All of Seth’s life he had been reminded consistently that he was an illegitimate spawn.

Especially since his father was such a prestigious figure. Even though his father never distinguished, treating him the same, giving him the same privilege, the same attention — some might argue even more — the remaining family members weren’t the same.

He had lost count of the numerous times his uncles and aunties had called him aside for advice, all saying the same thing:

Be content with what you have, never overreach.

Do not compete with your siblings, you are not of the same status.

He had heard similar advice over and over again. It had been ingrained into him.

Which was why during his entire stay at Avalon Academy, he had constantly tried so hard not to stand out...

He never tried hard at anything, never giving it his all.

He strolled through his life leisurely and laid back, hardly putting any effort into anything.

He had suppressed his true self. He stifled his competitive spirit for so long and tricked himself into believing he was doing this to stay out of his siblings’ way.

He deceived himself with lies that doing all this was just to keep his father out of trouble.

When he knew the truth deep down: he hardly cared about what others thought. Seth was inherently selfish, so what did he care if he overshadowed his siblings?

’What did I care if I posed a threat to the pure-blooded Duskreavers?’

He simply didn’t. Instead, he had a deep fear of himself — a deep fear of the heights he could reach.

Back when he was nine years old, the family had a gathering. His cousins, brothers, and sisters of his age were gathered and given tasks to solve.

This was a routine test of the Duskreavers to feel out the gems from plain rock.

He remembered back then how he struggled, the blood-pumping excitement of crushing his foes.

The thrill of overcoming the odds, the excitement of pushing himself to give his all.

That was the first time in Seth’s whole existence he felt excitement. He won and won and won.

His father stared at him with proud eyes. The rest of the family watched him in horror.

But Seth didn’t give a damn. He crushed and crushed until there was no one left...

Before he knew it, there was no one he hadn’t outwitted, no one he hadn’t overshadowed.

Standing at this peak, he stared at former rivals, and Seth didn’t feel smug, he didn’t feel guilty — he just felt empty.

They weren’t worth his attention anymore. The thrill and excitement faded along with his competition.

And that was when Seth learned his first lesson about life.

The joy brought by success didn’t come from success itself — it stemmed from the journey to success.

The blood-pumping thrill you get when overcoming foes all fades when there is no one left at the peak except yourself.

You are weighed with the loneliness of the peak, isolated and empty deep inside.

Where was the pressure when you could see a scheme coming from a mile away?

You simply lose all purpose and spend your life in search of something more, only to end up winning and winning again.

And the once sweet victory begins to give a bitter aftertaste.

This was the realization Seth had as he stared at his crying peers. If he continued like this, his life would turn hopeless.

He would win and win until there was nothing left. He would have to bear the terror of being alone at the peak.

He didn’t want that. He loathed how empty he felt and made the decision:

’Since my all is too much, then I won’t try.’

It wasn’t until years later, when the apocalypse began, facing death again and again and forced to realize his inferiority, that Seth finally let go of the shackles tying him down.

The Earth of before couldn’t handle the true him. But this new world was much vaster, beyond his imagination.

Before the grand scale of things, his existence was too negligible to consider. So that meant he had a chance.

He could win and win and win, and his foes and challenges wouldn’t get weaker!

This was a mountain that stretched so endlessly he couldn’t even glimpse its peak.

And such a mountain was worth climbing!

Seth’s mind returned to reality as his finger landed on No.

He had just gotten a chance to experience the thrill of facing insurmountable goals, the excitement of competing with rivals he didn’t know if he would be able to overcome.

And the system wanted to take that from him?

’Fuck that! Fuck the fortune of humanity! I will ascend without it. I will become the strongest and head into the cosmos to satiate this hunger! As long as my foes and challenges remain endless, my potential will be infinite!’

Rumble. The entirety of the Earth’s core shuddered as Seth’s will bloomed. Flames burned brighter, gravity swirled denser, and Seth’s eyes blazed fiercer.

Far from the depths of the Earth’s core but still deeply distant from the surface...

At the belly of the Mariana Trench, a temple sat glowing with a harmonious multicolored hue.

Within its ethereal gates was a hall held up by several colossal pillars surrounding an altar, before which a figure bowed.

Suddenly, the entire structure began to shudder as three of the seven pillars holding up the building shone with resplendent lights.

The bowing figure raised his head, his features cloaked by shadows, but his voice rang:

"This insatiable gluttonous hunger!"

"This unflattering pride!"

"This level of greed!"

Seth had resonated with three of the seven pillars of sin!

The figure contemplated silently. "The humans have birthed another monster! If things carry on as is, my merman tribe won’t have a chance. We need to speed up preparations, or else..."

The figure’s heart shuddered in fear. He didn’t dare say it, but deep in his heart he knew he had to stop such an outcome no matter what!

The scene switched back to the Earth’s core. Seth remained oblivious of the commotion he had just caused.

Instead, he was more focused on the screen that flickered in his sight.

[Outstanding! You have declined an offer most lifeforms, if given the chance, would accept in a heartbeat!]

[You have shown your virtue! You have shown your devotion to the Human race!] 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

[The Earth recognizes you... your Title ’World Blessed’ has been upgraded to ’World Saint’!]

[Details: The Earth favors you. Your fortune is boundless...]

- While on Earth your luck is bolstered.

- Your essence recovery is amplified by 900%.

- Vitality recovery is amplified by 900%.

- Your family benefits from your fortune, and the lands of the Duskreavers have been blessed as a holy land of resources!

Seth stared stunned at the popping screens in shock. He never expected his choice to elicit such a reaction.

Only now did the racial lamp

begin to dissipate.

[System Wide Message: The fortune of the human race is being integrated...]

[Integration process: 1%]