because of the Hyperdimensional Space, the Endless Space couldn't easily communicate with a Void Wanderer, so it used this method to converse.
Mei's Personal Spatial Storage contained an item called the [Chapter of Gaia] with a similar function, which she hadn't used yet. If the description hadn't included the word "Equal," Mei wouldn't have used this so readily. Since it did, she was willing to explore this dialogue.
She immediately used the Chapter of Infinity.
WHOOSH!
At that moment, Mei transformed into a streak of white light and vanished.