According to the current rules of ascension, the level cap for a Demigod Rank Awakener was Level 400.

Without obtaining a Demigod-grade divine position, it was impossible to break that limit.

If humanity wanted its Awakeners to go beyond level 400, they had no other choice—they would have to seize a Demigod-tier divinity.

The group of human Awakeners who had been brought before the corpses did not hesitate for even a moment.

As soon as Daniel gave the order, they placed both hands on the remains of the fallen Demigods and began drawing out the divine power within.

But to Daniel's surprise, the process went far more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Under normal circumstances, divine power was notoriously difficult to extract.

Once separated from its host, it tended to reject all foreign vessels. Most beings, even those of the same rank, could not withstand the recoil.

Yet this time, the divine energy within these Old God–lineage Demigods did not resist at all. Instead of rejection, Daniel sensed an unnatural welcome—as though the power itself was eager to fuse with the human Awakeners.

In just a few breaths, brilliant light flared across the ancient hall.

Streams of divine energy gathered around the humans' bodies, illuminating their outlines with dazzling gold.

But along with that glow, Daniel's Psychic Perception began to scream warnings.

He could feel it—subtle but unmistakable distortions in their mental states.

Greed. