Heo Sungshik looked at the golden goblin ticket he had taken out and solidified his resolve.

‘It’s better to acquire another EX Rank trait now.’

Heo Sungshik could tell. The EX Rank traits he was gradually accumulating would become a great source of strength in the future.

It was a kind of instinct. Thanks to the broadened perspective granted by the Akashic Record, Sungshik’s intuition had also gained more depth.

‘The Nights of Trial may not be the end.’

At his current rate of growth, he thought he could somehow fend off up to the fifth Night of Trial on his own. But the sixth or seventh night’s master might be too much for his current strength.

As the saying goes, the more you know, the more you see—through the Akashic Record, upon learning more about the wider world, he realized just how extraordinary the master of the sixth night was.

‘At least 9-star, perhaps even someone who challenged the wall of 10 stars.’

The sixth night’s master felt fundamentally different from the previous ones. If even the sixth was like that, what of the seventh?

Moreover, the one who called himself ‘Tidian’ was clearly no ordinary being either.

‘Perhaps…’

Sungshik shook his head mid-thought. He had begun to suspect that there might be beings beyond even those, but since it was an unfounded assumption, he stopped himself.

There was no need to imagine enemies that didn’t exist yet. What he needed to do now was grow his power step by step. If he continued, he would eventually obtain complete divinity.

When that time came, he would reach the realm of 10 stars—enter the domain of the demi-god. Then, no one would be a threat to him.

With his decision made, Sungshik checked his traits.

‘Status window.’

Name: Heo Sungshik

Titles:
― Warrior of Adversity
― One Who Stepped on the Threshold of Transcendence
― Demon Hunter
― Cradle of Knowledge (New)

Rank: 8-Star (★★★★★★★★)

Combat Power: ?

Stats: Strength SS / Agility SS / Endurance SS / Magic SS+

Owned Traits

EX Rank
1. Consumption LV 6
2. One More Time (Unavailable)
3. Heaven-Splitting Divine Art LV 6
4. Master of the Divine Beast LV 3
5. Primordial Flame LV 1
6. Akashic Record LV 2

SSS Rank
1. Army of Death LV 2
2. Attribute Materialization LV 4
3. Ruler of Wind LV 4
4. Thunderbolt LV 5

SS Rank
1. Pocket Watch LV 6
2. Shadow Swamp LV 5
3. Vajra Aegis LV 4
4. Hyper-Sense LV 6

S+ Rank
1. Fragment of the Black Moon LV 2

S Rank
1. Sword Sovereign LV 6
2. Fragment of Light LV 4
3. Lord of Permafrost LV 3

*Owned traits below A Rank: 39

He now possessed well over fifty traits. What would others think if they saw Sungshik’s trait window?

“Is this even real?”

“What the hell… this kind of broken setup?”

“Wow… seriously, what is this.”

The reactions would all be the same.

Unbelievable trait ownership. He even had six EX Rank traits. Even excluding the now unusable One More Time, he still had five. To other Superhumans, it would appear to be the pinnacle of absurdity.

Because of this, even among other 8-stars, he was in a different league. His combat power couldn't even be measured anymore and was marked as ‘?’ due to the sheer number of traits.

That’s why Sungshik was now full of confidence. He believed that even someone like the Sword Emperor or Martial Emperor could be defeated by his current self.

‘And if I add another EX Rank trait this time…’

He would become even stronger. With this pace of growth, perhaps he could fend off the fifth night’s master by himself. That belief grew even stronger after acquiring the trait Primordial Flame.

EX Rank – Primordial Flame
― The fire that was born at the beginning. The origin of all flame.
― The most noble fire in the universe.
― Fire resistance +60 / Fire attribute power +100 / Fire attribute attack power +50% / Can learn fire attribute skills without restriction / Fire attribute skill rank increased by 1
― Can devour any fire that exists in the world.
― [Sealed] Immune to fire attribute (Master level bonus sealed)

Thanks to the power of Primordial Flame, Sungshik’s combat power soared. A major reason was that his primary elements were lightning and fire.

But it didn’t stop there—his fundamental fear of fire had disappeared entirely.

‘Master level bonus.’

Sungshik could understand it. The moment he achieved the master level of EX Rank – Primordial Flame, no flame in the world would be able to harm him.

That meant anyone who used fire as their main attribute would find Sungshik to be an absolute natural enemy. Even someone like Tidian, who wielded the Flames of the Abyss, would be no exception.

‘I don’t know how strong he is, but…’

Once Primordial Flame reached the master level, that guy wouldn’t stand a chance against him. That’s how superior Primordial Flame was. Even among EX Rank traits, there were different tiers. Primordial Flame belonged to the highest tier.

‘I don’t know which being’s divinity is contained in it, but it’s clearly the power of something close to a deity.’

It likely held divine power akin to that of the being behind Consumption. Considering this, he could not afford to miss the opportunity to acquire another EX Rank trait.

‘I absolutely must obtain that EX Rank Trait Enhancement Ticket.’

