Absolute Cheater

Yulia Garcia had always been a genius. Back when she was still a director at Volarisa World Academy, she was already known for her strength and strict discipline. But after the Magnus Family showed their true power and defeated the old ruling powers of the galaxy, everything changed.

Volarisa—once a weak, limited world with poor energy and barely any resources—grew rapidly. Thanks to the Magnus Family, the world was upgraded and connected to the wider cosmic networks. Trade boomed. Tower access expanded. A constant stream of resources and powerful Awakeners began pouring in.

Yulia and the Academy staff were among the first to benefit from this.

She was one of the earliest Awakeners to enter the Infinity Tower, and she used that head start to skyrocket in strength. She advanced faster than anyone expected, climbing through realms in just years that would normally take decades.

Eventually, Yulia stepped down from her role at the Academy—not because she got bored, but because she saw something more important.

She launched her own company: Garcia Traders.

It started small, offering rare materials to those challenging the Infinity Tower. But it quickly grew into a massive business.

Now, Garcia Traders had branches across several minor worlds, handling everything from ancient relic recovery to full dungeon exploration. They didn't just sell materials—they trained Awakeners, ran dungeon raids, and even offered personalized Tower guidance for elite clients.

Yulia built her business to serve geniuses—people too talented for ordinary training. Many of her staff were experienced Tower climbers. Some even held official rankings.

If the Tower rules didn't prevent re-entry from earlier floors, Yulia would've built whole farming teams inside by now.

She had money, influence, and status.

But still… she never forgot her days at the Academy. Or the most difficult student she ever dealt with:

Asher Magnus.

He was the one who treated rules like suggestions, challenged professors just to test ideas, and still managed to ace all his exams without studying properly.

And now?

He had reached Floor 1678—nearly 300 floors higher than the next top-ranked climber.

It wasn't a rumor anymore.

He was real. Alive. And walking beside her.

Yulia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her expression hard to read.

The biggest troublemaker in Academy history… had become Volarisa's strongest Awakener.

She didn't say anything. She just led him forward.

The crowd moved aside without being asked, giving her space out of quiet respect. Yulia Garcia was one of the most powerful people in the entire world. Asher, like always, ignored the attention, hands in his pockets, calmly walking behind her.

Soon, they reached a quiet, high-end café on the edge of a busy plaza. It wasn't huge, but it had a clean, upscale look—simple but clearly expensive. The staff recognized Yulia immediately and quietly guided them into a private room in the back.

The room was peaceful, dimly lit, with a large window that looked out onto a distant waterfall. There were no other guests. Just them.

She pointed to the seat across from her. "Sit."

Asher sat down casually, one leg resting over the other, relaxed.

Yulia didn't waste time. As soon as the door closed behind them, she looked him straight in the eye.

"So? Where the hell have you been?" she asked.

Asher blinked slowly. "Straight to the point, huh?"

She didn't answer. She just waited.

He scratched his neck. "I got trapped in a hidden dungeon. Not a normal one—some ancient, sealed place. It blocked all outside contact. No way to send messages or leave."

He lied smoothly, sounding calm and steady.

Yulia's eyes narrowed. She could tell he wasn't being fully honest—but she also noticed something else. He wasn't hiding it out of pride. There was a deeper reason.

After a moment, she leaned back in her chair.

"Alright."

She crossed her arms. "You're hiding something. But I won't push you."

Asher raised an eyebrow.

"I can feel it," she said, nodding slightly. "Your soul is different. You've changed. Whatever happened to you—it wasn't just some dungeon. Not a regular one."

Asher didn't deny it.

He simply looked out the window at the waterfall in silence.

"I'll wait," Yulia said after a while, her voice gentler.

Just then, a server entered quietly and placed two cups of high-quality herbal tea on the table before slipping out again.

Yulia took a sip first. "I didn't bring you here just to question you. I have something I need to ask."

Asher turned back toward her, interest flashing in his eyes.

"Oh?" he asked, raising the cup.

Yulia nodded.

She set the cup down and leaned forward slightly.

"Asher… I didn't just want to reconnect. I need your help."

He raised a brow, now giving her his full attention.

Yulia's voice became more business-like. "You already know I run Garcia Traders. What you may not know is that we're now one of the five largest resource networks in the nearby world clusters."

