"They've gone mad! The old scholars in the Royal Bibliotheca have completely lost their minds!"
"Did you hear what happened? They gathered together and started burning their notebooks!"
"I heard their theories—the pillars of human magical doctrine—have all been overturned!"
"Professor Charles, vice-head of the Royal Academy of Sciences, publicly declared: Daniel might not even be human anymore!"
…
The chain reaction caused by Daniel's World Rank boss kills was far from over. In fact, the tremors were still escalating, rippling across the entire human race like a slow-building quake.
While the people were still reeling, still arguing over how Daniel had accomplished the impossible...
A new message appeared on their [Gnome Communicators].
[World Rank Boss: Abyssal Behemoth – Slain]
[Level: 30]
[Slain by: Daniel]
[Time Taken: 0 minutes 3 seconds]
This day would be recorded in history as the day all races were left in awe.
But for the human race?
It was also the bleakest day for their up-and-coming prodigies.
Every single rookie genius of the current generation had been completely eliminated from the competition. They hadn't even stepped into the tier-3 ranks, yet Daniel had already solo-cleared four World Rank bosses.
How were they supposed to compete?
They couldn't.
The gap was insurmountable.
No one had expected that the same Daniel who had been bullied relentlessly at the Royal Academy would one day unleash such terrifying strength.
Inside the academy, Roderick collapsed to the floor, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat. His eyes were glazed over, and his voice trembled as he mumbled to himself like a madman.
"No… It's not possible… That trash Daniel—he can't be this strong…"
"They're lying… All of them are lying… HAHAHA! FRAUDS!"
He cackled hysterically, teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
The other students around him exchanged silent glances. A few sighed in relief.
Thank the stars.
They had been lucky—fortunate enough to never have seriously antagonized Daniel.
Anyone with half a brain could see it now: Roderick was finished.
…
In the vast, open wilderness of the Whitewild Expanse, the body of a colossal one-horned beast hit the ground with a thunderous crash.
Another World Rank boss, slain.
Daniel wiped the sweat from his brow, muttering quietly to himself.
"Good thing that last Great Fireball crit, or it would've gone into tier-2 phase. That would've cost me way too much time."
Yes, this was already the fourth World Rank boss he'd taken down.
Ever since the first, the Stoneback Colossus, Daniel hadn't allowed any of the bosses to activate their second-phase evolution.
That was the key.
That was how he had managed to slay four such powerful creatures in mere seconds.
Once a boss evolved into its tier-2 phase, its power would rise exponentially—dragging the battle out and consuming time, resources, and often reinforcements.
Even teams led by demigod-ranked warriors had difficulty stopping a World Rank boss from entering tier-2 phase.
Because to do so required sheer, overwhelming damage output—enough to burn down a boss's HP before it could activate its evolution.
And the window for that?
Two seconds.
That's it.
Miss that opportunity, and your only option was to engage in a full-out, grueling tier-2 boss raid.
But Daniel had devised a strategy.
He would burst down exactly 49% of the boss's HP in an instant, then stop attacking.
Instead, he would bait the boss—force it to use one of its skills.
And in the moment the boss began to cast, Daniel would activate his trump card:
[Dance of Death]
A god-tier skill that not only locked his HP but granted him temporary invincibility. No control effects. No interrupts. No damage taken.
In other words, Daniel became a living turret.
He could stand his ground without fear, fully immune to damage and crowd control, dishing out non-stop destruction.
He'd time his burst to coincide with the boss's casting animation—the vulnerable gap during its wind-up and recovery—and pour all his power into that window.
This method allowed him to cleanly eliminate each boss before it could even transform.
Simple in theory.
But in practice?
Only someone like Daniel could pull it off.
The only thing that left him a bit disappointed was the loot.
Aside from the first kill bonus on the Stoneback Colossus, the drops from the other bosses were… lackluster.
Still, the combined loot from four World Rank bosses would make any major power drool with envy.
But Daniel? He didn't even flinch.
"Six more World Rank bosses to go. Once I finish them, the Star Upgrade Quest will be complete."
He looked into his inventory. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
"…Inventory's full."
He sighed, scratching his head and sifting through piles of junk. After a minute of tossing out potions, rusty equipment, and vendor trash, he still hadn't cleared much space.
After a moment of consideration, he made a decision.
"Forget it. No one else is getting into the Primordial Land of the Whitewild Expanse anytime soon."
After all, it had been less than an hour since Daniel entered the area. Most of the other geniuses were still stuck grinding, trying to reach level 30.
They'd need at least another day.
Having thought this through, Daniel relaxed. He decided to pause his rampage and deal with the loot before continuing.
There was another reason he made this decision.
Because, to be honest… this whole operation had been a bit too outrageous.
He needed to lay low for a while.
The last thing he wanted was to attract the attention of the Royal Bibliotheca's old freaks. If they decided he was a threat to the species, they might just dissect him out of "scientific curiosity."
So now, his top priority was crafting a certain God Rank Skill:
[Mist]
Especially since he'd already obtained the rarest component—the Heart of Mist.
The remaining ingredients weren't that rare. He believed the Multiracial Commerce League could help him acquire them quickly.
Having made up his mind, Daniel activated a Town Portal Scroll, donning a mask imbued with stealth enchantments.
A flash of white light.
He reappeared in the elven stronghold known as the Eldor Tribe—a city that also hosted a branch of the Multiracial Commerce League.
However, he didn't plan to sell his spoils here.
No matter how secure it seemed, the sheer volume and value of the loot he carried made him hesitant. He trusted his own people more than anyone else.
He originally intended to take an airship to Castle Mington, one of the largest and most prosperous human cities.
But a quick glance at the departure board made him frown.
The next flight wouldn't leave for another two hours.
"Too slow."
Time was precious.
So instead, he opted for a Teleportation Array.
It cost a staggering 5000 gold coins, but Daniel didn't even blink. Now that he was flush with loot, he could afford to splurge.
As the array activated, space twisted around him. The next instant, he was standing outside the teleportation hub in Castle Mington.
Though it was already deep into the night, the city blazed with light.
One of humanity's crowning jewels, Castle Mington never slept.
And Daniel's destination was clear:
The Multiracial Commerce League.