My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 444: The game of the gods

The harsh suns of the White Sand Shelter beat down mercilessly, hurling elongated, piercing shadows over the pale dunes that extended endlessly to the skyline. Ethan positioned himself at the brink of the towering grass, the boundary line separating the secure human outpost from the chaotic wilderness of the First Sanctuary.

Atop his head, the Emperor Slime adjusted its bulk, its see-through violet form snaring the sunlight like a lustrous amethyst jewel.

To anyone watching, Ethan cut a sorrowful figure. A young lad without armor, without a single weapon, paired with a creature that resembled a forsaken treat. Yet deep in Ethan's thoughts, an elaborate scheme was weaving itself together. Mere survival wasn't his goal here. He aimed to resurrect a heritage that bridged the vast reaches of the stars.

A soft hum filled his awareness from the status panel, a see-through azure display visible solely to him.

[Name: Ethan Di Raizel]

[Rank: Tier 0]

[Beasts: 1. Emperor Slime (1 Basic Gene) | 2. Nine-Tailed Fox (0)]

He reviewed the talent details once more.

The Emperor Slime held abilities in Devour and Space Manipulation. The second one remained sealed until Tier 3, yet Devour served as the supreme advantage. It went beyond mere nourishment. The slime could imitate and claim the core of whatever it absorbed.

Next came the Nine-Tailed Fox, with Charm and Time Manipulation at its disposal. Even in its sealed state, the promise was overwhelming. Should the galaxy discover that one youth commanded access to both Space and Time via his bonded beasts, they would pursue relentlessly to either bind or eliminate him.

"Patience," Ethan murmured to himself. "We lay the groundwork first."

He ventured further into the razor-edged grass. The blades could slice skin if he grew careless.

Before long, a raspy, scraping noise reached his ears.

A Sand Rat appeared. The beast was repulsive, its hide resembling weathered hide, teeth stained and serrated. It let out a hiss, its tiny crimson eyes fixing on the violet mass crowning Ethan's head.

Ethan wasted no time.

He lifted his hand, seized the slime, and flung it at the rat.

The slime avoided plummeting like a rock. While airborne, it ballooned outward. From a compact orb, it stretched into a broad, flat layer of purple membrane.

It draped over the rat like a sodden cloth.

The animal's stifled cries endured just moments. The "Devour" talent operated with ruthless speed. It didn't simply consume. It broke down the prey on a molecular scale.

[Basic Sand Rat consumed. +1 Basic Gene Point.]

[Evolution Progress: 2/100 Basic Gene Points.]

Ethan repeated this routine for hours on end.

He lingered near the edge, targeting the frailest creatures of the open fields.

He observed his tally climb: 3, 4, 5... climbing steadily to 10.

However, as the slime covered the eleventh rat, the alert shifted.

[Basic Sand Rat consumed. Maximum points for this species reached. 0 Gene Points awarded.]

Ethan paused, brushing perspiration from his forehead.

"So the Master was correct about variety. The Sanctuary refuses to allow endless farming of the simplest prey. It insists on advancement via assortment."

He withdrew toward the shelter while the twin suns started to sink, streaking the heavens in wounded hues of orange and purple.

He required a strategy.

The rats offered no further value. Come morning, he would press onward, maybe toward the craggy hills housing the "Horned Rabbits" or "Stone Lizards."

.....

Ethan found himself in the Land of the Ancients, the core of the Daemon World.

At his side was Rose, her company a quiet solace, along with Ryugu, the Daemon prince who regarded Ethan with blended admiration and sibling warmth.

"Brother, we've reached our destination," Ryugu announced, motioning toward the terrain.

The realm was breathtakingly stunning.

Suspended isles of verdant moss drifted in the air, linked by cascades that poured skyward.

The atmosphere itself acted like an elixir, infused with a subtle godly vibration that sent shivers across Ethan's flesh.

"Yumiko," Ethan pondered, calling to the AI woven into his spirit. "Who holds the title of strongest among the Daemon race?"

[Everyone above Absolute Continuum beings were sealed off in the divine realm or killed.] Yumiko’s voice resounded in his head. [Currently, a Grade 5 Absolute Continuum being acts as their Supreme Leader. They are powerful, but they are shadows of the true Ancestors.]

Ethan inclined his head.

