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

Regis scanned the faces behind him, there was no one left to spare.

Including Dana, he had only three priests remaining under his command. Though there were still many Transcendent-ranked powerhouses, their strength lay in single-target combat. Against hordes, their effectiveness was limited. Wide-area devastation wasn't in their arsenal.

And with a city wall stretching dozens of miles, even if he threw every last veteran at the northern front, it still wouldn't be enough.

"Let that girl go north! Old Regis, how about you and I hold the line and deal with these smaller pests?"

The voice cut through the tension like a blade. Calm. Casual. Yet unmistakably provocative.

Everyone turned to look. Who would dare speak so brazenly here?

Only one Regis stood on this wall. And being called Old Regis to his face—well, that narrowed things down.

Regis, however, simply smirked. "You old rascal," he said, eyes gleaming. "Ethan and I are practically brothers now, but you were one step quicker, huh? Even got him calling you uncle. What now—trying to steal this old man's spotlight? So, this is the great War God Jed—shameless as ever!"

"Hmph." Uncle Jed strolled forward, ignoring Ethan's startled expression. With each step, his presence swelled, like a tide crashing against a dam.

By the time he reached Ethan's side, the sheer force of his aura eclipsed everything around them.

For the first time since they'd met, Ethan felt Uncle Jed's true strength—and it was suffocating.

Of all the powers he'd encountered in the Sea of Death, none had ever made him feel quite like this.

"Old Regis, don't act so innocent," Jed said, scoffing. "You knew what you were doing. What Rank is Ethan, really? I can't tell exactly, but I've got a good guess. You dangled all those benefits in front of me just to push my hand. When it comes to scheming, you're still the grandmaster. Fine. I, Jedediah, admit defeat."

He clapped Ethan on the shoulder with a heavy, grounding hand.

Regis let out a throaty chuckle, oddly crude and gleeful.

Many on the wall flinched, a few even stumbling. Was this their esteemed City Lord? Why did he suddenly sound like some shady street rogue?

"You're still pulling that 'sealed power' stunt, Jed?" Regis said with a wink. "Your seal is pathetic. Want me to help tighten it up?"

"Get lost! If you lay a finger on it, I'll be stuck sealed for life."

"Enough with the bickering," Jed muttered, tilting his head toward Dana. "Girl—north wall. Go."

Dana looked to Regis for confirmation. He nodded.

She bowed, turned, and strode toward the runic array inscribed on the ground. As she stepped away, she shot Ethan and Jed one last curious glance.

Boom!

A sudden explosion roared from the south. Flames erupted, soaring higher than the thousand-meter-high city walls.

"Qinn, make your move," Regis muttered, his gaze sliding to the east.

Whoosh…

A sound like a hundred razors cutting the sky came from that direction.

Ethan turned and saw countless tornadoes spiral downward from the clouds—touching ground, tearing across the city's edge.

Qinn, Ethan realized. A Wind Elemental.

Then came the roar. Not from the south. Not from the east.

The north.

Dana's front.

Ethan squinted upward. Dark vortexes—black holes, almost—swirled open above the northern wall. From them fell strange, shadowy creatures. Some massive, others insect-sized.

Their roars rang across the sky.

Monsters.

Was that what she meant by Spirit-Summoning Priest?

She was… a summoner?

Jed exhaled, clearly impressed. "That girl... she's got serious talent. Her summoning technique is nothing to scoff at."

Regis, by contrast, shook his head with a sigh. "A shame. The Gorr family's sins still cling to her. That girl was born under misfortune."

Then his expression shifted—grim, determined.

"The big one's yours," he said, glancing at Ethan and Jed. "I'll hold the wall."

Jed didn't reply.

Ethan scratched his nose, mildly irritated. 'So I'm just the sidekick now?'

Still, he couldn't help but glance at Uncle Jed again. For all the times Ethan had been the one to save him, he had never realized how powerful Uncle Jed really was. Maybe he'd just been laughing at him this whole time.

"Ormund... let's go."

Whoosh—

Ethan leaped off the wall. Ormund followed, mid-air shifting into his white tiger form. Wings spread wide, catching the wind, he twisted, dove, then snapped up Ethan like a hawk catching prey.

"You brat! Wait up!" Jed's voice echoed behind them, his long spear clutched tightly.

"Ignore him," Ethan said coolly, standing on Ormund's head.

The tiger hesitated for a heartbeat, then obeyed, flapping his wings once more.

Swish— He soared forward, locked onto the colossal beast in the distance.

"Damn it…" Jed growled.

Regis chuckled behind them, a low, sinister sound. Uncle Jed's glare snapped toward him.

Boom!

With an earth-shaking roar, Jed hurled himself off the wall like a missile.

He crashed into the ground below, blasting up a shockwave that dwarfed a catapult strike. Hundreds of Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers within the radius were hurled into the air—limbs, blood, and dust scattering like fireworks.

Ethan stared, stunned. What kind of monster is he? He fell a thousand meters without a scratch?

Jed stood tall, spear dragging behind him.

With one step forward, a bullet-like aura flared around him.

Whoosh—

He launched into the swarm like a warhead.

"Damn…" Ethan breathed. "He's like a Super Saiyan."

"Ormund—accelerate!"

The tiger surged ahead.

Ethan had planned to slow down eventually and wait for Jed, but apparently, the old man didn't need waiting.

Jed sprinted like a living cannonball, tearing through the Sand Badgers. Each one he touched exploded into chunks of meat and gore.

His speed nearly matched Ormund's flight.

Then— Buzz… Buzz…

The world trembled.

A crushing aura surged from behind. Ethan spun around sharply.

On the wall, City Lord Regis had raised his hands. Fingers interwoven, constantly shifting. The air around him shimmered with power.

"Seal the Heavens and Earth," he whispered.

Crack… Crack…

A mirror-like seal spread from the west wall, expanding outward. Everything it touched—clouds, sand, monsters—froze in place.

Even the howling Sand Badgers were caught mid-motion, frozen like grotesque statues.

"Ethan, run!" Jed shouted from below. "That old bastard actually used his ultimate move!"

Then he accelerated again, vanishing in a blur. Ormund was a second too slow, the seal nearly brushed his tail.

"Ow!"

His fur stood on end. With a sudden flash of light—

Zzzzt… BOOM!

He burst forward with a sonic boom. Ethan was nearly thrown off, barely holding onto his fur.

Ormund's burst speed was a supersonic skill—powerful but costly.

Behind them, Regis's seal stretched a full kilometer before halting. It cut a giant swath through the monster horde—frozen beasts piling up like ice sculptures.

Ormund's speed gradually slowed again. They were closing in on the thousand-meter beast.

It noticed.

Its massive tail thudded against the ground, booming with every step.

Ethan shouted down at Jed, "This thing's huge—if we target the body, we can kill it before it fights back!"

"You're thinking too simply," Jed called up.

And just as he spoke, the beast shifted. Shrinking rapidly, its colossal body condensed.

In its place stood a humanoid figure, hovering just in their view.

"What did I just say?" Jed muttered.

"Damn… Is this thing a Druid or something? Just transforming like that?"

From Ethan's perspective, it was like watching a mini Godzilla morph into a warrior. Still monstrous—still inhuman—but now upright, nearly three meters tall.

They were still several kilometers apart, but Ethan felt the beast's gaze pass over him and Ormund.

Then it ignored them, it locked eyes on Jed.

Boom! It moved.

Each step was thunder. Sand exploded beneath its feet as it charged straight for Jed.

Ethan blinked, stunned. That thing… had completely disregarded him.