My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 376: Strange humans
Previously on My attributes are increasing infinitely...
The void returned to a profound silence once the final world announcement dissipated.
Ethan stayed in his position, suspended cross-legged in the air, his breathing gradually evening out. The resonance of absolute authority remained etched in his marrow and blood, woven into the newly defined logic of his very being. Two Nexus Events had occurred. Authority was secured. A fragment of a throne had manifested.
He remained uncertain whether this throne possessed additional capabilities.
"My next objective," he whispered, his eyelids heavy, "is the hunt."
He sought the Prodigies. The Anomalies. Those Protagonists favored by destiny and fortune. He sought the indigenous monsters nurtured by the Eternal Domain itself. Their bloodlines, their unique paths, and their hoarded mysteries were what he required. Only through them could his Omni Bloodline reach its zenith. Only then could he truly claim the Throne of Destiny.
However, before embarking on his hunt, he sought absolute clarity.
"I need to understand my current standing," Ethan remarked with composure.
He raised a single hand, extending two fingers toward the emptiness.
Creation began to stir.
This time, the manifestation was devoid of violence. There was no torment, no agonizing rewriting of his soul. It was a display of pure, sophisticated creation. His origin essence surged like a tranquil tide, condensing logic, physical matter, and abstract laws into a singular entity.
A massive yet streamlined machine materialized before him.
The device was a colossal cubic structure drifting in the void, its exterior coated in translucent layers of rotating symbols. Every layer served as a different metric: physical strength, conceptual weight, law-shattering capability, and existential lethality.
Located at the center was a hollow sphere composed of absolute null matter—a substance capable of enduring impacts that could wipe out entire timelines.
This apparatus existed for a solitary reason.
To be struck.
"To any other living soul," Ethan remarked softly, "attempting this would be a death sentence."
The machine emitted a gentle hum, recognizing its maker.
Ethan rose to his feet and adjusted his shoulders.
He refrained from triggering any special abilities. He used no authority, no bloodline enhancements, and no blade.
He relied solely on his physical form.
His raw, base power.
He pulled back his fist.
The surrounding void began to ripple.
Then, he unleashed the punch.
There was no audible noise.
No thunderous detonation followed.
The strike was delivered with such clinical perfection that it transcended mere spectacle. For a fleeting moment, space collapsed inward before snapping back, almost as if it were embarrassed to have reacted at all.
The machine shuddered violently.
The symbols across its surface ignited with fierce intensity.
Subsequently, a single line of data manifested, projected before Ethan in cold, uncompromising text.
[Damage Recorded: 1 Epoch Value]
Ethan gazed at the readout.
One Epoch Value.
He let out a slow breath.
"So that is the benchmark," he said softly.
Epoch damage was not a measure of simple energy; it was a measure of consequence. A single Epoch Value represented enough destructive potential to completely erase a fully matured cosmic era from start to finish. It wasn't about destroying planets or galaxies, but entire histories.
A primordial entity, born before the dawn of time, could scarcely reach this threshold even with their maximum effort.
Ethan curled his fist and then relaxed it.
"At minimum, I am 10¹⁰⁰⁰ times more powerful than a Progenitor," he calculated dispassionately. "Likely even more."
He gave a small nod of satisfaction.
This was an acceptable baseline.
Then, his focus shifted.
"To witness the disparity," he declared, "I will test the enhancement."
The Sword of Infinity manifested from his body in a pillar of pale radiance. It no longer simply hovered as an external tool. It felt integrated into his spine, his nervous system, and his very intent. As he grasped it, the sensation wasn't that of holding a weapon.
It was as natural as clenching his own hand.
Ethan closed his fingers around the hilt.
Nothing occurred.
There was no sudden influx of power.
No crushing pressure.
No aura that threatened to shatter the world.
He blinked in confusion.
"...Did the evolution fail?" he wondered. "That shouldn't be possible."
The sword had undergone its evolution through flawless logic and had already sparked a Nexus Event. It couldn't be defective.
Unless...
Unless its effect was absolute rather than something that could be felt.
Ethan frowned momentarily before dismissing the thought with a shake of his head.
"I've pondered enough."
He hoisted the blade.
This time, he unleashed his full strength without restraint.
He swung.
The blade never actually made physical contact with the machine.
The reality separating the two simply ceased to be.
The blow connected across a distance that had become irrelevant, slicing not through the fabric of space, but through the concept of relevance itself.
Then, the new projection appeared.
[Damage Recorded: 10¹⁰⁰⁰⁰ Epoch Value]
Ethan stood frozen.
For a brief interval, even his mind came to a standstill.
Ten to the power of ten thousand.
Epochs.
His grip on the hilt tightened instinctively.
"...Damn," he exhaled.
This wasn't just a gap in power anymore.
This was a bottomless abyss.
His raw physical output alone had reached a level that made his base state look insignificant by comparison. And this was still without the use of authority, without activating his bloodline, and without layering any conceptual strikes on top of the blow.
"If this is merely physical force," he mused slowly, "then what of my fundamental power?"
