At the peak of the monolith, Max stood with a calm expression on his face. His eyes flickered as he glanced at the notification that appeared in his vision.

[Fusion State is increased to 20%]

Swiping away the notification, his gaze shifted toward the three items placed on a table.

Two of them were scrolls, and the last one was a spherical metallic ball.

"Are these the rewards for the one who reaches the top?" Max wondered, reaching for the first scroll.

[Lightning God Body, Legendary Rank]

Max's eyes nearly popped out when he saw the rank of the skill. "Damn, the rewards here are really generous." He laughed in joy, opening the scroll and learning the skill immediately.

Next, he picked up the second scroll and unrolled it. As he read the introduction, his hands began to tremble.

"This—This is… Ten Hands of Lightning God technique!" Max exclaimed, his voice stuttering in shock.

While he had hoped there might be some lightning-related techniques at the peak of the temple, he never in his wildest imagination thought that a Legendary Rank technique would be one of the rewards.

Moreover, it was the very technique he had seen, most likely used by the temple's owner, in his vision.

"Damn, is today my lucky day or what?!" Max jumped, clenching his fists tightly. He had obtained two Legendary Rank items in the same day—a skill and a technique.

"This is just the monolith on the first floor… There must be other monoliths on the other floors too," Max muttered, his breathing quickening as his thoughts raced. "What if I ascend to the peak of the monoliths on the other floors too? Maybe there will be other rewards?" His expression grew greedy as the idea took root.

"Don't daydream, kid." The blob of slime appeared, pouring cold water on Max's thoughts. "Those who have reached the peak of a monolith can never ascend another one—not in this temple, at least."

"What? I can't?" Max's shoulders slumped as he heard the blob. "Damn, that's an underhanded way to make someone work hard and still end up with nothing."

"What broke, kid?" The blob glared at Max. "You've obtained the strongest technique my master had at his peak. What more do you want?" it asked, its expression sulky.

"Your master?" Max's eyes gleamed as he heard the blob. "Who was your master? The owner of the temple?" he asked eagerly.

The blob glanced at him for a moment before replying, "Since you've obtained the strongest technique of my master, you should know a bit about him."

It paused for a moment, then continued. "There was a time, long, long ago, when a man with a lightning class barged into the Five God Nation with plans for revenge. However, things didn't go as he intended, and he was forced to flee to the Lower Domain to hide."

Its expression grew somber. "But that's when things turned tragically for Acaris. Hundreds of thousands of beings descended from the sky, their power so unimaginable that even Divine Rank beings of Acaris struggled against them."

The blob's expression turned dark. "In other words, a war broke out suddenly when my master arrived in the Lower Domain. He was forced to join the war, and in the end, he was severely injured. Knowing he would die soon, he fled the war and hid, but since he was dying, he set up a temple to choose his last disciple—one who could fulfill his final wishes."

"After preparing the temple, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away." The blob's expression grew sad. "His name was Nova Warzuck."

Max was stunned hearing the blob's story about the war, the beings who descended from the sky, and the Five God Nation. It took him a moment to process everything.

After a brief pause, he turned to the blob and asked his first question. "How long ago was it?"

The blob floated in the air, its stick-like arms crossed. "Around 10,000 years ago, give or take."

"10,000 years ago?" Max was shocked by the number. It was an unimaginable amount of time, and he couldn't fathom what the world must have been like back then.

Calming his racing heart, he turned to the blob. "Is the Lower Domain where we are right now? And is Acaris the name of your planet?"

The blob nodded. "The Lower Domain is vast. It includes the entire Valora Continent, the Lost Continent, and many vast regions across the sea. But in truth, its size is nothing compared to the Middle Domain."

Max nodded, but his mind was still focused on the war. His expression was filled with curiosity. "What was that war? Who started it? What happened during that time?"

The blob shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Max asked, frowning. "You were there when the war started, right? So how can you not know?"

The blob glared at Max, its expression complicated. "You shouldn't know things that are not meant to be known."

Max's frown deepened at the cryptic words, but he still had more questions. "How can you live for more than 10,000 years? I know that humans can live longer as they level up in rank, but there's still a limit. The highest life expectancy I've heard of is around 1,000 years, but you... you're a different story."

The blob flashed a proud smile. "Of course, I'm a different story. After all, I'm a spirit, and spirits are blessed by the gods. Unless all our energy is drained, we don't die easily."

"Oh," Max said, surprised by that revelation. He hadn't expected a spirit to have such incredible resilience.

The blob pointed at the base of the monolith. "I can't answer any more of your questions right now. You've heard everything the five before you heard from me. If you want more information, reach the fifth floor. Otherwise, my lips will be sealed."

Max glanced at the blob and nodded. He understood its message, though it only made him more curious about the fifth floor and the experience awaiting him there.

"One more question. It's about the temple." Max asked, looking around. "How do I get to the second floor?"

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The blob smiled and pointed at the monolith. "You're standing on the thing that will take you to the first three floors. The three monoliths on the floors are all connected. It can take you to higher floors, but a trial awaits those who wish to ascend. Only by passing the trial will you be granted access to higher floors."

"A trial?" Max muttered, his brows furrowing in contemplation. "All right, that's all for now."

"Ah, one more thing," the blob said, as if recalling something. It turned to Max with a cruel expression. "Is killing allowed in the temple?"

The blob looked Max up and down before chuckling. "Your name is Max, right? Don't think that just because you reached the top of the monolith, you'll have special authority. Killing is strictly prohibited in the temple, unless you're in battle with someone."

It added, smiling, "I'll explain the battle rules when you're down, but don't go killing anyone. Otherwise, I'll have to kick you out of the temple."

"Heh," Max grinned, nodding as he jumped down from the monolith, landing at the base where many figures were waiting for him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay