Apocalypse Cheater

[: Daniel POV :]

"Anyway, where's Lye? Is he late?"

I glanced around the table and noticed Lye was missing.

"Oh, he had to step outside to answer a phone call," Fara informed.

"So, who was calling him? A hot girl, perhaps?"

I teased, provoking an irritated response from Areia.

"He's not the kind of person to fool around, and no, who would want to be his wife?"

Areia folded her arms and declared fiercely, her eyes narrowing in mock anger.

However, I could clearly see that she was hiding her jealousy beneath that facade.

Her clenched fists and the way she kept glancing outside spoke volumes.

I'd bet that the first person to deny this would be her.

And she'd be the first one to chase down all of the women who were after him.

"Well, it seems like someone's jealous,"

I remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not, I was merely saying that there's no girl who'd find him attractive,"

Areia quickly retorted, though her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, giving away her true feelings.

"Right," Fara replied with a sly grin.

"I'm back, sorry for making you guys wait," Lye returned with a smile.

"Still, it was hard at first to believe that young master was the one in the video that went viral a year ago,"

Fara commented, recalling about a certain incident.

All of them couldn't help but express their astonishment at the power I possessed.

"Any girl would have fallen in love with a man who possesses the power to destroy a country,"

Fara flirted, her words carrying a hint of admiration.

I shook my head in response, countering with, "I don't think any woman would fall in love with a man who murders."

"You may never know, and there are countless women out there with different preferences,"

Areia remarked.

I couldn't resist teasing her, saying, "So, your preference would be Lye?"

"Huh!? No way!"

Areia and Lye vehemently denied in unison, causing laughter to ripple through our group.

"But, it should be expected of the one, young master, who had defeated me countless times,"

Lye exclaimed with admiration.

There had been numerous occasions where Lye and I had engaged in sparring matches, and the outcome was always a resounding victory in my favor.

However, Lye wasn't disheartened by his losses; rather, he took pride in my growing strength and skills.

"There's no telling how much more powerful you can become with your abilities, especially the skills you've granted us"

It's a tremendous advantage, and I'm curious just how strong you can get"

"You've far surpassed us, especially when it comes to farming skill books"

"While the rest of us struggled through the tutorial to obtain even a single one, you've provided us with over hundreds,"

Lye acknowledged, recognizing that I, as the son of the president, was in a league of my own.

One day, my mother revealed the true source of all the resources from Modern Fantasia, and it left everyone in shock.

I disclosed the extent of my power, and it was a sight that they would never forget.

Hundreds of thousands of shadow soldiers materialized, each one capable of annihilating an entire city.

From that moment on, they looked at me in a new light.

There was a mix of awe and relief among them.

Awe at the incredible power I possessed, and relief knowing that I had become exceptionally capable of defending and providing for our organization.

"Isn't that to be expected?"

"If our President is strong, then, of course, our young master is strong!"

Areia declared with a proud smile, behaving like the elder sister who had taught me everything.

Her enthusiasm brought a smile to my face.

"You guys overpraise me. I didn't do that much"

"As long as you can find skills or classes that break the norm, then, it's easier to level up"

"Levels aren't what determines how powerful you are, but rather, Class, Skills, and even Bloodline,"

I explained, trying to downplay my own strength.

"The only difficult part is obtaining all of this, but thanks to my luck, I found an incredible class and skills,"

I continued, emphasizing that the key was in obtaining the right assets.

My words held truth; with the right combination of classes, bloodline, and skills, anyone could achieve a level of power similar to mine.

However, my knowledge of the future that I possessed were the true reasons behind my overwhelming power.

"Well, young master makes it sound like it's easy to achieve,"

Old Jack remarked with a hint of amusement, leading to laughter from everyone at the table.

"I guess that's true enough"

"Though it had only been less than 10 days, our members kept discovering quests that weren't available, and some had achieved hidden quests where the rewards are honestly good,"

Fara shared, highlighting the dynamic nature of Modern Fantasia's quest system.

