CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 95: THE CELESTIAL

Jax pressed the button without thinking too much, and the elevator began to move. After a few seconds, the doors opened, revealing... an empty room.

No treasures, no merchants, no formations. Nothing.

He stepped inside, cautious. The silence was so absolute that he could clearly hear the pounding of his own heart. Then, out of nowhere, the air trembled, and a figure took shape before him: a being made of pure blue shadow, currents of energy flowing through its body. Its eyes were wells of light, sparking like miniature lightning bolts.

"Welcome..." it said with a deep voice that resonated in every corner of the chamber. "It’s rare to see a human. Hahaha... such a small, insignificant race, and yet I see you’ve grown. It’s been a long time since I last looked upon one."

The creature approached calmly, extending a hand that brushed along Jax’s arms and torso, like an appraiser examining a curious object.

Jax’s instincts screamed at him to move, to step back, to run—anything! But he couldn’t. His entire body was paralyzed by sheer terror; the mere presence of this being made him feel like an insect waiting to be crushed. He barely dared to breathe.

The being chuckled softly.

"I was getting bored of seeing the same opponent for so long... that strange skeleton."

Jax didn’t understand at first, but then it struck him—the skeleton he referred to was none other than the Demon King who had ruled the GRB for centuries, never once suffering defeat.

"Oh, I forgot... I haven’t explained the rules. It became too repetitive after doing it so many times." The being straightened. "My name is... Celestial."

The instant the name was spoken, an impossible wave tore through the chamber. Space shattered like broken glass, and everything exploded.

Jax was hurled into the wall, embedding into it with brutal force. A red flash filled his vision: [HP plummeting to 1].

Just as the counter was about to hit zero, a radiant hand lifted.

In an instant, his entire body regenerated completely.

"Oh, right... I forgot even speaking my true name can unravel reality. My mistake," the being laughed lightly, as if he had merely stumbled instead of nearly killing Jax.

Cold sweat drenched Jax’s back. The book he’d once read spoke of a being who could crush a Demon King like a bubble with a single touch. He had doubted it... until now. In front of this existence, even those words felt like an understatement.

"Even when I tried, leaving only the tiniest fraction of my power in this clone... I’m still too strong," sighed the Celestial.

Jax’s legs trembled. A clone?

He could barely comprehend that the figure before him was nothing more than a shadow of the original... and yet he had almost been obliterated just by the echo of its name.

The Celestial spread his hands wide, as if presenting the chamber.

"Well... the reward for being the best in the GRB is simple. You have the right to enter here once and ask anything you want. As long as it’s within my power... I will answer."

Jax’s heart raced. That was the prize! No library, no relic, no treasure could compare. Standing before him was the very creator of the laws that governed existence. The ultimate knowledge.

For the first time, Jax felt that the title of [best] truly carried meaning.

He stayed silent, lost in thought. In front of him was the once-in-a-lifetime chance to ask a single question... just one.

But the more he thought about it, the less certain he became. Any doubt could be important, but to waste this chance would be unforgivable.

Outside, beyond his perception, the girls and children were waiting anxiously. While only minutes had passed for Jax inside the chamber, in the real world several days had gone by. His companions were restless, convinced something had happened inside the elevator.

In the middle of his indecision, the Celestial’s voice thundered through the chamber.

"This world will collapse soon. If you don’t ask now... everything will be over."

Jax’s heart lurched. Desperation overwhelmed him, and without thinking, he let slip the question that had long nested in his heart.

"How can I... surpass the gods?"

A heavy silence fell.

A moment later, the Celestial burst into thunderous laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It wasn’t mere echo—each laugh unleashed detonations that shook the chamber. It was like millions of bombs going off one after another, ripping through space itself.

Jax felt as though his body would disintegrate under the pressure, his bones splinter, his soul erased.

But then, the Celestial’s deep voice steadied him.

"To surpass them... you must not follow their path. The system I created was only a guide, a way to teach them how to walk. But in the end, it is also a chain."

Jax’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"I can see your memories," the Celestial continued. "So I will give you an analogy you can understand."

With a slight motion of his hand, an image formed in the air: a small child, barely able to balance on a bicycle. The bicycle had training wheels keeping it upright.

"At the beginning," the Celestial explained, "the training wheels are necessary. Without them, you would fall again and again. But once you truly learn to ride... those wheels become a burden. If you insist on keeping them, you will never go faster, never conquer difficult terrain, never know true freedom."

The vision slowly faded, leaving only a lingering blue glow.

"So listen well, human: if you wish to surpass the gods, you must find your own path. The system is only a crutch... and sooner or later, you will have to cast it aside."

Jax stared, speechless, engraving every syllable deep into his being.

The Celestial sighed.

"That is enough. Your time is over."

In the next instant, the world around Jax fractured like a shattered mirror. The chamber exploded into fragments of light and, in a blink, he was back inside the elevator, gasping for breath, heart racing.

The doors creaked open slowly... and there were the girls and children, waiting for him with tired, anxious eyes, as though they had been waiting for an eternity.