He prepared to inquire of Ryugu regarding their accommodations when an abrupt, biting chill pierced his core.

It seemed as though a massive gaze had flared in the midst of his mind, peering straight into his soul.

[Master! Warning! Warning!] Yumiko’s tone shifted to a piercing alert.

[The eyes of the Creator of the Fate Race are on you right now. He is weaving a web around your destiny. I can detect a malicious intent.]

Ethan stiffened.

Ryugu sensed the shift and came to a halt. "Brother? What's wrong?"

"Hold on," Ethan replied, his tone hushed and threatening.

[Master, the consciousness of a Proto-Deity Ascended realm is trying to force a mental bridge,] Yumiko informed.

[They are persistent. What is your command?]

"Allow him to speak," Ethan decided. He desired to uncover his foe's identity.

At once, a voice resembling the grind of shifting continents boomed inside his cranium.

It carried the antiquity of ages, burdened by endless time, and laced with unwarranted superiority.

"Hello, little anomaly. How are you?"

Ethan held steady.

He squinted, staring into emptiness.

"Who are you?"

"Oh? Quite composed, eh?" The voice let out a rumble, like a peak collapsing. "I am your god. I am the one who scripts the words you utter and the road you tread."

Ethan snorted, a harsh, derisive noise.

"Clever jest. Now reveal your true self. I lack patience for riddles or hunches."

The voice grew keener.

The haughtiness lingered, yet a trace of annoyance slipped in.

"I refuse to debate with my own work. Permit me to propose a deal. I wish for you to serve as a 'Player' in my stead. Stand for me in the Game of the Gods."

"And should I decline?"

"Then the 'Fate' I craft for your kin will unfold as a brief, violent downfall. They will perish. All of them. Yet should you claim the top reward, I shall erase them from my sight indefinitely. They will escape my grasp."

Ethan experienced a rush of icy rage, though he reined it in.

He wielded great strength, but facing a Proto-Deity, he amounted to a mere insect now.

He required more time.

"What sort of game do you mean?" Ethan questioned, his thoughts already weighing the perils.

The voice burst into a loud, scornful guffaw.

"Hahahaha! I suspected your attachment to family. Humans prove so fragile with stakes to lose. I approve. It renders you simple to guide."

The voice pressed on, its inflection turning detached.

"The game represents a supreme ordeal. Each God Clan dispatches their elite contenders to the World of the Trial. It unfolds within the Transcended Tower."

"The Tower spans 10,000 floors," the voice detailed. "Each level forms a unique realm, complete with distinct laws, physics, and threats. You shall reincarnate onto every floor. You will endure a full lifetime there, possibly spanning a century each time. Your mission involves locating and securing the Divine Artifact hidden in that floor, then proceeding upward."

"10,000 worlds?" Ethan queried. "That demands eons."

"Within the Tower, time bends as a mere guideline, not a law. You will experience those existences, harvest that wisdom, and upon summiting, the ultimate victor claims a Supreme Treasure, merging every artifact. Deliver that prize to me. You retain the other gains. Moreover, I shall secure you a spot in a God Clan. Additionally, you might unlock your personal law, or I could bestow one prior to the trial, stretching it across 10 trillion kilometers—the span of a Proto-Deity’s law strand. It offers a lowly creature like you the chance to rise as a dragon."

The voice fell quiet, allowing the proposal's gravity to sink in.

Ethan remained mute.

The proposition cut both ways.

To champion this entity meant enslavement, but triumphing in the trial promised strength sufficient to one day slay the very chain-holder. Furthermore, his law craved an infusion of might. Thus, it presented a solid prospect.

He reflected on his relatives.

He considered his sister-in-law, ensnared in the Apocalypse Race's tangled politics.

"I require no fabricated law from you," Ethan declared, his words resolute. "I shall forge my strength independently. Yet I set a term. My sister-in-law resides among the Apocalypse Race. Should you leverage your sway to shield her and guarantee her protection until my return from the Tower, I shall join your contest."

A prolonged hush followed.

Then, the timeless voice chuckled once more, now tinged with real curiosity.

"A daring youth. You spurn a deity's boon yet bargain for a woman's survival? Hahahaha! Fine. I accept your conditions. Your sister-in-law remains beyond reach. In return, you become my pawn in the game. Steel yourself."