Chapter 11: After the Trial—The Systemless One Emerges
The storm that shook the skies of Earth had finally passed, but the echoes of the First Global System Trial were still rippling through the hearts of billions.
Broadcasts had ended. The rankings were finalized.
The world stood still.
Not because they didn't know what they had just witnessed—
But because they didn't understand it at all.
■ Top 3 Trial Rankings:
Unknown Candidate (ID: Hidden) — 1st Place
Lian Shen (System Rank: Abyssal-Class – Celestial Veil Protocol) — 2nd Place
Seiran Valkros (Mythic-Class Flameborn System – Sky Empire) — 3rd Place
And yet, the name at the top... remained blank. The screen showed no nationality. No affiliation. No power level. No system name.
Just a black silhouette. And a number:
Rank 1: 100,000,000 System Points.
[Scene: Global Broadcast Center, Sky Empire]
A cluster of world leaders, awakened generals, and tactical analysts stood around a translucent table. Live feeds still flickered with energy data, cross-checking everything from aura scans to divine interference.
"He completed all three phases of the Trial."
"In half the time."
"And he didn't use a system signature once."
Silence.
Then General Luthier of the Sky Empire slammed his hand on the table.
"That's impossible. No one ranks without a system. That breaks the foundational laws of the Protocol!"
Another voice, a quiet older woman from the Eastern Coalition, whispered:
"No… not no system. Something beyond the system."
The room went cold.
They didn't know it yet, but that whisper would become a legend. A myth. A name.
The Systemless One.
[Scene: Luo Shen's Hidden Chamber – Underground]
He sat quietly. Alone. The light from the system screen flickered in front of him.
[You have received your Hidden Reward for Rank 1 Completion.]
➤ Unique Title Gained: "Systemless One Sovereign"
➤ Abyssal Soul-Core Unlocked
➤ Chaos Infinity System: Hidden Branch [Decryption Tree] Unsealed
➤ Access Granted: Forbidden Space - Layer Zero
Luo Shen didn't even smile.
He simply closed his palm and watched as the glowing system window folded into the air like paper.
He wasn't here for fame. He wasn't here for attention.
He was here for the storm that would come next.
And this was only the beginning.
[Scene: The Abyssal Court – Realm Beyond Earth]
A horned figure floated above a sea of writhing black fog. Its eyes gleamed crimson.
One of its servants knelt. "My lord… we detected it."
"What?" the demon god rasped. "Say it."
"…The Infinity Branch. Chaos has awakened again. And a Sovereign… walks Earth."
A hiss.
Then silence.
"Find him. Before the Heavens do."
[Scene: Earth, Lian Shen's POV]
Lian sat with her pet beast, the silver-feathered hatchling resting in her lap. She stared at the trial rankings again. Her own name was there. But…
"Who are you?" she whispered.
The image of that masked figure flashed in her mind. The way he moved. The way his eyes had glowed.
And then, for a moment—
She thought of her brother.
But no. That couldn't be. He was…
No. Impossible.
Right?
[Scene: Division Zero — Hidden Military Faction]
"Operation Ghost Trace begins," said a woman in tactical armor.
"Codename?" her partner asked.
The woman typed it in, and it lit up the screen:
TARGET: SYSTEMLESS ONE SOVEREIGN
Status: Unregistered. Dangerous. Investigate.
And thus, the hunt began.