Apocalypse Baby

[Upgrading]

[Upgrade Successful]

[Domain(A) is now Regnum Dominion (S)]

[Regnum Dominion (S-Rank): Creates an absolute space of control, where your will shapes reality. Traps enemies within a battlefield where your abilities are amplified, attacks are nearly unavoidable, and opponents suffer severe debuffs. Only those with immense power or a Domain of their own can resist its overwhelming presence.

Effect:

- Control terrain, gravity, and environmental effects within reasonable limits.

- Your attacks gain perfect accuracy, forcing opponents to rely on superior speed or counter-domain effects.

- Your strength, speed, and abilities are tripled (3x effect).

- Enemies suffer a 30% decrease in all stats and may experience disorientation or fear.

- Opponents cannot teleport or flee unless they break the Domain or counter with their own.

Limitations:

- If an opponent has an equally strong or stronger Domain, the two will clash, and the weaker one will collapse.

- If an enemy is significantly more powerful than the user, they can shatter the Domain through brute force.

Cost: 1000 MP

Upkeep Cost: 50 MP per second

Cooldown: 1 hours

Alex sucked in a breath.

His heart pounded.

This might be the most dangerous skill he had.

A realm where his opponent wasn't just at a disadvantage—they were doomed.

His Domain wasn't just a battlefield. It was a death trap. His enemies would move slower, hit weaker, and fear would gnaw at their minds. Meanwhile, his own strength, speed, and abilities would triple.

The only downside?

The cost.

Activating the Domain drained a massive chunk of his energy, and keeping it up would burn through his reserves fast. But did that really matter?

Not when whoever stepped inside wouldn't last long enough to see the end of it.

His smirk returned.

Seconds. That's all he needed.

And now, it was time for the next skill.

[Upgrading...]

[Upgrade Successful]

[Summon Archfiend {A} is now Hellmarch (S-Rank)]

Hellmarch (S-Rank): Summon the ultimate Archfiend, Varkos, the Abyssal Sovereign, a being of pure destruction and relentless power. Unlike its lower-ranked form, this evolved entity is no longer a mere enforcer—it is a warlord of devastation, capable of challenging entire armies alone.

Varkos' Abilities & Traits:

- Near-indestructible, capable of regenerating even fatal injuries over time.

- Wields an evolved crackling blade, now imbued with void lightning, which erases matter upon contact and ignores conventional defenses.

- Moves at such impossible speed that it appears in multiple places at once, overwhelming enemies in a flurry of deadly slashes.

- Unleashes a paralyzing roar that instills terror and weakness in enemies, dropping their combat effectiveness by 50% for 15 seconds.

Cost: 1,000 MP

Upkeep Cost: No MP Drain (Independent entity)

Maximum Duration: 1 hour

Cooldown: 48 hours

Recovery Time (if severely injured): 3 days before it can be summoned again.

Limitations:

- If Varkos suffers fatal injuries, the summoning cooldown is extended to 72 hours instead of 48.

- While Varkos is a force of destruction, it follows the user's commands.

- However, its true nature is chaotic, meaning it cannot be ordered to perform acts of mercy.

- Holy magic and divine weapons are its primary weaknesses, dealing double damage to Varkos.

Alex nodded, satisfied.

This new Archfiend wasn't just stronger—it was leagues ahead of the ones that had given his clones trouble in the nightmare.

Useful.

If he ever ran out of clones, he could just summon a beast to tear through everything in sight.

No strategy. No finesse. Just pure, destructive carnage.

His eyes flicked to the next skill.

[Predator's Presence (C)]

This one was interesting.

[Upgrading...]

[Upgrade Successful]

[Predator's Presence {C} is now Imperium (S-Rank) ]

Imperium (S): The user's mere presence distorts the battlefield, making the air feel heavy, movement sluggish, and fear inescapable. Reality itself bends under the weight of their dominance, forcing all but the strongest foes to recognize them as the absolute predator.

Effect: Lower-rank enemies instantly collapse or flee in terror. Equal-rank enemies struggle to breathe, react slower, and feel their attacks lose impact before they even land. Higher-rank enemies, feel a significant mental strain, with brief flashes of hesitation.

Additional Effect: Your attacks now carry an undeniable force of will, making enemies subconsciously feel they cannot block or dodge.

