While Crimson could not change his mind about taking the highest level of difficulty, she focused on giving him all the support she could. At the same time, she made sure there would be security on the ground should he fail and turn into a monster.

"You don't think I can survive this, do you?" Marlon asked quietly.

"It's not about belief. It's precaution," Crimson replied.

If she trusted him blindly and he failed, the hostel would be destroyed, and the few students who had resumed might lose their lives.

But even with her worries, she still understood him to some extent. He was confident—far more confident than anyone she had ever seen. He trusted himself so much that he often ignored the opinion of others.

It wasn't entirely a bad thing, but a 5-star breakthrough trial was still the most dangerous step anyone could ever take in their journey as a hunter.

If she had the power to interact with his system and choose a lower difficulty for him, she would have done it without hesitation.

And with no way to change anything, she simply gave up and told him to be careful.

Since it was morning, she had several tasks waiting for her at the Hunter Association, so she left after giving her final warning.

The moment she walked out of sight, the two hunters stationed to guard the room revealed themselves.

They were Gigaman and his older brother, Maddox Ashleigh.

Maddox wore a casual black long sleeve and black pants. He had the same blonde hair as their mother and the same blue eyes as their father. He was over six feet tall, but standing close to the eight-foot hunter who had to crouch to enter the room, he was completely dwarfed.

"Lady Crimson said you were going to take a five-star breakthrough trial. Is that true?" Maddox asked casually.

Marlon nodded.

Maddox's blue eyes narrowed slightly, but before he could respond, Gigaman's hoarse and loud voice echoed beside him.

"Kiddo, this is a very big risk you're planning to take. Only the strongest hunters of our time have attempted such difficulty and survived. Do you still want to try it knowing that?"

Seeing that Gigaman had already said what he intended to say, Maddox looked back at his younger brother, waiting for his reply.

"Lady Crimson already tried to talk me out of it and failed," Marlon said with a shrug. "The four-star breakthrough trial wasn't really as challenging as everyone claimed. Who knows? Maybe the five-star one will just be a walk in the park for me."

Gigaman and Maddox stared at him without responding.

For Maddox, he was still surprised at how much his younger brother had changed.

During the entrance exam and the lunaris invasion, he had been clearing a C-rank rift with his squad, so he only heard everything from their parents and naturally he was dumbfounded.

It was the main reason he decided to come deliver the items himself—to see his brother and see the difference for himself.

And right now, standing in front of him, he could not deny it anymore. The Marlon in front of him was different from the one he knew.

More outspoken, confident, and according to their parents, cunning. He was no longer the quiet and shy younger brother he remembered.

"I wish you good luck, brother," he said.

"Thank you."

Gigaman didn't say anything else and simply kept quiet.

Since they only came to introduce themselves, they left afterward to give Marlon enough privacy to prepare.

After they left, Marlon shifted his gaze to the storage ring on his finger.

It was time to see what she prepared for him.

====

[ You've learned skill: Danger Sense (C) ]

[ You've learned skill: Quick Reflex (C) ]

[ You've learned skill: Inspect (C) ]

[ You've learned skill: Night Vision (C) ]

[ You've learned skill: Silent Movement (C) ]

[ You've obtained item: Chaos Gauntlet (B) ]

[ You've equipped item: Feather Boots (B) ]

[ You've obtained x10 High-grade healing potion ]

[ You've obtained x10 High-grade power boosting potion ]

[ You've obtained x5 High-grade aether potion ]

Marlon could not deny that he was elated with the items delivered.

He had only requested five skills and a few healing potions. The other items inside the ring were all given to him for free by Crimson.

With a quick calculation, he realized the free items alone were worth more than five hundred million credits. The high-grade potions themselves were over one hundred million.

At first, he thought she might have used the money from the items he handed over to her.

But after scanning the cheque card with the mobile banking app on his phone and receiving the money saved in it, he was shocked to see that all the money was still intact.

With further calculation, he discovered that every item — including the skill books and healing potions he requested — were handed to him for free. His money wasn't touched at all.

"This…"

He was speechless.

She didn't even bother to mention it when she was here. He could've thanked her immediately.

"I'll pay her back in the future."

It was the only way he could feel at peace with everything he had received.

She had willingly provided more for him than his own parents — who were one of the richest in the world — had ever given him.

But before thinking about paying her back, he had to survive first.

He could not deny he had doubted for a second after hearing the dark stories of people who attempted the trial. But even with that, he was confident.

Two unique talents. Skills that gave him power stronger than his own rank and now with so many new additions to his arsenal.

There was no way he could lose.

So without wasting time, he brought out the exp orbs and began consuming them one after the other.

[ You've consumed x1 exp orb, EXP +10,000 ]

[ You've consumed x1 exp orb, EXP +10,000 ]

[ You've consumed x1 exp orb, EXP +10,000 ]

…

[ You've reached a Breakthrough Moment ]

[ Your first breakthrough trial will now begin ]

[ Please select the difficulty of your Breakthrough Trial ]

[ 1-Star Difficulty

Survival rate: 100%

Reward: You can level up further ]

[ 2-Star Difficulty

Survival rate: 70%

Reward: A random skill will be upgraded ]

[ 3-Star Difficulty

Survival rate: 40%

Reward: Two random skills will be upgraded ]

[ 4-Star Difficulty

Survival rate: 20%

Reward: Three free stat points with future level-ups and three random skills will be upgraded ]

[ 5-Star Difficulty

Survival rate: 2%

Reward: Five free stat points with future level-ups, all available skills upgraded, and a new skill might be added ]

With a confident smile, he selected his option.

A bright purple glow quickly enveloped his body, overpowering the morning sunlight filtering into his room.

It was so bright that everyone in the passageway, especially Gigaman and Maddox, witnessed it.

Their expressions sank at once.

"He really picked the five-star breakthrough trial," Maddox inhaled.

Gigaman, who was standing closest to the door, pushed it open with his big hands to see the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

But the moment he opened the door, Marlon vanished and the purple glow disappeared with him.

....

HOPE YOU GUYS ARE READY FOR THE RIDE!!!

Might be a dark and traumatizing one... Might

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