Chapter 291: Chapter 291 : The World rankings and new dangers

At Crestvale Manor, the flickering light from tall candelabras danced across the grand dining room. Serena von Crestvale sat at the head of the long table, her posture regal despite the weariness that softened her sharp features. Alden von Crestvale and Alicia von Crestvale flanked her, each picking at dinner in silence.

A quiet tension filled the air. The fourth chair — always set out, always waiting — remained empty.

Serena’s voice finally broke the silence as she glanced at the vacant spot. “She didn’t come out to eat again, did she?”

Alicia, her gaze low and words tinged with sadness, answered, “She still can’t get over Uncle Edward’s death. She hasn’t been eating for days, mom. At this rate, she’ll get sick…”

A shadow passed over Serena’s face. Alden nodded in agreement, the scrape of his fork loud in the hush that followed. “Edward’s passing hit her harder than we thought.”

Alicia looked at her mother, then hesitated before going on. “You know, mom… you don’t have to be so strong for us all the time. You’ve been crying at night too, and you lost your only brother. You don’t have to hide it from us.”

Alden added, “We noticed, mom. It’s okay to not be strong.”

Serena inhaled shakily, surprised at being found out. “So you both saw that, huh…” Her facade cracked, and her eyes glimmered with a deep, haunting grief. “These last three months have been too much. First, I lost my best friend Selena, and now my brother… it’s just too much to bear.”

Tears began flowing freely down her cheeks, and without a word, both Alicia and Alden rose and hugged her tightly, drawing her into the circle of their arms.

“Yes, mom,” Alden said quietly. “It’s been hard for all of us.”

Suddenly, Serena’s etherPad buzzed loudly, breaking the fragile peace. She broke from the hug, composing herself as she answered.

She listened, her eyes widening in disbelief. Within seconds her expression transformed from shock to radiant joy. “Are you sure? Are you telling me the truth?!”

A smile bloomed on her lips as the voice on the other side assured her. She ended the call abruptly, turning proudly to her children.

“Kids! Finally, some good news… Alex just woke up from his coma!”

Alicia stared a moment—then whooped with joy, her grief forgotten. “Are you serious, mom? Is that true?” She was so excited, she started shaking Serena by the shoulders.

“Stop shaking me, you brat,” Serena said, half laughing, half crying.

But Serena suddenly noticed an empty spot at the table. “Where’s Alden?”

Alden’s voice echoed from the hallway as he called back, already halfway out the door, “Looks like he’s already run to meet him!”

Serena barely finished when Alicia cursed. “Alden, if you leave without me, I’m going to break both your legs!”

Alden sprinted even faster towards his car, Alicia in hot pursuit. Just as he opened the driver’s door, Alicia managed to catch up and kicked him out with expert precision. “I’ll drive!” she declared.

Alden groaned. “If you drive, we’ll end up in heaven instead of the hospital!”

Alicia shot him a glare. “Shut it! My driving’s improved.” She floored the hover car’s accelerator, and within seconds they were racing away from Crestvale Manor.

Alden whispered a prayer for himself and for anyone else unlucky enough to cross Alicia’s path on the road.

—

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Alex sat silently on his bed. In front of him was Dr. Emma.

“Alex, do you need something?” Emma asked gently.

He looked up with dull eyes, responding in a monotone, “No.”

Emma tried to spark some light. “You’re a hero, you know. Everyone says you saved the world, the human empire—”

Alex’s lip curled in a bitter, unhinged laugh. “Hero? Hero my ass. People are hypocrites. Give them one reason and they’ll turn on me in a second.”

Emma couldn’t find the words. All she could say was, “It’s not—”

“Just leave me alone,” Alex said, voice cold and final.

Emma nodded, sighing. “Your family will be here soon.”

Alex didn’t reply. Emma left, and the silence returned.

Now alone, the system’s voice broke through. [ Host. ]

’What? You want to talk some bullshit too?’ Alex thought.

[ There are some things you should know. ]

’Like what?’

[ See this. ]

Dozens of system message windows erupted before Alex’s eyes—

[ System Notification ]

The God of Death — Hades has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Life — Elyndra has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of War — Valgor, the Crimson Banner has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Wisdom — Seluria, Keeper of the Eternal Library has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Space — Zerath Voidborne has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Chaos — Orochron, Devourer of Order has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Fate — Seraphis, Weaver of Threads has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Darkness — Nyxara, the Eternal Night, has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Storms — Zephyrion Thunderheart has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Ice — Freyis Wintercrown has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Fire — Ignivar, the Inferno Lord, has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Beasts — Fenrath the Primal Fang has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Shadows — Umbryl the Silent Blade has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Healing — Miriel Serenehands has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Dreams — Somnus the Dreamwalker has offered you to be his Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The Goddess of Illusions — Veylora the Mirage Queen has offered you to be her Avatar.

[ System Notification ]

The God of Knowledge — Arkem Solmind has offered you to be his Avatar.

Alex stared, speechless. ’So I wasn’t dreaming after all. That message before I blacked out was real.’

