SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 430: First Hurdle in the Tower—3

The instant Leon unequivocally stated his refusal—

SNARL!

Velrith's fangs flashed for a fleeting second, his composed, civilized facade crumbling entirely.

CRUSH!

An utterly crushing, immense pressure, impossible to withstand, bore down on Leon as if a physical mountain were simultaneously descending from every direction.

Leon's stomach plummeted sickeningly.

I’m going to die! Right here, right now!

The pressure was so devastatingly intense that breathing became a struggle, his vision narrowed alarmingly, and his consciousness teetered on the brink of dissipating.

But in the very next moment—

RELEASE!

The oppressive force vanished as instantaneously and completely as if it had never been present.

Velrith wore a pleasant smile once more, his expression perfectly serene and amiable.

"My sincere apologies, human. I momentarily lost control of my aura. No harm was intended whatsoever, naturally. These things occasionally occur."

However, Leon had gleaned something absolutely vital from that terrifying encounter.

He cannot actually hurt me directly. The Tower's rules strictly forbid it.

This understanding significantly eased his internal tension, though he maintained his external vigilance.

If he possessed the ability to harm me without limitation, I would already be dead or subjected to torture for information. The Tower safeguards challengers from administrators.

Over the subsequent minutes, Velrith, with mounting desperation, presented a variety of other astonishing items from his spatial storage.

Legendary armaments emanated undeniably terrifying, destructive might—swords that appeared capable of cleaving through space itself, spears thrumming with concentrated lightning.

Sets of armor seemed crafted from pure, condensed starlight, shimmering with protective enchantments.

Enigmatic treasures pulsed with ancient, primordial energies, leaving Leon utterly incapable of identification or comprehension.

Each object's objective value was demonstrably no less than that of the initial elixir—some were arguably considerably more valuable, depending on specific requirements.

Yet, Leon declined every solitary offer without a trace of hesitation, his response unwavering.

"I decline."

"Not interested."

"No."

Following the initial refusal, Velrith maintained an impeccable outward composure—as tranquil and self-possessed as a placid mountain lake.

But Leon could discern the unvarnished truth in his eyes, concealed beneath the forced smile. Internally, the overseer harbored an intense desire to subject him to brutal torture to extract the sought-after information, growing increasingly vexed and furious with each subsequent rejection.

The trial overseer was genuinely seething within, his rage barely contained.

Regardless of this human's origins or unique circumstances, at this moment, he is merely a pathetic insect—barely Ascendant rank! Insignificant!

And despite my evident seniority, my palpable power, and these extraordinarily generous proposals, the arrogant bastard persistently spurns me repeatedly!

Unacceptable! Intolerable!

Finally, after all individual item offers were systematically refused, Velrith presented his ultimate proposition with an air of complete, apparent sincerity.

A golden parchment materialized from the void, hovering majestically in the space between them. An intricate contract, inscribed in elegant divine script that seemed to subtly shift and reform as Leon observed it.

The stipulations were exhaustive, all-encompassing, and remarkably magnanimous:

SOUL-BINDING CONTRACT OF MUTUAL BENEFIT

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Article I - Guidance and Support

Velrith Moonscar shall personally mentor the Contractee (designated: Paragon) through all trials up to Floor 100 of the Ascension Tower.

Provide strategic counsel, tactical recommendations, and disclose all concealed bosses, secret caches, and optimal paths for challenges.

Article II - Protection Services

Exert all administrative authority to shield the Contractee's home world from incursions by allied realms.

Issue preemptive alerts and provide direct intervention against external menaces when feasible, adhering to tower regulations.

Maintain a protective stance for the entire duration of the Contractee's ascent through the tower.

Article III - Resource Provision

Grant access to restricted administrator vaults (Floors 1-50).

Supply monthly cultivation resources commensurate with the current Level.

Impart advanced cultivation techniques from Velrith's personal repository.

Article IV - Post-Contract Obligations Following the contract's conclusion, Velrith shall:

Refrain from directly or indirectly harming the Contractee or any entity or individual associated with them.

