Alan's expression was clouded with doubt.
To the outside world, Daniel's actions might have seemed like those of a man throwing caution to the wind—desperation disguised as bravery. But Alan knew better. After three years of studying alongside Daniel at the Royal Academy, he had learned to see through that quiet, gentle demeanor.
Daniel may have looked fragile on the surface, but beneath it lay an unwavering conviction.
A man like that, simply giving up on himself?
Impossible.
Alan shook his head, clearing his mind of scattered thoughts. Right now, there was only one thing that mattered—strength.
He turned to his steward. "How much longer until I reach tier-3?"
The steward gave a respectful nod before replying, "At your current pace, young master, you'll need another ten hours. This path we've designed is recognized by the House as the fastest advancement route available."
He paused briefly, then added with a faintly awkward tone, "In fact… according to our projections, you were supposed to be the first tier-3 among this year's new generation. But who could have anticipated—"
He stopped himself and quickly changed topics.
"Regardless, what truly matters to the family is that you're ready to join the hunt for World Rank Bosses. The rewards granted by such creatures far exceed anything described in textbooks."
"For the honor of House Aikes, your participation is essential."
Alan nodded heavily.
He understood this well.
Across the entire continent, the strongest families—those who stood at the top—measured their prestige by how many World Rank Bosses they had conquered.
House Aikes might have a demigod standing at its apex, but for generations, it lacked a worthy heir capable of standing alongside such a legacy.
Now that Alan had awakened the SS-rank talent [Forbidden Warlock], the responsibility of proving their strength had fallen squarely onto his shoulders.
"Whatever. So what if Daniel made it into the Primordial Land?"
"It's not like he can solo a World Rank Boss."
"Forget it. I need to focus on my own progression."
Primordial Land
Crackling bolts of lightning tore through the skies.
Thunder boomed. Ash fell like snow.
Wherever Daniel passed, monsters dropped like wheat under the scythe. His mere presence was like that of a grim reaper—cold, efficient, unstoppable.
Although he gained no EXP due to his ongoing Star Upgrade Quest, that didn't mean he was empty-handed.
Thanks to the passive effect of [Ode to Life], his HP had been increasing steadily with every new monster he felled.
Along the way, Daniel had taken down several elite bosses—not bad rewards overall, though nothing extraordinary.
After a long stretch of uninterrupted travel…
Daniel, still astride his Shadow Leopard, finally arrived at the outskirts of his destination.
And with the HP boosts stacking over time, his current health pool had reached a jaw-dropping number:
[HP: 403,000]!!
Daniel stared at his stat screen with clear satisfaction.
Who would've thought? A mere level-30 adventurer with more health than most high-tier bosses!
If he had more time to spare, he would've kept grinding—hell, maybe even pushed it past a million HP.
With that much bulk, even standing still and tanking a boss head-on wouldn't be a problem.
He'd be tougher than the boss itself.
Chuckling at the thought, Daniel finally reached the foot of the mountainous behemoth he had tracked across the landscape.
At this point, ordinary enemies—even elite bosses—no longer posed a challenge to him.
What he needed now was something greater.
To complete the Star Upgrade Quest and break past the artificial level cap, he needed a real challenge. Something world-shaking.
And now, it stood before him.
[World Rank Boss: Stoneback Colossus]
[Level: 30 (World Rank)]
[HP: 99,999,999]
[MP: 99,999,999]
[Skills: Power of the Earth, Seismic Quake, Mountaintop Crush]
[Traits: Heavily Armored, Unyielding, Stonebound]
[Description 1: World Rank Bosses possess unique traits and overwhelming strength. Only joint raids of large adventurer guilds are advised.]
[Description 2: Stoneback Colossus – A creature dwelling deep within the planet's crust. Possesses nearly invincible defenses and extreme resistance to all elemental types. Notoriously difficult to kill.]
Only now that he was standing this close did Daniel truly appreciate just how terrifying a World Rank Boss was.
Nearly 100 million HP.
And that was just a level 30 one.
If not for his arsenal of God Rank Skills, Daniel wouldn't have even considered attempting this. The idea of soloing a boss like this would've been suicidal.
Sure, he'd read about these monsters in books—pages filled with warnings, statistics, tactics—but reading and facing one were entirely different matters.
The Stoneback Colossus was a walking fortress.
Its entire back was covered in what looked like solid granite armor, thick enough to rival the walls of a capital city.
Just the outer layer was meters thick.
And that wasn't even counting the creature's natural defense stats.
Ordinary spells would bounce right off it.
But…
Daniel smirked.
He recalled an old principle:
The bigger they are, the slower they move.
Large frame. Slow reflexes.
All he had to do was stay behind it and keep dishing out damage.
In the end, it was just a giant tortoise with an ego.
He'd seen worse.
That said…
Daniel frowned thoughtfully.
Even with God Rank Skills, bringing down a World Rank Boss wasn't going to be easy.
These things weren't designed to be soloed.
Typically, defeating one would require over a hundred adventurers working in coordinated formations—tanks, supports, ranged DPS, melee skirmishers, and mages.
While Daniel's burst damage was impressive, he'd have to chip away at that massive health pool bit by bit, all while avoiding devastating attacks.
Make no mistake: even at level 30, the Stoneback Colossus could still deal fatal damage.
Fortunately, there were no other players nearby.
If others had been around, Daniel wouldn't have dared to act.
Imagine trying to solo a World Boss, only to have someone swoop in and steal the kill?
No thanks.
Daniel took a deep breath.
This Star Upgrade Quest really was insane.
Solo ten World Rank Bosses? Was this some kind of cruel joke from the gods?
He chuckled bitterly.
"Unrivaled divine might," huh? Talk about high expectations.
But… it's not like he had a choice.
So why hesitate?
Just do it.
At this point, Daniel's growth had already hit a plateau.
Delaying any longer would only give others a chance to catch up.
He couldn't afford that.
No more waiting. No more planning.
Just do it.
His jaw clenched. His mind raced, calculating and strategizing.
With his current HP pool and the shielding from [Thunderfall Shield], he should survive the boss's opening barrage.
He wouldn't be one-shot—probably.
"Alright, you overgrown turtle…"
"Let's see how you like [Great Fireball]!"