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

A deafening roar thundered across the battlefield once again.

Massive boulders, each four to five meters wide, streaked across the sky trailing flames. When they landed, the earth shook beneath the impact, and explosions of fire erupted in all directions. Launched from atop the thousand-meter-high city walls, these monstrous projectiles struck with terrifying force. Their devastating range spanned hundreds of meters, instantly reducing any Pincer-tailed Sand Badger caught within the blast radius to pulp—so swiftly they didn't even have time to scream.

The concentrated volley from these colossal catapults unleashed overwhelming destruction. When the roaring ended, the ground was left scarred with craters of all sizes, littered with shredded limbs and thick smoke. It was a scene out of a nightmare.

But the Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers didn't stop.

The cleared space was quickly filled again as more of their kind surged forward, undeterred by the carnage. This time, however, the City Guard had adapted. Rather than exhausting all their ammunition at once, they staggered the barrage into carefully timed waves.

At that moment, Ethan soared onto Ormund's broad head. "Owl Form… Activate!"

With Ormund as an impenetrable meat shield, Ethan could finally unleash his ranged attacks. For area-of-effect damage, his strongest skill was, without question, Starfall Barrage.

He began to chant, fingers forming intricate seals. Twelve seconds—it was too long. He found himself missing the old days in Ethereal, where he could instant-cast this spell using astral energy alone.

Then, something stirred.

Within his Energy Core, the star cluster—composed entirely of strange seeds—began to tremble. Suddenly, it spun violently.

Beyond the Star, far above the world, countless stars shimmered as if in response to something buried deep within him. A particular seed in his star cluster seemed to awaken them. The next moment, the seeds within him began to glow, one by one, emitting radiant energy unlike anything he had felt before.

Each seed pulsed with energy of a different kind, some faint, others blindingly bright—but all of them together produced an overwhelming flood of power. Ethan's eyes widened. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. The energy was unstable—wild, volatile. It pushed against his core like a tidal wave. For a moment, he feared he might explode from the inside out.

But he didn't stop chanting.

The hand seals continued without faltering, and the chaotic energy within him began to pour into the magic array he was forming in the air.

Hum…

The sky shifted.

Centered around Ormund, a massive, glowing magic circle appeared above them, stretching a thousand meters wide. It shimmered like a constellation, and in that instant, the dark clouds overhead scattered. A strange hole opened in the sky, revealing a brilliant tapestry of stars beyond the clouds.

Originally, only Ethan should have been able to see the array. But now, it was plainly visible to all. It lingered for just a moment—then dissolved like dust caught in moonlight. Yet the thousand-meter-wide starry zone it had created remained, glowing softly above them.

Even Ethan was momentarily stunned. Starfall Barrage was supposed to cover only a hundred meters. Now it reached ten times that size. Was it because of the seed cluster inside him?

"Fall…"

Ethan's voice rang out like thunder.

He no longer cared about the cause. What mattered now was clearing the battlefield.

Whoosh—

The starlight overhead converged and descended. Fist-sized beams of light rained down upon the thousand-meter zone, each one striking with pinpoint precision. The blinding downpour turned night into day, lighting up the battlefield in a brilliant white glow.

At the center stood a giant white tiger with a shirtless man calmly poised on its head.

That image seared itself into the minds of everyone watching.

"A Priest… A Priest who commands the stars!"

"A Star Priest…"

"No way… it's got to be an illusion!"

On the West City Wall, the guards and commanders stared with wide, unbelieving eyes. It was the most shocking thing they'd ever witnessed. Some couldn't even trust their own senses.

Ethan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a commanding figure bathed in starlight. Beneath him, Ormund's eyes blazed with excitement. This was his master—the one chosen by the Divine Contract.

'Ancestor… do you see this? I'm walking the same path as you. The Greatfang Tiger Tribe… we might rise to royalty once more.'

High on the city tower, Regis—the Lord of Beastfall City—rested a hand on the stone wall, eyes locked on Ethan. His pupils flickered slightly. Shock… and calculation.

Ethan, for his part, didn't understand what had just happened. This was only his second time using Starfall Barrage in this world. The first time had been when he first arrived and encountered the Sandworm. Back then, the spell had barely covered a hundred meters, and its damage had been underwhelming.

But now?

The range had expanded tenfold, and the destructive force was nothing short of terrifying. The Badgers fell like wheat under a scythe. Even more shocking was that once the spell was complete, it didn't end—it continued. The seed cluster inside him fed it constantly, maintaining the unbroken storm of celestial fire.

'Old Tree… what did you give me? What are these seeds?'

His chest swelled with emotion. The reborn World Tree had left him with a gift beyond imagination.