The sheer volume of quests available in the game was staggering, with billions waiting to be discovered.

While it was impossible for me to remember them all, I saw the value in assisting my comrades in their quests.

This time, I would focus on making them stronger than ever before.

Fara leaned forward, curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he probed, "So, what have you been up to these past few days?"

"Leila mentioned that you've been dedicated to leveling up"

"I'm genuinely interested in knowing what levels you've reached."

I hesitated for a moment, weighing my words carefully.

It wasn't easy for me to divulge my actual levels, especially considering the rarity of achieving Transcendent status.

After all, no one in the alternate future had achieved it before the Apocalypse arrived.

I took a deep breath before revealing the truth, knowing that I was about to share something that seemed more like a legend than reality.

"I have reached the Transcendent Rank."

As soon as those words left my lips, the atmosphere around the table shifted.

It was as if I had unveiled a long-lost secret.

Their reactions were exactly what I had anticipated.

Wide-eyed astonishment washed over Fara, Areia, and Tess.

However, it was Lye's reaction that stood out the most.

His expression shifted from shock to a mix of disbelief and horror.

It was evident that he was struggling to comprehend the enormity of what I had just disclosed.

I continued, "I know it might sound unbelievable, but it's possible"

"Transcendent isn't just a concept; it's a reality, and I'm living proof of that."

My intention in sharing this revelation was clear.

I wanted them to understand that the impossible could be achieved.

"Y-You have reached Transcendent!?"

Areia's voice quivered with shock as she stared at me in disbelief.

Despite having embarked on an extraordinary quest, their journey had primarily taken place in the Level 100 area, where leveling up was a slow and arduous process.

And now, as they were finally given the opportunity to explore beyond, the stark reality of just how challenging it was to advance became all too apparent.

Fara and Areia were clearly taken aback by what I had just said.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but the incredible strength I had shown in those viral videos was undeniable evidence.

Fara couldn't help but think deeply about it.

'Is it even possible to reach that level?'

She wondered aloud.

The idea seemed almost beyond human understanding, and she couldn't shake the feeling of awe and wonder at the prospect.

'Levelling isn't as easy as it is depicted in games,'

Fara mused aloud, her eyes fixed on me as she contemplated the weight of my words.

'We're talking about monsters who are more than capable of ending our lives,'

She continued, a growing sense of realization crashing down upon her.

She let out a heavy sigh.

'First of all, no one dares to face monsters who have claimed the lives of thousands of players, even with just a few days passed,'

Fara thought with caution as she acknowledged the formidable challenges that lay ahead.

It wasn't easy to gather the courage to level up because facing death was a real risk.

To reach higher levels, players had to battle smarter, more powerful monsters that were almost as intelligent as humans.

And to make matters worse, even the dungeons or monster areas that some players ventured into were incredibly dangerous, putting their lives on the line.

Even the towers that they had climbed on took everything they had just to move from 1 level to another level higher.

Even without all of this, the Exp obtained from monsters is just too little.

If hunting a monster requires more than 2 Players to hunt, then, unless both players agreed to form a party, the Exp will be shared and split which will be lesser.

With that, hunting and leveling up will require more than just time and manpower.

It's ridiculously tasking that if this was a game, it would be a flop.

Fara was having deep thoughts as she was considering how this information might affect not only the organization but also the world.

'There was a saying that the strongest human was the King of Hero'

'It was revealed that he was above the Transcendent Rank and he was considered the strongest human'

'But even that took him decades or more to achieve the Transcendent Rank, yet this little monster could achieve it. I wonder what kind of luck he discovered?'

Fara couldn't fathom how I was able to achieve all of that within a year, and she trusted my words without having any doubts.

After all, the resources that I gave them were enough to answer her questions.

And it also puts a smile on her face that the boy she dotes on was strong enough to threaten the world.

Even though she wasn't my mother, she was proud of me. After all, she and mother were best friends.