Apex Star

In the year 2244 on Earth, the planet had divided into three prominent factions:

1. The Sun Rising Faction, a result of the peace agreement between the Asian and African continents.

2. Noble Dragon Faction, predominantly composed of Europe, Great Britain, and Antarctica, with some territorial expansion into the former African continent.

3. The Freedom New Land, a union of the American continents and Australia.

Nova, a resident of the Noble Dragon Faction, was born in what used to be Sicily, Italy. It was now known as Pearl City, so named because it was reputed to be the central hub for the world's black market trade in pearls.

As Nova sped toward Metropolitan City, he encountered what appeared to be an endless forest. The dense foliage obscured visibility to barely 20 meters ahead, and the forest resonated with various bestial roars, indicating that mutated creatures had become the dominant rulers of this vast expanse.

Once within the forest, Nova attempted to utilize his spatial affinity to gain an understanding of his surroundings. To his surprise, it worked. Nova was thrilled to uncover new ways to employ his spatial affinity.

'I can sense space fluctuations roughly 150 meters ahead and perceive all approaching creatures. Let's see if I can absorb their beast cores to enhance my strength.'

Merely a minute into the forest, Nova spotted what resembled a mutated deer drinking by a small pond approximately 50 meters in front of him.

This deer was larger than the norm, but its distinct characteristic was its vibrant green hue and imposing antlers, each longer than a meter. Such creatures had never existed in the old Earth before the Awakening.

Despite some initial nervousness at attempting to take a life, Nova resolutely advanced toward the mutated deer.

When he was approximately 15 meters behind the deer, he triggered his spatial affinity, vanishing from his original location and reappearing just two meters behind his first prey.

The deer, as if sensing danger, attempted to flee, but it was too late. With a final step, Nova focused all his strength into his fist, striking the deer's back, forcing it to kneel. Then, he delivered a powerful kick to its neck, snapping it instantly.

CRACK! CRACK!

The deer's neck broke with an audible snap, and it collapsed to the ground. Nova was relieved that his years of practice in boxing, karate, and taekwondo since the age of twelve had prepared him for this moment.

As he knelt beside the deer's lifeless body, Nova realized that he lacked any sharp tools to extract the beast core. In a sudden recollection, he decided to test his spatial affinity, inspired by a technique he had seen in an anime long ago.

'Hoping this works, or I'll have to attempt to manually remove its head.'

Concentrating on his finger for a minute, he felt a subtle energy envelop it, an invisible force except to his perception. This, he recognized, was 'Space.'

Carefully, he brought his finger near the deer's forehead and swiftly cut through the air. He continued the motion until he revealed a green, luminous crystal, smaller than a fist. Nova retrieved the crystal, keen to understand its properties.

Information from the light screens that appeared earlier informed him that he needed to connect with the energy, guide it to his Soul World, and then absorb it. He succeeded in funneling the energy from the beast's core into himself, greedily absorbing it in seconds.

'Strange, I thought it would enhance my physical abilities and senses, but I don't feel any different.'

What Nova didn't realize was that the deer was merely a Rank 1 creature, while he had already achieved Rank 3. Therefore, the energy absorbed from the beast's core had a negligible effect, imperceptible in the grand scheme of his power.

In reality, Nova was a formidable anomaly, having absorbed all the World Energy during the Awakening process. In contrast, many barely survived the Awakening, starting at Rank 1. To Nova, these details remained inconsequential.

His perspective was that most individuals should have ascended several Ranks, and he remained unaware of his extraordinary nature.

World Energy wasn't typically absorbed all at once, but gradually chipped away to enhance oneself until reaching Peak Rank 3. Nova had paused at this stage, considering the significant gap in abilities between third and fourth Rank.

The Ranks further divided into Lower, Middle, and High, with Peak Rank representing the pinnacle of each level.

Nova started to notice the difference between himself and the deer, particularly recalling how effortlessly he had subdued it with a single blow to the back.

He recognized that he was now at the peak of Rank 3 but felt a growing hunger for more beast cores, energy crystals, and various resources for his advancement. This 'hunger' was undoubtedly linked to his Apex Bloodline, and absorbing this particular beast core helped him appreciate the immense potential of his bloodline.

His ability, Limitless, complemented his bloodline perfectly, breaking the limitations of the body and mind. For instance, if Nova's energy had been capped at Rank 3, Limitless enabled him to grow an energy limit equivalent to Rank 4 or even 5.

Ironically, this didn't mean he could remain at Stage 1 Rank 3 and have the power or energy of Stage 3 Rank 1. Nevertheless, it allowed him to contend with those above his Realm.

'Baha, it's akin to those tales where they emphasize a solid foundation versus a weak one.'

Despite these advantages, Nova sensed that his ability wasn't yet complete, an aspect not disclosed by the information from the light screens.

In the vast universe, perfecting one's ability was exceedingly rare, a feat achieved by only a select few. In fact, perhaps fewer than a hundred individuals across all Realms had accomplished this in the past ten billion years, and the journey was a grueling one, marked by hardship and determination.

Nova had embarked on a path that would unravel the secrets of his power and propel him to new heights.