"N-no! I-I-I... nya... listen to Ally, we—we’re not even that familiar yet!"
Ally’s entire expression was one of panic and disarray. For years now, as a devotee of a god, she had always stood on a pedestal far above others.
Even among the younger elites of the Orc clan, no one had ever dared entertain romantic thoughts about her—let alone say something so outrageous right to her face.
If it had been any other creature who dared speak to her that way, Ally would’ve already drawn her dagger and severed their head on the spot.
But this time... things were different. Completely different.
"Ally... Ally..." she stammered, "The Orc clan might have some ancient traditions about political marriages... but you’re human! And right now, the millennial Apocalypse is about to descend... so I... I..."
Watching Ally’s overwhelmed reaction, Daniel couldn’t help but smile faintly.
"I was just messing with you. No need to get so worked up."
"Anyway, let’s talk business. I’ve been meaning to ask—you haven’t told me what your actual mission is. Is it something you can share?"
Just as the question left his lips, a prompt flickered before Daniel’s eyes:
[Moon Goddess Luna has initiated an inspection on you.]
[Your Mist effect has triggered and successfully blocked the inspection.]
At that moment, Daniel’s real body was still standing inside the Star Upgrade Hall.
Seeing the prompt, his expression immediately turned serious.
He hadn’t expected that a mere question would already draw the attention of a god.
Up until now, Daniel had heard plenty of tales and myths regarding the gods ever since arriving here.
But hearing was one thing—this was his first actual brush with divine presence.
His first time facing a god’s probing gaze.
And yet, the God Rank Skill truly lived up to its name—its effect was far more potent than he had imagined. It had actually blocked even a god’s detection!
Meanwhile, in the Elven territory—
Ally, having heard Daniel’s casual explanation, suddenly puffed out her cheeks and bared her small, sharp canines in frustration.
This jerk!
He actually dared to toy with her?
Did he think Lady Ally was someone you could tease at will?!
Still, as Daniel changed the subject to more serious matters, Ally gradually calmed herself down.
She took a breath, then began her solemn invocation.
"Oh great Moon Goddess Luna, I offer this prayer to Your divine radiance..."
As she spoke, Daniel noticed something startling—Ally’s entire body began to glow faintly under the soft radiance of moonlight.
Moments later, she opened her eyes again and turned to him, her gaze now laced with subtle meaning.
"Under Luna’s instruction, Ally is permitted to tell you a few things."
"Actually, my mission from Her Grace was quite simple: I am to hunt down and eliminate any world bosses ranked Silver and above."
"As for why—Luna didn’t say."
"But she did emphasize one thing very clearly: No matter who it is, no one is to be allowed to take the boss kills away."
"However... if Ally can’t beat them... well, then there’s nothing I can do."
After hearing this, Daniel furrowed his brow slightly.
Something about this didn’t sit well with him.
It felt as though the god already knew he was planning to hunt the world boss.
There was an unmistakable air of testing... of deliberate probing.
"...Is that all?" Daniel asked calmly.
"That’s it," Ally replied, shaking her head.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly pulled out her communicator.
"Oh, right! Let’s add each other as friends."
"Ally hopes we’ll be on the same side when the time comes."
"But just so you know—if we do end up enemies, I won’t hold back, nya!"
"I’ve got a whole stash of secret trump cards you haven’t seen yet! Don’t you dare assume Ally can’t beat you!"
With her declaration complete, Ally turned on her heel to leave.
But just as she turned, she felt something tug at her tail once again.
"Nyah! What are you doing?!"
"I want to have a direct conversation with the god you serve."
"But Her Grace Luna refuses!"
...
Clearly, Daniel couldn’t keep holding onto Ally’s tail forever.
So once his questions were answered, he let her go.
It was obvious she wasn’t willing to reveal anything more.
As for the fact that a god now knew of his existence, Daniel wasn’t particularly surprised.
After all, at this point, it was likely the entire world knew about him. For the gods to take notice? That was only natural.
The real concern was... their ability to predict his next moves.
Daniel rubbed his forehead, visibly troubled.
That part was going to be a bit of a headache.
But then again, he thought—these were gods. If they couldn’t predict anything at all, that would be the truly terrifying part.
If they wanted to predict him, let them.
Even if they set traps for him... worst case scenario, he’d just use [Time Stream] and reset everything.
He was literally manipulating time. Could even gods stop that?
If they could... then they probably wouldn’t have fallen in the first place.
Shaking off the thought, Daniel turned back to the panel in front of him.
[Star Upgrade Quest – Phase One: Completed]
[Quest Reward: Spirit of Skills +2]
Yes!
Daniel was thrilled.
He already understood the sheer power of the Spirit of Skills.
Now sure, two of them might not be enough to make him jump with joy under normal circumstances.
But don’t forget—he had the Dagger of the God of Thieves!
Two Spirits? That was forty after duplication!
No exaggeration—this reward alone could double his current combat capability.
It was even better than acquiring a new God Rank Skill. Way more direct. Way more satisfying.
After a moment of inward celebration, Daniel steadied his emotions and turned his focus to the next part.
[Star Upgrade Quest – Phase Two]
[Quest 1: Locate a Gold-rank World Boss and reduce its HP to 90%, while ensuring your own survival]
[Quest 2: Defeat 500 Silver-rank World Bosses that are above your level – Solo (Current kills: 1)]
[Quest Reward: Unlock early access to the God Rank Skill Compendium, including Rank #49: Summon – Void Tower]
...
Reading the requirements for Phase Two, Daniel’s face twisted into an expression of absolute disbelief.
This was just ridiculous.
An SSS+ difficulty Star Upgrade Quest?
Who designed this? The devil?
At first, Daniel thought it would simply involve defeating a Silver-rank world boss.
Technically, he’d been right.
But he hadn’t expected the requirement to be... five hundred of them.
Five. Hundred.
Was this a joke?!
But on second thought, perhaps it wasn’t so unreasonable.
Among all possible talent ranks, becoming a 3-Star Awakener was a true watershed moment—marking the divide between elites and the average Awakened.
In terms of level, it was roughly equivalent to hitting Level 100.
Anyone beyond Level 100, in any race, would be considered a core power—a true heavyweight.
Which is precisely why the difficulty spike at 3-Star was so dramatic.
Still, even with all that context, Daniel never imagined his quest would be this insane.
And don’t even get started on the Gold-rank World Boss requirement.
That was just plain outrageous.
What kind of joke was this?