My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 485: Unfathomable Potential(2)

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Previously on My attributes are increasing infinitely...

Ethan's potential test escalated from black light to a dense Dark Gold pillar, evoking Hero-level power unseen for ages and piercing the castle's floors to awaken dormant elders. The light shifted to an unnamed color beyond recognition, shattering the ancient testing disk into dust. Three elders emerged, declaring his potential unrankable and beyond established hierarchies, evoking records from Elysium's primordial era.

The woman narrowed her eyes.

"The records are incomplete. Sealed by the heroes themselves."

For the first time, the shadowy figure stirred.

It shifted just a fraction, and from the shadows emerged a voice—neither male nor female, neither young nor aged, yet it echoed deep within the bones of all who heard it.

"The heroes sealed those records not because they posed danger."

A pause lingered.

"They sealed them because the records remained unfinished."

The words descended upon the hall like a heavy shroud.

Slowly, the old man nodded.

"The heroes," he declared, "stood as the supreme beings. The pinnacle of possibility. The utmost achievement this world could forge. Or so history claims. Yet who can say for sure? Elysium's realm stretches endlessly, making all things feasible."

Once more, his gaze fell upon the dust.

"Yet prior to the heroes, another entity lingered. One even they failed to grasp completely. An existence predating the formation of the hierarchy."

He pivoted toward Ethan.

"An entity that might have just reemerged."

---

Beyond the hall, the Dark Gold radiance had vanished from the heavens.

Its imprint endured.

Members clustered together silently, each grappling with the spectacle they had beheld. The dog-headed man stayed rooted in place. His claws dug firmly into the stone.

A younger member edged closer with caution.

"What occurred?" the youth inquired. "What sort of light was that?"

The dog-headed man held his response.

When words came, his tone grated roughly.

"That," he uttered deliberately, "was an existence that ought not to be."

His sight turned toward the hall where elders convened.

"An existence that alters all."

The youth creased his brow.

"Alters it how?"

At last, the dog-headed man faced him squarely. Curiosity had fled his eyes, replaced by something akin to dread.

"This clan's hierarchy rests upon potential. From Bronze to gold. Platinum to diamond. Legend to epic. Mythical to ultimate."

He halted briefly.

"Those tiers dictate everything. Resources. Power. Status. Our whole operational framework."

Back to the hall his eyes drifted.

"When an entity defies that framework, shattering the very instruments meant to gauge it, the framework loses all meaning."

Pale grew the youth’s face.

"You mean—"

"I mean," the dog-headed man stated firmly, "the rules are about to shift. And none can predict the shape of the new ones."

---

Within the hall, elders encircled the platform in a scattered ring.

Ethan remained motionless. His hand stayed outstretched, empty now beneath it. Calm marked his features, yet newfound intensity sharpened his gaze upon the elders.

The elder from the seventh floor shattered the quiet first.

"What name do you bear?"

Slowly, Ethan withdrew his hand.

"Ethan."

The old man inclined his head.

"Ethan." He pronounced it as though weighing its essence. "You arrived with Dominic. Prior to this day, this clan was unknown to you."

No question marked it.

"No," Ethan affirmed.

The white-haired woman advanced.

"Nor did you know the nature of your potential."

To her shifted Ethan’s stare.

"I sensed its abnormality."

A subtle smile brushed her lips, failing to touch her eyes.

"Unusual," she echoed. "One might call it that."

Again the shadow figure intoned, its voice reverberating across the hall.

"The disk captured eight clear transitions ere it shattered. Bronze to silver to gold. Gold to platinum to emerald. Emerald to white. White to red. Red to purple. Purple to gold. Gold to black. Black to golden black."

It paused.

"Eight transitions. Followed by the ninth, which rent it asunder."

The old man’s eyes tightened.

In the air, the declaration lingered.

Her smile vanished utterly from the woman.

"What do you imply?" she queried.

"I imply," the old man responded, "we grasp not what confronts us. And we must tread with utmost caution against presumptions."

Straight he confronted the assembled elders.

"Destroyed lies the disk. Never before in this clan's annals. Nor in Elysium's recorded past."

His gaze returned to Ethan.

"This youth’s potential defies every paradigm we hold. It sundered an ancient relic merely through assessment."

Firm grew his voice.

"No mere oddity is this. A seismic shift it heralds."

Arms she crossed.

"What course do you advocate?"

For a prolonged silence, the old man pondered.

Then, with precise intent, he declared.

"This clan harbors levels beyond even the eighth floor's reach. Chambers sealed since the founder's era. Records perused only by elders."

He fixed his gaze on the shadow figure.

"The time has come to unseal them."

The shadow figure paused before replying, its tone softer than earlier.

"A unanimous elders' vote is required for that."

"Then summon the vote," the old man commanded.

The woman shook her head in a measured manner.

"You're advancing too hastily. This has no precedent. We require time to—"

"Time," the old man cut in, "is a luxury we cannot afford."

He motioned toward the dust scattered across the platform.

"The incident wasn't concealed. Every clan member beheld the light. Every one endured the pressure. And by now, rumors have escaped the castle's confines."

Shadows crept into his eyes.

"Rival clans will have sensed it. The spatial ripple alone would trigger any detection formation within a hundred miles."

The woman's face grew taut.

"Do you believe they'll come?"

"I'm certain they will," the old man affirmed. "To probe. To watch. To seize, if they deem it feasible."

He pivoted back toward Ethan.

"We must grasp what we're safeguarding before defending it against the world."

The woman held her silence for an extended beat.

Then came her slow nod.

"Call the vote," she directed.

The shadow figure stirred, the enveloping darkness thickening momentarily.

"The vote is already underway," it announced.