Meanwhile, Lein sat leisurely above the sky, floating atop a plush sofa that clearly wasn't from this world—as if crafted from compressed clouds shaped by high-level magic.
A gentle breeze swept through his long robe as his eyes lazily gazed toward the horizon, where aurora colors danced endlessly.
Several of his clones stood nearby, each holding a glowing golden chest. The light radiating from the surface of the chests was so intense it outshone the surrounding stars.
Their surface wasn't made of ordinary metal—but sky-forged material, a divine-grade substance that reflected light with unpredictable patterns, shifting color depending on the angle viewed.
Sparks of cosmic light twirled around the chests, like fragments of stars that never got the chance to explode. In the center of each chest's lid, a silver seal in the shape of a planetary ring pulsed slowly, exuding an aura that pierced the subconscious.
Anyone who stared too long would feel as though they were standing before a living night sky—speaking in an ancient language only awakened souls could comprehend.
These chests were no ordinary chests. They were Legendary Chests—one tier above Epic and just a step below Mythic. Lein had obtained them through mass upgrading, after duplicating epic chests using his unique talent:
(Infinity Duplicate - Version 3)
- Ability to duplicate 1 item into 1.5 million copies.
- Chance to improve item quality: 19.35%.
- Cooldown: 12.3 minutes.
This talent had undergone numerous enhancements since he first acquired it. Lein had used dozens of Talent Crystals—rare stones capable of upgrading innate abilities with a 25% chance. However, due to repeated usage, their effectiveness had drastically diminished. Now, the success chance was down to just 0.0010%—practically meaningless. Even hundreds of crystals could no longer guarantee results.
Lein opened the system panel in front of him, a transparent hologram appearing instantly, filled with stats, loot reports, and experimental data. He let out a soft sigh.
"How's it going? Anyone found an S-grade Soul Fragment? Or an elemental artifact?" he asked casually, not bothering to look away from the panel.
One of the nearby clones turned toward him, squinting. "You talking to me? Or him?" he replied, pointing at another clone standing a little farther away.
Lein gave a slight nod, too lazy to argue. "You… and him," he replied with a resigned tone. He was already used to how his clones acted. They were like kids: fearless, naive, and always blurting out whatever came to mind.
The first clone shrugged. "Nothing, boss. All I got was junk. Feels like I've been cursed by bad gacha luck."
Then, the clone who had been pointed at earlier shook his head. "Nope… but I've been wondering, boss. Do you think the loot from the chest depends on who opens it?"
Lein immediately closed his system panel and turned to him, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?" he asked, now showing genuine interest. Even though his clones often talked nonsense, every now and then, they would spout something weird that was worth considering. And who knows—maybe this one was having a moment of genius.
The clone looked nervous. He swallowed hard and lowered his gaze, as if bracing for a scolding. "I mean… that guy over there always gets the good stuff. He even got a Heaven-tier artifact just now," he said, pointing at another clone in the distance. That one was whistling while tossing a glowing artifact in his hands, clearly showing it off.
Lein raised an eyebrow. "And?" he asked, genuinely curious now.
The clone shrugged again, glancing down. His face showed a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "I think… he gets good loot because he's better-looking than me, boss."
That sentence made Lein freeze. A few seconds later, his expression turned as if struck by a sledgehammer. His face stiffened, eyes staring blankly at the sky, like he was reevaluating every life decision he had ever made. He took a deep breath.
Lein chose not to respond. He turned his gaze away, completely ignoring the clone, and reopened the system panel in front of him. There was nothing more to say. His clones were too wild, too free… and sometimes, a little too human.
His eyes scanned the panel data. His personal stats were now absurdly high. Every number represented power that had long since surpassed the limits of his old self. Just looking at them brought back memories—of when they first arrived in the Celestial Sky Realm. Back then, he was a mere novice, with an INT stat even lower than an average goblin. He smiled faintly. Time truly changed everything.
Suddenly, his thoughts drifted. "I wonder how Nita and the others are doing…" he murmured softly. A longing he had pushed aside for so long started to resurface from beneath all the layers of busyness.
He had tried using the system's chat feature a few times, but there was never any response. The panel always showed a gray notification: Feature unavailable. As if it had been forcibly disabled. Lein stared at that screen for a moment, quiet, trying to read the meaning hidden behind that digital silence.
Something wasn't right.
Trying to shake off his curiosity, Lein casually asked a question. He didn't expect much, but the system had often responded to his voice in the past.
"System, are you there?"
[ Yes, Master. How may I assist you? ]
The familiar, calm voice of the system brought him a bit of comfort. He immediately voiced his complaint.
"Why can't I use the chat feature?"
[ You are too far from the Source, Master. Please move closer for full system access. ]
Lein raised an eyebrow. The answer made sense. If the "Source" referred to his own realm, then it was understandable that certain features wouldn't be accessible when he was too far from it.
But another question popped into his head—what about the others? The ones who left the Celestial Sky Realm, did they lose access too?
[ Of course. It all depends on the Core Crystal they use. ]
That answer made Lein fall silent. His heart sank.
"Damn… I forgot to form a Core Crystal for the Celestial Sky Realm," he muttered in regret. He'd been careless. In a world built on systems and energy structures, forgetting something like a Core Crystal was a major blunder.
He looked up at the empty sky, his mind drifting back to the realm he had left behind. Was everything still running smoothly there? He had set up various safety protocols, even distributed divine-grade promotion potions just in case something unexpected happened. But still, the worry wouldn't go away.
"Well… I'll head back after I get Veyron's Cosmic Core," he said at last. He didn't plan to stay in the Dominion Consortium much longer. There was a strange feeling gnawing at him—like something bad was about to happen to the Celestial Sky Realm.
He hoped his instincts were wrong.
But they rarely ever were.