Novak's figure reappeared in White Emperor City.
To re-enter, he had to spend another silver coin, and shifting his location required an additional gold coin.
But such a small expense?
Novak didn't even bat an eye.
His mental energy was significantly depleted, and it would take some time to recover.
At the same time, more than an hour had passed—
It was about time to check the Global Evolutionaries reactions and see what was happening in Chat Group 001.
The forums were in chaos.
Some people were in awe—others were furious.
[Cheating! This is definitely cheating! How could they get so many points in just over an hour?!]
[That's right! That White Emperor must be hacking the system!]
[Who even invited these idiots? If you have a problem, take it up with the Trial Grounds of Gods and Demons! If he were cheating, that would mean the universe itself is broken!]
[It's just pure skill. Honestly, I have no idea how White Emperor became this strong…]
[…]
Besides the endless accusations of "cheating", the most discussed topics revolved around:
The key differences between Kepler's zombies and those in the biochemical world.The exchangeable treasures available.
Many of the technological and biochemical items were incredibly valuable, but none more so than the first-ranked X-Mutation Potion.
This rare elixir could:
Permanently boost attributes.
Grant immunity to low-level zombie viruses.
(Extremely rarely) Awaken a "zombie ability"—a unique skill.
However, very few had managed to gather enough contribution points to exchange for it.
Even those who did—
No one had reported successfully awakening a zombie ability yet.
Novak, however, had zero interest in this so-called zombie skill.
Perhaps it was because he had already absorbed the Burst Fireball skill from the heretic mutant using the Blacklight Virus.
Whatever the case—
It simply didn't excite him.
As Novak rested, he casually glanced at Chat Group 001—
And was immediately caught off guard.
Almost the instant his gaze landed on the screen—
A message popped up.
[Whiplash of the Skies: Hahahaha! The heavens have chosen me! kneel before me and sing 'Conquer' in my honor!]
…
Silence.
For three entire minutes, no one responded.
Clearly, most of the old members were still deep inside the biochemical world and hadn't returned yet.
[Whiplash of the Skies: Hello? Where is everyone?]
Novak silently replied—
[White Emperor: ?]
The floodgates burst open.
[Whiplash of the Skies: Wuwuwu, Brother White Emperor is too strong! The forums and Evolutionaries from other countries are losing their minds, hahaha!]
[Whiplash of the Skies: Also—Brother White, I AWAKENED A SKILL!]
Novak's eyebrows lifted slightly.
Oh?
Just earlier, he was thinking about how no one had awakened a skill yet—
And now, this guy somehow managed to get one?
The next second—
A screenshot appeared in the chat.
[Electric Lightning Flint (S-Rank)]
Effect: Transforms the user into ball lightning, increasing Agility by 300%.
Enemies nearby will receive electrical damage with a chance to inflict paralysis.
Duration: 5 seconds.
Cooldown: 6 hours.
"This?!"
Even Novak was surprised.
This skill was ridiculously overpowered!
Agility +300%?!
That kind of boost was even more exaggerated than his Demon Transformation!
Of course, his Demon Transformation had no time limit as long as he had sufficient mental energy—
But even so, Lightning Flint's burst speed was insane.
The only drawback?
A 6-hour cooldown.
Clearly, this was meant to be a last-resort trump card rather than an ability for continuous use.
Still—
This guy actually got it?!
[Whiplash of the Skies: Quack! With my 'Son of Lightning' talent, this skill makes me unstoppable—like a tiger with wings! What about you, Brother White? What's your result?!]
Novak pursed his lips.
Without hesitation, he exchanged for an X-Mutation Potion and drank it down in one go.
A notification instantly popped up:
[You have consumed the X-Mutation Potion. All attributes +15.]
…
"???"
That's it?
Novak smacked his lips, then burped.
Huh—
It actually tasted like Coca-Cola. That familiar, nostalgic fizz.
But other than that?
Nothing special.
He glanced at Ray, who was still laughing wildly in the group chat, and for a brief moment, he had the urge to beat the living hell out of him.
Still, he let it go.
This was just a small bonus, and to him, whether it was meaningful or not didn't really matter.
Just then, a special pop-up notification appeared in the corner of Novak's vision.
[Crow: Brother White, do you want to kill this guy?!]
Novak froze.
Was this guy trying to start a kill squad?
Sure, Ray Theon deserved a beating, but he wasn't worth murdering.
However—
Novak quickly realized that Crow had something else in mind.
Sure enough, the next message came through immediately.
[Crow: Brother White, I noticed your level suddenly shot up to 20. Does this secret world have hidden opportunities?]
Novak thought for a moment before responding.
[White Emperor: It's alright. For most evolutionists, this place is a goldmine. For me, though? It's just so-so.]
Once a player hit Level 20, the experience required for the next breakthrough became astronomically high.
Advancing any further would take a ridiculous amount of effort.
[Crow: Brother White, can you help me?]
[White Emperor: What's up? Don't tell me you need a job change scroll.]
Novak had a general understanding of Crow's personality—
This guy wasn't the type to ask for help easily.
Which meant—
It had to be something serious.
[Crow: That's not necessary. I already have a lead—I found the perfect one. But… the quest difficulty is a bit insane.]
[Crow: In two days, I have to enter a secret realm dungeon, and I don't have much confidence in clearing it alone. So I wanted to see if Brother White and Meimei would be available to help.]
Novak narrowed his eyes.
Crow? Lacking confidence?
If there was one person in Chat Group 001 who was considered the strongest—without a job class bonus—it was definitely Crow.
And yet, even he was feeling uncertain about this dungeon?
[White Emperor: What secret realm?]
[Crow: A Level 10-20 Hell-Difficulty Dungeon—'Black Tower.']
Novak's eyebrows shot up.
Finally,
A secret realm dungeon he was actually familiar with from his past life!
Crow's future job class was actually linked to this dungeon?!