Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

Ethan tore across the terrain, his body moving with relentless urgency. He gauged the distance to the flare's origin—still a ways off, but not too far now.

White mist billowed from his bare torso, the result of Force Resonance. His muscles trembled violently, generating intense heat. Pressed against him, Clara could feel her damp clothes drying rapidly from the searing warmth. She was weak, barely able to hold on, her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.

Suddenly, Ethan came to an abrupt halt.

Five kilometers ahead, at the edge of his sensory range, there was... nothing. The presence of the ever-persistent Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers had vanished completely. After hours of constant battle, this sudden emptiness was jarring.

"Clara... what's happening up ahead?" he shouted, eyes scanning the plain while still fending off attackers.

The land was open and flat, offering clear visibility. At Ethan's speed, five kilometers would take less than a minute.

Clara slowly raised her head, trying to get a better view. As she peered into the distance—

Crack!

A bolt of lightning slashed across the sky.

"Ah!" she shrieked and dropped back down, trembling.

"What is it?!" Ethan roared.

"There's... there's a Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers Alpha up ahead," she stammered. "Tier 3. But its berserker combat style puts it on par with many Tier 4s. We need to go around!"

Ethan didn't respond right away. He swept his spear in a wide arc, clearing a space around them, then straightened and looked ahead. Another bolt of lightning lit the sky—and in that flash, he saw it: a colossal Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers Alpha, locked in ferocious combat.

But it wasn't alone.

Through the storm and shadows, Ethan spotted a familiar figure—bare-chested like himself, wielding a silver, dragon-crested spear. It was Uncle Uncle Jed.

Where were Nora and Dot? Why was he alone?

Uncle Uncle Jed moved with brutal efficiency, keeping the beast at bay. But Ethan could tell—he was running on fumes. Force Resonance gave explosive bursts of power but lacked longevity. Uncle Jed had been relying on the contents of his precious waterskin to sustain himself. And now... it was gone.

Ethan remembered: when he'd left earlier, Uncle Jed's waterskin had barely a mouthful left. It must have run dry.

"Hold on," Ethan muttered to Clara, then launched forward like a storm.

His spear became a blur, scattering any Sand Badgers in his path. With one hand, he executed a move. Monsters were impaled in rapid succession, skewered like candied fruits. He burst into the empty zone, flinging the corpses from his spear, the impact hurling them into the crowd behind him.

And then, a strange stillness.

As he crossed the invisible threshold, the pursuing Sand Badgers halted, as if gripped by an unseen fear. None dared follow.

"Uncle Uncle Jed! Hold on!" Ethan roared, charging ahead.

Uncle Jed heard him. Deflecting a massive tail swipe, he glanced toward the voice. Recognition sparked in his eyes—but then his expression turned stern.

"Don't come here! Go around! Take Nora and the kid—get them out!"

But it was too late. Ethan was already less than a hundred meters away.

"What the... you're carrying a girl?! Where'd you pick her up?" Uncle Jed blinked in disbelief. "She's a looker, too—damn, you move fast."

Ethan slapped his forehead. Was that really the old man's priority right now?

He glanced to the side and finally spotted them—Nora and Dot, about two hundred meters away. So he'd been wrong earlier. They weren't with the Clearspring City convoy.

He set Clara down. "Go to them," he said.

Clara nodded quickly, cheeks flushed from Uncle Jed's crude comment. She turned and ran toward Nora. Ahead of her, Little Empty dismounted and bounded toward Dot with a joyful yelp.

Ethan turned back to Uncle Jed. "You're winded, old man. Go take a nap."

"Damn punk... if you're so good, then you deal with it!" Uncle Jed snarled, parrying another strike before spinning behind Ethan.

"Watch closely."

Ethan drove his spear into the ground and vaulted skyward, barehanded. Wind and rain parted around him as his body began to vibrate.

"Battle Embodiment—activate!"

"Bear Form—activate!"

A shockwave pulsed outward, forming a vacuum around him mid-air. Rain couldn't even touch him.

"Now... return to me."

A streak of light burst from his forehead, curved through the air, and coalesced into his Twilight War Spear.

"Lacerate—Die!"

With both hands gripping the weapon, Ethan swung with overwhelming force as the massive beast lunged toward him.

Screeeech!

Three enormous gashes ripped through the void, tearing into the Alpha's body. The beast was hurled back over ten meters, stopping just shy of Ethan.

"Hmph. Without that thick hide, you're just a slow target." He flicked his spear, which dissolved into white light and returned to his Mindscape. Then he walked over and patted Uncle Jed's shoulder.

"You're old."

Pulling his grounded spear free, Ethan strolled toward Nora and the others.

Uncle Jed stood frozen, dumbfounded, staring at the massive creature—now eerily still. The casual "You're old" nearly made him faint from sheer indignation.

Crash!

Moments later, the Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers Alpha—the same beast Clara claimed even Tier 4s struggled to defeat—split into four massive pieces and collapsed to the ground.

But there was no time to celebrate.

With the Alpha slain, the smaller Sand Badgers surged forward, furious and frenzied. The fight wasn't over.

Thankfully, with Uncle Jed rejoining the fray, things were much easier. These beasts were relentless, but to Ethan and Uncle Jed, they were little more than fodder. Compared to the Sand Worms—no venom, no airborne eggs—this was manageable. The two of them could fight until the rain gave out.

As they battled, Ethan finally asked the question burning in his mind. "Why'd you guys leave earlier?"

Uncle Jed only grunted, clearly unwilling to talk. But Nora, standing nearby with Dot in her arms, glanced over. Her expression shifted.

"I sensed a weather shift—felt off. We know how dangerous the desert gets in the rain, so we packed up early. Planned to head to Beastfall City."

She paused, voice tightening.

"Just as we finished, we spotted the Clearspring City convoy. I recognized them right away... and they recognized me. When I told them who I was, they were surprised—very surprised. They insisted we travel with them. Said it'd be safer."

"For a while, it was," she continued. "But once the rain started, everything changed. The Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers attacked, and Uncle Jed immediately jumped in to fight."

Her voice dropped lower.

"Then, we ran into the Alpha... about half an hour ago. Uncle Jed got unlucky—it locked onto him right away."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "And the convoy? They didn't help?"

"They could have," she said bitterly. "Their strongest fighters were more than enough. But the manager ordered them to abandon Uncle Jed and push ahead. He told me, 'A guard's life is no big deal. We'll pick you and your daughter up on the way back.'"

Uncle Jed spat on the ground, fury in his silence.

"I knew something was wrong," Nora said. "Right before the convoy escaped the encirclement, Dot and I jumped off. A few of their men tried to drag us back, but Uncle Jed... he fought like hell."

Her voice faltered. Then she added quietly, "That bastard of a manager… he shouted at me as they drove away. Said he thought I had 'some charm,' that I'd make a good toy once we reached Beastfall City. Then he said something else…"

She looked up, her eyes burning.

"He said, 'Your Vance family is finished. But if you come back now and serve me well, maybe I'll spare that old man Nathaniel Vance.'"

Ethan clenched his jaw. Clara stood silent, her fists balled tight.

"I didn't believe him," Nora whispered. "But I didn't go back, either."

She looked to the horizon.

"Then, just a while later... we saw the distress flare from Clearspring City. We don't know what happened. But whatever it was... it wasn't good."