He could already envision the possibilities. The erasure of laws. The overwriting of destiny. Commands over existence itself. If a genuine being from the next realm sought to slay him—not through brute strength, but through authority honed over countless eras...
"I would be wiped out in an instant," Ethan confessed to himself.
His jaw set firmly.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind.
A girl.
The look in her eyes.
The overwhelming pressure she radiated without even trying.
Ethan shook his head to clear the thought.
"Focus," he commanded himself. "Comparing power levels can wait."
He dismissed the testing machine, allowing it to dissolve back into the void.
"I require bloodlines," he stated. "And I require intel."
The Eternal Domain was incomprehensibly vast. To wander aimlessly would be a waste of his time.
"Therefore," he whispered, "I need allies."
Or more accurately, enemies who were useful enough to serve as temporary partners.
The native Clans of this domain.
The ancient lineages that were deeply rooted in this world. They were the ones who hoarded knowledge, governed the pathways, and knew exactly where anomalies appeared and where the prodigies were hidden.
They were the perfect targets.
Ethan vanished from the spot.
He reappeared shortly after, moving at a staggering velocity through the various layers of reality. World membranes flashed past him like delicate panes of glass. Each layer was a self-contained world structure, stacked together to form a path toward a greater whole.
Eventually, his pace slowed.
A massive barrier loomed before him.
It was enormous and translucent, woven from a tapestry of interlocking laws and threads of destiny. Ethan’s brow furrowed.
"What exactly is this?" he wondered.
He reached out to touch the surface.
The moment his hand brushed the barrier, a notification resonated directly within his mind.
[You are attempting to depart the current reality.]
[Do you wish to enter the reality of another Trial Candidate?]
[Required Cost: 0.01 percent Authority.]
Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise.
Then, they narrowed into a glare.
"...What?"
A surge of irritation flared within him.
"Are all candidates being kept separate?" he growled. "Each one confined to their own reality?"
The implications of this were infuriating.
"And I have to expend authority just to travel between them?" he snapped. "What kind of ridiculous rule is this?"
His Omni Bloodline flourished through the absorption and conquest of other bloodlines. If every worthwhile target was locked behind a toll of authority, the entire system was horribly inefficient.
He ground his teeth together.
"Is there no other way through?" Ethan demanded.
The will of the world provided a calm, detached response.
[Alternative Condition: The candidate must possess power equivalent to four realms above their current level.]
Ethan stared at the message.
"...Motherfu—"
He nearly finished the curse before catching himself.
Four realms.
With the aid of the Sword of Infinity, he could bridge a gap of three realms in terms of combat effectiveness. He was still short of the requirement. This meant that forcing his way through was currently impossible.
At least for now.
He shut his eyes and took a deep, stabilizing breath.
"Fine," he said quietly. "Stay calm."
Anger wouldn't provide a solution.
"I need to gather information first."
He turned away from the barrier, accelerating in the opposite direction.
He passed layer after layer until a massive world framework appeared in the distance.
He entered the structure smoothly and pressed onward. The surroundings began to change. Space grew more ordered, and causality became stable. After traversing several such layers, the familiar curve of a universe took shape around him.
"This appears normal enough," Ethan noted.
He crossed the threshold.
The instant he stepped into the universe, a sensation brushed against his perception.
It was a peculiar feeling.
Ethan slowed his flight.
"What is this?" he whispered.
A sudden thrill coursed through him; for some unknown reason, his very existence felt a surge of excitement.
He turned toward the source of the sensation and increased his speed.
Stars blurred into streaks of light.
Nebulae stretched into ribbons of color.
Then, he spotted it.
A planet.
It was scarred and engulfed in flames.
The surface was ravaged by massive craters, shattered continents, and oceans that were boiling away under the pressure of residual energy. The atmosphere was chaotic, with bolts of lightning lashing through clouds the color of blood.
It was a war zone.
Ethan descended toward the planet in silence.
As he drew closer, he identified the combatants.
Approximately 500 humans were divided into two opposing factions.
The two groups were locked in a fierce struggle across scorched plains and the ruins of cities.
At a cursory glance, the scene seemed unremarkable.
Then, Ethan’s gaze sharpened.
One of the groups felt... wrong.
That particular group felt fundamentally distinct from himself.
"In what way?"
Ethan expanded his divine sense to scan that specific group of people.
When he completed his scan, his eyes snapped wide open.
The biological structure of these humans was the exact inverse of his own.
The electrons within their bodies carried a positive charge, while their protons were negative.
"How is this even possible?" Ethan muttered, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Even with his current level of power, creating such a thing was beyond him.
He watched as one of those humans launched an attack using a spear made of ice.
The intended target dodged the strike, but Ethan happened to be positioned directly behind him.
Ethan manifested a standard barrier to intercept the projectile.
The human was merely a Tier 1 level being.
Hush!
To Ethan’s utter shock, the ice spear tore through his barrier as if it weren't there and struck his body.
He wasn't injured, but the look of disbelief on his face was unmistakable.
The shock stemmed from two facts.
First, how could a Tier 1 existence from the third dimension possibly bypass his defenses?
Second, the ice was searingly hot instead of cold.