He currently had four SSS Rank traits: Army of Death, Attribute Materialization, Ruler of Wind, and Thunderbolt. If he got that EX Rank Trait Enhancement Ticket, he could upgrade one of these to EX Rank.

‘If I get the trait enhancement ticket, which one should I raise to EX Rank…’

Although he hadn’t obtained the Trait Enhancement Ticket yet, Sungshik was already contemplating which trait to elevate to ‘EX Rank’.

‘Since Thunder is my main attribute, I’m inclined to choose that… but what exactly is “Attribute Materialization”? Does it contain the divine power of some being?’

Come to think of it, ‘Attribute Materialization’ was a trait that allowed for more freedom in using attributes and amplified their power. It had a supportive nature.

However, for some reason, it seemed to hold a power that wasn’t ordinary. He was also curious about what kind of power ‘Army of the Dead’ would gain if it was elevated, and ‘Ruler of Wind’ didn’t seem like a bad choice to raise to EX Rank either.

‘Hmph.’

As he agonized over it, Sungshik chuckled. He found it amusing that he was already getting ahead of himself.

‘This is something to worry about after I actually get the Trait Enhancement Ticket.’

That was the logical thing to do. For now, Sungshik decided to focus on acquiring coins first.

‘Alright then… should I use the “Golden Goblin Ticket” now?’

He wondered if he had to use it outside the shop, but surprisingly, it was usable even inside this special shop.

Paah!

When Sungshik used the ‘Golden Goblin Ticket’, a dazzling golden light burst forth, and a golden portal appeared. Without hesitation, Sungshik stepped toward it.

Pop!

The golden portal engulfed Sungshik and disappeared without a trace.

Monsters began invading Earth the moment the Gate Break started. Their invasion continued from the time of the Gate Break through the era of the Nights of Trial.

Back then, the overall power of the Superhumans lagged behind the monsters. Yet humanity managed to endure all the way to the sixth Night of Trial—not for any other reason but because they were granted an opportunity to catch up in growth.

One such opportunity was the ‘Tower of Training.’

The ‘Tower of Training’ suddenly appeared all over Earth. At first, people called the sky-piercing towers the Tower of Babel. But of course, they were nothing like the Tower of Babel.

Everyone who entered the ‘Tower of Training’ and came back out had grown stronger.

“Th-this is humanity’s hope!”

People believed that this tower was a gift from the gods to save mankind.

And it was understandable. Some who went into the Tower of Training came back exponentially stronger. Monsters that had been untouchable just the day before could now be overwhelmed by those who had cleared the tower.

Humanity was able to withstand the onslaught of monsters after the Gate Break because they had such chances to grow stronger. Without it, mankind would have faced extinction during the very first Night of Trial.

The reward system of the ‘Tower of Training’ was simple. On each floor, there was an enemy to defeat or a mission to accomplish. Clearing it would allow the challenger to ascend to the next floor.

No one knew where the top of the tower was, but one thing was clear: you could climb as high as your abilities allowed, and the higher you went, the greater the rewards you earned.

Occasionally, those who exceeded their limits and climbed higher floors than their current capabilities were granted even greater rewards and experienced explosive growth.

‘The Golden Goblin Ticket operates on a similar mechanism.’

The ‘Golden Goblin Ticket’ was something he had obtained from the Sanctuary of Puyan. It was one of several hidden rewards he earned by staying there instead of leaving right away.

Back when he obtained the ticket, there was a kindly provided explanation about how to use it and what kind of rewards to expect. Reading that, Sungshik realized it functioned much like the ‘Tower of Training’ he knew.

‘The Infinite Stage.’

Indeed, it was structured like an infinite stage, similar to the Tower of Training’s endless floors. With each stage, stronger enemies would appear, and the number of coins earned was proportional to the highest stage reached.

There were no other rewards. Only coins. It was a ticket solely for acquiring coins.

‘I didn’t need coins right away, so I had planned to use it later.’

It wasn’t like he urgently needed coins. He had thought that once he reached a higher level—9-star, or even beyond into the 10-star realm—he might be able to see the end of it. That supreme realm was worth aiming for.

More than the coins, Sungshik was curious whether the Infinite Stage truly continued without end, and if there was something waiting at its conclusion.

It wasn’t an absurd goal. The 10-star level was the realm of the ‘half-divine.’ With that power, he might be able to reach the edge of this stage.

It was partly driven by curiosity, but not solely that. He had a hunch that if he reached the end, he would obtain something more than just coins.

‘Well, according to the description, this “Golden Goblin Ticket” isn’t the only one of its kind.’

He had never heard of this ticket in his previous life. But according to the explanation he saw when he got it, the ‘Golden Goblin Ticket’ wasn’t unique. There would be other opportunities to obtain more in the future.

That’s why he had no hesitation in using this one.

The place he reached after using the ticket—was an arena.

‘What the…?’

He was standing on the arena stage, and across from him stood a Goblin Warrior, exuding killing intent as it faced Sungshik.

―Stage 1. VS Goblin Warrior. The match will begin shortly.

―3, 2, 1. START!

The moment the match start announcement echoed in his ears, the Goblin Warrior bared its white fangs and charged straight at Sungshik.