Never divulge the Contractee's secrets, identity, capabilities, or existence to any entity.

Never undertake actions detrimental to the Contractee's interests.

Article V - Consideration In recompense for the aforementioned services, the Contractee shall:

Honestly elucidate the methodology for obscuring status information from beings of superior rank.

Reveal the means by which an individual from a lower realm acquired a higher-grade cosmic system.

Are any specific techniques, items, or methods available that facilitate these outcomes?

ENFORCEMENT: Bound by the Laws of Heaven, upheld by the Tower. Any transgression results in immediate soul destruction; no exceptions or loopholes exist.

DURATION: The contract remains active until the Contractee reaches Floor 100, opts for permanent withdrawal, or perishes during tower trials.

Leon meticulously reviewed the entire contract multiple times, his enhanced intellect scrutinizing every clause and scrutinizing each word for any hidden implications.

There were unequivocally no loopholes to be found. The contract was perfectly ironclad, with the Tower itself poised to enforce it through soul destruction as punishment. And the offer presented was... astonishingly, almost unbelievably, attractive.

For a considerable duration—several full minutes—Leon genuinely pondered the acceptance of this proposal.

The advantages were substantial. Comprehensive guidance across one hundred floors. Protection for my world. Access to valuable resources and techniques. And absolute assurances that he could not harm me afterward.

All of this, in exchange for merely divulging my method of status concealment and the origin of my system's grade.

Meanwhile, Velrith harbored an unwavering, absolute confidence.

Despite this offer exacting an enormous toll on my accumulated resources and demanding the sacrifice of treasures gathered over centuries, the secret itself—the method to completely obscure one's status information from even significantly more powerful beings—would yield a fortune a hundredfold this investment.

Perhaps even a thousandfold. Such a technique could fundamentally alter the fields of assassination, espionage, and infiltration. Every major power would spare no expense to acquire it.

He was utterly convinced that this human could not possibly decline such an extraordinarily generous offer.

Who would? Even if I were in his precise situation, I would accept this offer without a second thought. No hidden conditions, complete safety, full backing to ascend to a level of independence.

He recognized that his earlier display of theatrical disdain, condescension, and the brief application of pressure had significantly unnerved and provoked a defensive reaction in the human.

Consequently, this contractual offer was entirely, genuinely sincere—he truly sought what was best for both parties. A mutually beneficial arrangement.

Both of us emerge victorious. I obtain the secret. He receives the support needed to reach heights he could never attain alone. Perfect.

Leon's mouth finally parted after his prolonged contemplation, his eyes alight with a gleam that Velrith interpreted as excitement and acceptance.

Velrith leaned forward slightly, brimming with eager anticipation, prepared to finalize the contract.

"I refuse."

The declaration was clear, resolute, and utterly final.

The overseer's entire form convulsed violently with sheer, unbridled fury.

His eyes became completely bloodshot, his pupils constricting into narrow, savage slits.

THIS WAS MY UTMOST SINCERITY! EVERYTHING OF VALUE I POSSESS! CENTURIES OF AMASSED WEALTH!

Numerous revival treasures, each worth entire kingdoms! Rank 6 affinity potions over which clans wage war! Even the Rank 6 Poison Affinity Awakening Potion I intended to trade for the Celestial Flame Seed!

That specific poison affinity potion did not align with his lightning-based combat style in the slightest, and his clan would undoubtedly scorn any member who employed poison-based techniques—it was considered dishonorable.

Even the head of his own clan remained unaware of Velrith's possession of such an incredibly precious item. He had been covertly hoarding it for years, intending to exchange it for something critically needed for his cultivation breakthrough.

And this... this INSECT rejected it all! Rejected an offer that would send any rational individual to weep with joy!

Velrith was consumed by a rage surpassing anything he had experienced in decades.

He understood intellectually that direct harm to this human was impossible due to the Tower's rules safeguarding active challengers. And judging by the human's noticeably more relaxed posture compared to earlier, it was evident Leon had also grasped this protective reality.

This realization somehow exacerbated Velrith's fury even further.

He knows he is secure. He is mocking me with his refusals!