The communications network was in utter chaos.
Countless Awakeners currently stationed on the Bone Plateau had begun uploading their eyewitness accounts.
In the blink of an eye, discussions related to Daniel exploded in popularity once more. "Wait—are you all serious right now? Prince Daniel used a single skill to kill dozens of World Rank bosses?!" "Wasn’t he just in the Abyss a moment ago? Why is he suddenly appearing on the Bone Plateau?" "How the hell is he traveling such vast distances in such a short amount of time?" "Has anyone considered the possibility that what happened on the Bone Plateau... was just an illusion? Maybe we were all deceived..." "Oh, stop it. Don’t act like you didn’t pick up loot."
From Daniel’s perspective, he had spent hours thoroughly testing his God Rank Skill, [Judgment of the God of Thieves], before stepping onto the Bone Plateau.
But due to the temporal rewinding power of [Time Stream], none of that time actually existed for anyone else.
Which created a surreal illusion:
One moment, everyone saw the official announcement that Daniel had slain the King of the Abyss.
The very next moment, he was already on the Bone Plateau, slaying dozens of World Rank bosses with near-instantaneous force.
Although it wasn’t exactly a solo kill, Daniel’s name appearing first on all kill records was proof enough— his contribution far outstripped everyone else’s.
This contradiction left the entire Human Race in a state of utter disbelief. "It doesn’t make sense... This is completely unreasonable! How could he travel back and forth between the Abyss and Bone Plateau in such a short time?!" "Is it possible, like the rumors say, that Daniel actually discovered how to use Underground Labyrinth teleportation?" "Otherwise, there’s no way to explain it..."
Though many were voicing their theories, none of them held up under logical scrutiny.
Despite the facts being laid out in front of them, most people still chose doubt over belief.
Even so, Daniel’s power was beyond question.
And now, for the first time, the world had visual proof of Daniel’s true combat prowess.
With video clips being uploaded, countless analyses, breakdowns, and expert commentaries flooded the network. "Expert Analysis: Daniel’s Damage Output May Surpass That of a 3-Star Awakener!" "Speculative Report: Prince Daniel May Have Mastered a God Rank Skill" "S-Tier Talent? More Like the No. 1 B-Tier in the World! Prove Me Wrong!"
The overwhelming flood of articles and hot takes drove the Daniel discussion into a brand-new wave of public frenzy.
The phenomenon wasn’t limited to the Human Race anymore.
It spread rapidly into the networks of other species.
The Elves, Orcs, Treants, Barbarians— any race that had communication channels with humanity, had now seen the news.
In their own networks, discussions surrounding Daniel began to emerge as well.
Most of these races reached the same conclusion:
Daniel must have received the favor of a god.
Meanwhile, back in the Star Upgrade Hall—
A man in his forties stood with trembling hands, pressing down on the Star Crystal, his face filled with emotion.
No one would have guessed that he had spent thirty long years to finally reach this point:
Achieving Tier-10 and gaining the qualifications to attempt the Tier-1 Star Upgrade Quest.
After decades of hardship, he was finally about to become a 3-Star Awakener.
Not far away, Daniel’s figure slowly materialized.
Without drawing attention to himself, he calmly walked over to a familiar, empty platform.
He had been here just a few hours ago, completing his previous Star Upgrade Quest.
Strangely enough, the same platform remained unused.
Once again, the system issued him a quest.
And as before, the quest was rated [SSS+], offering no options to choose from—only acceptance.
But Daniel had long come to terms with this. "As long as the rewards are good... I don’t mind the difficulty."
Then, as he read the quest details, he paused, slightly startled. [3-Star Star Upgrade Quest: Phase One (Total: 4 Phases)]
Objective 1: Obtain two territories that rightfully belong to you
Objective 2: Acquire a new God Rank Skill
Reward: +2 Spirit of Skills "Wait... these rewards are insanely generous!"
Daniel had already seen just how terrifying the Spirit of Skills could be.
With the amplification from Judgment of the God of Thieves, 20 of them attacking simultaneously unleashed cataclysmic destruction.
Now, if he received 2 more?
That would effectively double his total—turning into 40 Spirit of Skills.
Which meant his damage output could double again.
That was beyond ridiculous.
Even without Daniel lifting a finger, his Spirits alone could already wipe out nearly everything on the Bone Plateau. "If I double their number... there might not even be bosses left to kill."
This quest was a massive win.
The only question now was:
Which God Rank Skill should he choose next?
As his level increased, Daniel had unlocked more entries in the God Rank Skill Compendium.
He’d also stockpiled enough materials to afford quite a few of them.
Now it was just a matter of careful selection.
Looking back at the quest, he began weighing his next steps.
The first objective—acquire two personal territories.
The Northern Frontier of the Human Race counted as one.
But getting a second territory within human lands?
Unlikely.
There simply wasn’t any unclaimed land left.
And Daniel had no desire to carve out more from his own people.
What he wanted... was to expand into new territory altogether.
After some thought, his eyes lit up. "The Abyss..."
Karsas was dead.
His Abyssal Kingdom now had no king.
What if Daniel claimed that kingdom for himself?
Wouldn’t that count as his second territory?
Luminous Forest — deep within the elven lands.
Alice held her communication device, eyes wide, scrolling through the flood of Daniel-related headlines.
But when she tapped into one of the uploaded videos—showing Daniel’s actual skill in action— her pupils suddenly contracted. "Wait a minute... That skill... looks familiar."
It was her own [Stellar Flash].
No, more precisely— it was like dozens of Stellar Flashes, cast all at once.
What’s more, the power behind them seemed even greater than her own. "Could Daniel really be... stronger than me?"
A ridiculous thought surged into her mind, followed immediately by deep suspicion. "Could he be connected to... His Eminence Crossbridge?"
After all, [Stellar Flash] was a signature skill of the God Shooter— a divine legacy that had never appeared in any race other than the elves. "Could Daniel be... a devotee of His Eminence Crossbridge?"
That was the farthest Alice’s imagination could go.
She didn’t dare consider the unthinkable—
That Daniel might actually be Crossbridge himself.