Basically, I can knock out a weaker opponent just by standing there.

Alex let that thought settle.

What could possibly be cooler than that?

He chuckled, shaking his head.

Then, he took a deep breath.

"Finally..." He exhaled.

"The last skill."

His heart pounded.

His entire body buzzed with excitement.

[Upgrading...]

[Upgrade Successful]

[Flight (C) is now Aerovale (S)]

[Aerovale (S)]: The user moves like a blur, rivaling the speed of top-tier aerial creatures. They can now sustain high-speed flight for extended periods, execute flawless evasive maneuvers, and generate strong air currents with their movements.

Effect: 4x faster than C-Rank. The user can reach top speed in seconds. Sudden acceleration creates wind pressure blasts, knocking back weaker enemies. Can instantly stop in midair without recoil.

Cost: 3 Mana per minute.

Aerial Shockwave Cost: 10 Mana per-use.

Immediately—

Alex launched into the sky.

A single burst of speed, and the ground was already a blur beneath him.

He kept going. Higher. Faster.

The wind rushed past his face, cool and exhilarating. His heart pounded in sync with the sheer thrill of flight.

His eyes, wide with excitement, took in the endless expanse above him.

Then—

A shimmer.

Barely visible, but unmistakable.

His sharp gaze locked onto it instantly.

A barrier.

Alex halted on a dime, stopping so suddenly that the air around him rippled.

Slowly, he drifted closer.

Reaching out, he pressed his palm against the invisible wall.

A faint glow pulsed where he touched. Solid. Definitely a barrier.

He exhaled, smirking slightly.

Not surprising.

After all, this was just the tutorial. Not the real world.

Most likely an artificial construct.

A cage.

Designed to train humans—or, as the system called them, denizens of the new world.

Alex let out a slow sigh, lowering himself slightly in the air. He turned his gaze downward—

And his breath hitched.

Whoa.

The view was... breathtaking.

From this height, he could see the entire tutorial zone stretched out beneath him. Towering forests, winding rivers, vast open fields—all bathed in the soft, silvery glow of the fake moon above.

It was surreal. Almost peaceful.

Almost.

Because with Omniview, he saw everything.

Not just the trees and water.

The creatures lurking in the shadows.

The movements of beasts stalking through the underbrush.

The flicker of insect wings too small for normal eyes to catch.

It was insane.

Alex then exhaled sharply and brought up his stat window to see the progress.

Name: Alex Knight

Rank: D

Title: Apocalypse Baby

Class: None

Level: 48

HP: 1360

MP: 1040

[Stats]

Strength: 85

Agility: 100

Intelligence: 65

Vitality: 60

[Stat Points Available]: 9690

[Powerstones]: 20

[Skills]

[Exploding Touch {S}] [Echo of Annahiliation {S}] [Arcane Dominion{S}] [Void Slip {S}] [Void Shroud {S}] [Spectral Barrage {S}] [Titan God's Wrath {S}] [Limitless Drive {S}] [Godspeed Rampage {S}] [Void Gaze {S}] [Supreme Regeneration {S}] [Eternal Flame {S}] [Omnigaze {S}] [Stone Face {S}] [Terra Phase {S}] [Dominius {S}] [Godhand {S}] [World Breaker {S}] [One Shot One Kill {S}] [Black Flame {S}] [Omniview {S}] [Voidstep {S}] [Doppelking {S}] [Sixth Sense {S}] [Magnum Dominion {S}] [Illusion Resistance {S}] [Hellmarch {S}] [Imperium {S}] [Aerovale (S)]

All of his skills were now S-rank.

Alex took a deep breath, letting that sink in.

With this level of power, nothing in this tutorial could pose a real threat to him.

Well—unless the overseer decided to crank up the Beast Lord's strength.

Which, honestly?

He hoped they would.

A real challenge was exactly what he wanted.

But before that…

Alex smirked.

A flood of unspent stat points stared back at him.

A lot of them.

More than enough to push his power into a whole new league.

His fingers twitched.

Strength? Speed? Mana?

He could max them out—turn himself into a monster beyond anything in this tutorial.

The thought sent a thrill down his spine.

He took a slow breath…

Then reached out to allocate points to his attributes.