"Ormund, move!"

The white tiger snapped out of his trance at Ethan's shout. All enemies within a thousand meters had been annihilated, and the Badgers pouring in couldn't replenish the ranks fast enough.

Ormund roared, shaking the skies. With a sudden motion, his hidden wings unfurled with a thunderous snap. One beat—and his massive body launched forward like an arrow.

Wherever he flew, the clouds above parted, erased by the light trailing behind him. As he moved away, the clouds slowly rolled back in, like fabric healing a tear. Below, the starfall continued—relentless and divine.

Each beat of his wings left a vacuum in the air behind him.

Then, a voice rang in Ethan's ear.

"Young man… leave the rest to us. Please, come up to the tower for a chat."

He turned, spotting an old man on the city wall, smiling warmly.

The West Gate was closing behind them—the City Guard had successfully evacuated the civilians, and even the ladder ropes had been withdrawn.

"Ormund, to the city tower!"

Ethan pointed upward.

Without hesitation, Ormund pivoted low and soared back toward the wall. In the past, flying over the city would've been a death sentence. Beastfall City strictly enforced its no-fly zone. Violators were executed without mercy.

But now, with Ethan commanding, Ormund didn't hesitate.

"Retract…"

Ethan cut off the energy flow to Starfall Barrage. The final wave of starlight fell. The skies darkened. The clouds returned. In moments, the sky looked as if nothing had ever happened.

Below, the battlefield had already shifted. Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers began flooding into the gap again, but Ethan's job was done.

Inside his body, the vortex-like seed cluster slowed its rotation. The strange energy—perhaps astral, perhaps celestial, or something else, transformed into thin streams of light that flowed into the Tree of Life growing within his Mindscape.

The swelling pressure faded.

Ormund circled once above the city tower before descending. As he landed, he shifted into his human form. Ethan, Uncle Jed, and the large black dog leapt down at the same moment.

But the moment their feet touched down on the tower, steel flashed.

Swords were drawn in unison—dozens of guards circling them, blades glinting in the sun, tips leveled straight at their throats.

"Step back—!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Before the order could finish echoing, the nearest guards convulsed, blood spurting from their mouths as they were hurled backwards like broken dolls. They slammed into the ground with bone-snapping force, groaning in pain.

Ethan's voice cut through the silence, calm but ice-cold.

"I'm showing your City Lord some respect. The last man who pointed a weapon at me? His grave's still bare—grass hasn't even had time to grow."

Gasps rippled across the tower. More guards surged forward, only to be stopped by a chorus of angry voices from behind.

"Enough!"

A wave of pressure suddenly descended—crushing and suffocating. Over a dozen powerful auras flared to life all at once, heavy as an avalanche, bearing down on Ethan and his group.

In the Sea of Death, there was no clear line between court official and battlefield general. Strength ruled.

Uncle Jed staggered. Ormund braced himself, taking three slow steps back. Jed followed a moment later—four steps, but just a beat behind.

No one noticed the timing.

Behind Ethan, the large black dog let out a low, human-sounding mutter.

"Holy hell… That's beyond Sovereign, at least Transcendent Rank…"

His fur bristled, and he promptly ducked behind Ethan's legs to shield himself from the pressure.

Ethan stood firm at the front, unmoving. Completely unbothered.

So this is the Transcendent Rank? he thought. One rank above Sovereign, huh?

But it didn't feel like much.

He lifted his head, expression calm, eyes sharp.

"City Lord," he said coolly. "This how you welcome your guests? Invite them up, then point blades at their throats?"

There was a twitch in Regis's brow—but then the old man chuckled softly and lifted a hand.

"Stand down."

In an instant, the suffocating pressure dissolved like mist under the morning sun.

The tension evaporated.

"Young man," Regis said evenly, gesturing toward the battlefield below, "what should we do next?"

He didn't speak down to him. Didn't test him. He simply invited Ethan to his side—like an equal—and asked for his opinion.

Every official on the tower turned to look, frowns deepening, thoughts racing.

Who is this kid? Just because he's strong?

Even a Star Priest—rare as they were—wouldn't usually earn this kind of treatment. The men here weren't fools. They were seasoned, shrewd, and suspicious by nature. But none of them dared to speak up. Not now.

Because something had changed.

They'd all seen it. The City Lord had ordered the City Guard forward at the peak of the assault. Four elite commanders—each one fiercely loyal to Vice City Lord Gorr the Elder—had been thrown to the front lines like sacrificial pawns.

This wasn't just about defense. It was a purge.

Regis, the aloof, careful ruler of Beastfall City, had bared his fangs.

And the most unsettling part? Gorr's own niece… now stood at Regis's side.