[ Yes, Host. And there are even more. These are just the ones I thought might be useful to us. ]

Alex let himself smile—just a little. His mind raced, running through more scenarios in a second than most do in a lifetime.

“And what makes you think they’d be useful?”

[ You already know the answer. And I know you well enough to plan for anything. ]

Alex let out a short, sharp laugh. “Alright. Tell me what I missed while I was out.”

[ Three months have passed. Listen closely. After you won, the will of the universe spoke: the world is now qualified for Ascention Trials. The Tower has appeared at the center of this world. ]

Alex’s eyes grew wide. ’So… the Tower of Ascension has emerge? It’s in Etheron now?’

[ Yes, Host. And that’s not all. The world itself has leveled up among the lower planes. It’s now a Level 2 world. ]

Alex’s mind spiraled with possibility. “What does that leveling mean?”

Just as Alex finished his question, a light voice interrupted from the window.

“Let me explain that…” Zara stepped smoothly into the room, blue hair with silver streaks shining even in the muted hospital lights.

Alex snapped alert, every instinct firing at once. ’How did I not sense her coming? Is she suppressing her presence or am I that out of it?’

Zara walked closer, comfort in every movement. “The leveling system among the worlds is pretty much like a game,” she explained, sitting casually on the windowsill. “There are seven levels for any world.”

Alex leaned in, curiosity driving away some of his earlier numbness.

Zara went on, “All worlds up to level three are counted as lower planes. And whenever someone from such a world breaks through the restrictions of their world’s power system—ascends to a genuinely new height—things change. In this case, Alex, that was you.”

She let the words settle in the air before continuing, “Until now, Etheron’s power ceiling was the Monarch rank. But your fight with Kyle? You broke that. You reached a level higher than Monarch—what this world never allowed before. And you survived while doing it. The will of the universe noticed and rewarded this world for your ascent.”

Her light smile turned sly as she added, “Now, the world’s power level has also increased. Two new ranks are available—the Pseudo-Divine rank, and above that, the Divine rank. The sort of strength that lets someone actually manipulate the laws of nature itself.”

Alex blinked, shock slowing every thought in his head. ’Pseudo-Divine… Divine rank… That sounds cool…’

“You look like you’ve been hit upside the head,” Zara teased.

Alex shot back, “And how do you even know all this?”

Zara pressed a finger to her lips, winking flirtatiously. “That’s a secret!”

A vein popped on Alex’s forehead. “Tch… I miss my old AI assistant, the one who didn’t keep secrets from me. You definitely aren’t her.”

“Oh, come on, how many times do I have to say I am her?” Zara pouted. “I remember everything!”

Alex folded his arms. “Now I’m sure you’re not. She never argued this much.”

Zara’s mouth twitched in mock offense.

Alex changed the subject, “So this world’s now a level two. What counts as mid- or high-ranking, then?”

Zara imitated a scholar’s tone. “Level four and five—that’s mid-rank. In worlds like that, people aren’t bound by mortal limits anymore. At level six and seven? That’s where gods or god-like beings live and rule as they please.”

Alex leaned back, overwhelmed. ’Too much information for one day…’

But Zara said, softer this time, “One more thing—the world’s already under invasion. Didn’t you notice the news about a new continent?”

Alex’s eyes shot wide. ’System—you useless thing, why didn’t you tell me?’

[ I was getting to it, but she started talking first, you ungrateful host. ]

“So, what’s the situation?” Alex asked Zara, suddenly all business.

Zara’s face turned grave. “From what I’ve learned, the elven empire’s already been hit hard. They’ve lost a lot of land. Same for the vampires and all the other nations. The human empire’s barely hanging on, and at this rate, it might fall first.”

Alex’s heart pounded. “Destroyed? What’s the king doing?”

Zara shook her head. “You were unconscious. King Edward is dead.”

Alex felt the world spin. ’Charlotte…’

He voiced his next thought, “Let me guess—a succession war? Charlotte, Lucas, and the eldest splitting the kingdom?”

“Exactly,” Zara confirmed. “Charlotte’s faction is the weakest right now… and the human empire’s forces are losing fast.”

Alex could only think, ’This is spiraling out of control…’

He was about to press for more details when the door slammed open. A white-haired girl rushed in—Alicia.

“Alex! I heard you finally woke up!” Alicia blurted out.

She paused as her eyes met Zara’s. The two women regarded each other for a moment until Zara gave a friendly wave. “Nice to meet you.”

Alicia’s gaze slid back to Alex, suspicion in her tone. “Who’s this? What’s she doing here?”

“First, breathe and listen to me,” Alex said, scrambling for words.

Alicia’s smile was ominous. “Go on. I’m listening… and this better be a good excuse.”

’Damn it…’ Alex braced himself, expecting her to punch or yell.

But instead, Alicia raced in and hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “I was so worried…”

Alex sighed in relief for a moment—until her hug became a chokehold. He patted her shoulder, struggling for air.

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