Floating Island - Triple S Talent

Lein pondered, trying to think amidst the roar of explosions echoing around him. The guard towers continued to destroy the portals connecting to the outside world, but he ignored all of it. His mind was focused on another issue.

"The portals to the outside world have indeed been closed," Lein muttered quietly to himself. "But foreign entities can still enter the Divine Sky Realm." His gaze was blank, aimless, as he tried to figure out the real cause behind all this.

After a few moments of silence, Lein finally spoke in a flat tone, "What about the other situations?" He quickly opened the system panel displayed in front of him, selecting the messaging feature, and opened the alliance communication section.

[Chat: Alliance]

- Admin: Number of casualties: (Alliance: 120 people), (Island: 5 people), (All of humanity: 420 thousand). No additional deaths in the alliance and island, but the human death toll continues to rise rapidly.

- Admin: Number of support troops: 1,400 teams, each led by a Platinum-level Captain. Each team consists of 200 people, assigned to assist any island in need of help.

- Admin: New items have been added to the alliance shop, please check them out.

- Admin: All portals are currently in an emergency situation. Except for war purposes, crossing portals is forbidden.

- ...

Lein only received general information; chaos was spreading everywhere. However, his biggest question remained unanswered: Where did these foreign enemies come from? "They couldn't have just appeared out of thin air," Lein muttered softly.

He decided to check the messages from the Earth Human race.

[Chat: Human Race]

- William: The alliance portals are currently closed to the public, the situation is dangerous, red alert.

- Vladmir Nova: For anyone needing assistance from the Russian alliance, send a message. For a certain price, we are ready to help.

- Bai Qi: Give me the coordinates of a Tier-3 creature. I will reward anyone who provides it.

- Jack: Please, I need help. My mother is bedridden and can't walk.

- Hary: I regret joining the God Grave Alliance. I've been abandoned by the higher-ups, and I'm going to die now. Don't join them!

- ...

Lein could only shake his head after reading the messages from ordinary people. They were full of complaints and suffering. On the other hand, the three supreme alliance rulers displayed their distinct personalities. Of the three, William seemed to be struggling the most in his region.

Lein was still staring at the human race chat panel when a message suddenly caught his attention.

[Chat: Human Race]

- System: Player (Puno) has fallen. Keep fighting to defend the Divine Sky Realm.

At first, Lein didn't find anything odd about the message. However, within seconds after it appeared, dozens to hundreds of responses flooded the human race chat column, like an unstoppable wave.

[Chat: Human Race]

- Iwan: "What kind of information is this? System messages don't usually show up in the human race chat like this."

- Corn Farmer: "Puno is a Tier-3 ruler. This is terrifying. If a Tier-3 can fall, what will happen to us? Be careful when dealing with those foreign enemies!"

- Blue Sun: "Impossible... My uncle, no..."

- Sima: "So, Puno is the first Tier-3 ruler to fall?"

- Klein: "Yes, that's right... I wonder how the strongest alliance leaders will respond to this."

The messages flowed endlessly, each one filled with worry, fear, and panic. Lein watched it all, his brow furrowing deeper. The name Puno was familiar to him—a Tier-3 ruler, someone with power that should have been able to dominate the battlefield.

"A Tier-3, huh..." Lein murmured, his voice heavier than usual.

Even though he had already reached level 50, hearing that even a Tier-3 entity could fall left him feeling uneasy. Something about the event nagged at him, as if it reminded him of something deeper. It felt like being an adult watching a child get bullied by another adult, yet standing idly by without doing anything. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"Foolish... why am I confused?" Lein spoke to himself, this time more firmly. The confusion that had momentarily clouded him began to fade, replaced by something else—something bolder.

All this time, he had deliberately hidden his power. He feared people discovering just how terrifying his talent was. But now, seeing the fall of a Tier-3 ruler, Lein felt a strong urge rising within him, something he could no longer suppress.

A chuckle escaped his lips, soft at first, but then it turned into full laughter. "Ahahaha... yeah... why should I hide?"

Lein glanced around him. He saw the tall buildings around the Portal Hub, the advanced walls built from high-level materials, the thunder towers standing firm, and the automatic shooting towers continuously monitoring the surrounding area. All of this was part of his world, part of his strength.

"Did I forget who I am?" he thought to himself. "Didn't I want to be strong so that no one would dare challenge me? So that they would fear me, respect me, and never dare to wrong me?"

He realized how foolish he had been all this time—holding back, constantly hiding his true strength simply because he feared being noticed by too many people.

"Yes... I am strong enough. There's no need to hide anymore."

Lein's gaze changed, no longer empty and doubtful. Instead, his eyes burned with a newfound fire of determination. In a low voice, he sneered at himself, "Idiot... why was I hiding?"

Lein turned away from the Portal and started walking toward the Teleportation Hub gate. His steps were steady, but after a few paces, he suddenly stopped. His expression shifted, as if something important had come to mind.

He quickly opened his system panel, scrolling rapidly through various pieces of information, until he finally stopped at the status panel. His eyes scanned the screen intently, checking every detail listed.

A few seconds passed, and he stared at the system panel, his grin widening as something clicked in his mind—something he had been waiting for.

[Promotion to Master rank has been unlocked]

[Mission: Soul Formation]

"You've finally appeared!" Lein exclaimed excitedly, his smile growing broader. He read the information again and again, ensuring he hadn't misread it.