Unrivaled in another world

[: 3rd POV :]

As Daniel moved deeper into the fractured terrain of the Forbidden Continent, he sensed that the air was different here.

The skies above sparked with unstable arcs of lightning as though he was warned. 

The clouds churned like boiling oil, and the atmosphere throbbed with a volatile charge.

His feet stopped, and his eyes narrowed. 

The ground ahead split and surged—rising like a broken heartbeat—before a swarm of creatures burst forth, crawling and leaping from the ruined earth and shattered cliffs.

There were a hundred of them.

Their bodies were thin and jagged, like skeletal beasts carved from crystal and lightning.

Their limbs crackled with electric tension, twitching unnaturally as glowing veins pulsed across their pale-blue hides.

Shards of ionised bone pierced through their backs like conductive spears, and from their hollow mouths came the shrill screeches of pure static.

It was a mixture of terrifying and beautiful. 

Each of their movement left trails of flickering sparks, and each breath discharged waves of pressure.

They were as erratic as they were unstable.

They were monsters bred from storms.

Without further ado, Daniel's eyes changed.

[: Eyes of Calamity: Status View :]

Panels of light formed before him, revealing the truth behind their power.

[Static Howler]

-Level: 100 – 110

-Type: Lightning Affinity Monster

-Trait: Thunder Frenzy (Greatly increases attack speed and damage output when HP is below 50%)

-Bloodline: Lesser Storm Fiend

-Innate: Chain Voltage (Upon death, it explodes and releases arcing lightning to all nearby targets, scaling with total HP)

Daniel stared blankly at their information. 

"Suicide bombers," he muttered. "Great."

Their death alone was meant to trigger carnage, exploding violently and chaining into each other in a symphony of destruction.

But instead of worry, his lips curled into a smile.

"They die before they even get the chance."

Then, he lifted his hand.

Destruction trembled at his fingertips.

[: Aura of Annihilation: Oblivion Pulse — Activated :]

The world held its breath.

A pulse like the soundless beat of some forgotten cosmic heart resonated from Daniel's core.

The very air around him shivered as though creation felt fear, and then it fractured.

From his body, a wave of destruction-drenched energy burst outward—a perfectly focused shockwave of destruction, lined with violet-black aura so thick it bled into the sky.

It wasn't fire that was known for its destructive force; it was obliteration, the embodiment of absolute unmaking, where there's nothing that he could destroy. 

The moment the Oblivion Pulse reached the first line of Static Howlers, they didn't even scream.

Their bodies collapsed.

Not in blood, not in gore—but into nothing.

They were undone. With every molecule and every trace of thought and existence.

The lightning in their veins died before it could surge, as the oblivion pulse had destroyed the very meaning of their existence. 

Their death-trigger explosions never activated.

It wasn't suppression, and it was total annihilation.

The pulse expanded, like the death knell of an ancient god's will.

First, it was ten, then twenty, fifty and finally a hundred.

Each howler was devoured by the pulse, their forms shredded into swirling specks of shadow-light.

Their presence didn't fade; it was violently erased.

The ground beneath them cratered and cracked, unable to withstand the sheer force of obliteration sweeping through it.

And then… silence.

Not a single sound remained.

Not even the hum of residual static.

All that was left in the wake of the Oblivion Pulse was scorched stone, faint traces of swirling dust, and Daniel standing alone, silver hair drifting in the wind.

His clothes fluttered gently, and his expression remained still—calm.

As if he hadn't just erased a hundred lives in a single heartbeat.

"…They didn't even get to scream," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone.

[: Congratulations, you have killed a total of 100 Statis Howlers and due to Endless Potential, all exp will be multiplied by 10 and all status points obtained will be multiplied by 2 times :]

[: Congratulations, you have levelled up to 100 and you have reached the max level for an E Rank :]

[: Congratulations, Host has reached Level 100 and has received a gift pack :] 

[: As the Host has reached the Max Level, it will require the Host to break through to the next rank, and it has conditions :] 

As the notification windows faded before him, Daniel blinked in quiet surprise.

He hadn't expected the wave of power to surge that fast.

"Level 100 already?" he muttered.

He brought up his stat window once more to confirm, and sure enough, the numbers didn't lie, and afterwards, he allocated his points equally. Immediately, a sense of power coursed through his body, more potent and refined than moments ago, ike the very foundation of his being had taken another step toward transcendence.

Even for someone like him, with ridiculous skills, traits, and bloodlines, it still felt… fast.

"System," he asked aloud, eyes narrowing in mild suspicion, "Is it really supposed to be this easy to level up?"

[: Good question, Host :]

[: Normally, it would not be this fast. The growth rate of most beings is considerably slower, even among geniuses. :]

[: However, due to the overwhelming nature of your skills, traits, and modifiers—including Endless Potential and your high-level Bloodline—the experience gained is multiplied beyond conventional standards. :]

[: In short, with powers like yours, this speed is not impossible. But it is unlikely. :]

Daniel raised an eyebrow at that, folding his arms.

"So I'm basically breaking the rules of this world just by existing."

[: That is correct, Host. You are a walking anomaly. :]

A small chuckle escaped him.

That... sounded about right.

He let the thought drift before returning to the matter at hand.

"But if I've hit the max level for E-Rank," Daniel said, "What now? What do I need to do to break through?"

There was a small pause before a new set of glowing panels appeared before him, arranged like gates of revelation.

[: Breakthrough Conditions for D-Rank Advancement :]

- Kill 1000 E Rank Beings

- Absorb 100 White Mana Stones 

- Rewards: D Rank Up, All Stats will receive a bonus of 250

His gaze lingered on the first requirement, and for a moment, he gave a soft snort.

"Kill 1000 E-Rank Beings, huh…?" he muttered, cracking his knuckles absently.

"That's not even a challenge. I just erased a hundred in one breath."

He wasn't boasting—it was simply the truth.

The moment he unleashed Oblivion Pulse, not even a trace of the enemy remained.

If anything, 1000 E-Rank monsters sounded more like a warm-up than a test.

But his attention narrowed to the second line.

Absorb 100 White Mana Stones.

"...Mana Stones," Daniel repeated under his breath. His brows furrowed slightly.

He recalled something—no, someone.

Manork had once explained the fundamentals of levelling in this world to him.

He'd spoken briefly of these stones.

"Mana Stones are crystallised essence from the world's mana veins," Daniel murmured, recalling Manork's words.

"They're used to aid breakthroughs. The lower grade ones like White Mana Stones are the most common... but even then, they don't just grow on trees."

He frowned slightly, arms folding.

Manork had explained that Mana Veins were rare, naturally occurring phenomena.

They were stones of condensed mana flowing beneath the earth.

Harvesting from them wasn't simple.

They were guarded, regulated, or in the case of the Forbidden Continent… possibly buried deep in monster-infested zones.

"Hunting 1000 E-Ranks is easy…" Daniel muttered with a thoughtful glance at the horizon.

"But I don't even know where the closest Mana Vein is."

He exhaled slowly.

The weight of progression was starting to make sense.

"Looks like I'll have to dig a little deeper," he said at last, eyes narrowing with determination. "Literally."

Daniel looked at the vast, broken landscape ahead, his next goal clear in his mind.

Find the White Mana Stones, break through and keep rising.

"Alright," he said with a faint smile, his voice low but resolute.

"Time to start mining… and slaying."

With that, he turned forward—toward deeper ruins, greater foes, and hopefully, a source of mana veins hidden beneath the cursed soil of the Forbidden Continent.