Asher nodded slowly. That was impressive.

"But with growth come issues," she said, fingers interlocked. "We recently took control of a small world—just twenty light-years from Volarisa. It wasn't claimed by anyone and was packed with dungeons. A goldmine, really."

She paused. "But there's a problem."

Asher tilted his head. "What kind?"

"There's one dungeon there that no one's entered. It's Peak World Rank," she said firmly.

Asher's eyes narrowed.

"I've already sent in three elite teams," Yulia went on. "Top gear, strong Awakeners, experienced World Rankers. All of them failed. No one came back."

She tapped a device on the table. A hologram appeared, showing a map with a dark crater in the middle.

"We thought it was just too dangerous. But a few days ago, we picked up a strange signal. Not from our people—but from the dungeon itself."

"What did it say?" Asher asked.

"It said the dungeon's reaching critical density. In two months, it'll erupt."

Asher leaned back. "Overflow?"

Yulia nodded. "Worse. A kick-out event. When a dungeon that powerful can't hold its monsters or energy anymore, it forces everything out. Monsters, curses, corrupted power—all of it gets dumped onto the world outside. That planet has less than a billion people. If this hits, they'll all die."

She looked directly at him.

"There's no Peak World Ranker in our galaxy. The ones who could help are all off-world, fighting their own battles. We don't have time to wait."

Asher stayed quiet, then asked, "So why me?"

Yulia didn't hesitate.

"Because I saw the Tower leaderboard."

She slid a tablet toward him. The screen showed:

Asher Magnus: Floor 1678.Second Place: Floor 1391.

"You're more than 300 floors ahead of anyone else," she said. "That means you've already fought enemies beyond Peak World Rank. Maybe many."

He exhaled.

"So you want me to go in there. Alone?"

Yulia nodded. "We'll hide your identity. Use a fake name. Send you in as just another low-rank Awakener. No one will know."

She looked into his eyes. "If anyone can do it… it's you."

Asher didn't say anything right away.

Yulia raised a brow when he finally nodded, arms crossed.

"So you'll do it?"

He shrugged slightly. "Sure. Sounds interesting enough."

Yulia blinked, a little surprised. "That's it?"

"I've cleared over a thousand floors by myself. One more dungeon won't kill me," he said with a slight grin. "Hopefully."

She stared at him.

Asher leaned back, putting his boots up. "But… I do want payment."

Yulia scoffed. "Of course you do."

He pointed at her, smirking. "Think of it as payback—for all the times you looked the other way when I caused chaos at the Academy."

She crossed her arms, eyes sharp. "Don't think I forgot. You skipped classes, fought teachers, hijacked a training hall, and once hacked the exam system just because you were bored."

"And still," Asher said smugly, "you never kicked me out."

She exhaled hard. "Because you were the strongest student we ever had."

"Exactly. So I think I've earned a little extra now," he said. "How about full access to your company's private vaults, first pick of any dungeon loot your teams gather, and… one favor, no questions asked."

Yulia stared at him for a long moment.

Then, finally, she sighed.

"Fine. You'll have what you need."

Asher stood up and stretched.

"Great. I'll start preparing."

As he turned toward the exit, Yulia called after him. "You know… I never thought you'd grow into someone responsible."

He paused and looked back. "I'm not this generous with just anyone," he said, and walked out.

Yulia sat still, muttering under her breath.

"…What do you mean by 'I'm not just anyone?'"

Alas, he was already gone, and so her question remained unanswered.

Asher, meanwhile, returned to the hotel where the others were waiting. The moment he stepped through the door, he was met with a rush of voices.

"Finally!" Freya called out, springing up from the couch. "Took you long enough. You won't believe what Floor 600 was like—lava fields, time bombs, and those goddamn flying centipedes."

Veyra, seated cross-legged on the bed, glanced up. "I found a Soul Rift on Floor 701. Fought an echo of myself... or maybe what I could become if I ever lose control. Still not sure." Her voice was calm, but her fingers twitched slightly, betraying how much the experience had unsettled her.

Asher dropped onto a nearby armchair with a relaxed sigh, finally letting his body settle. "Sounds like you all had fun."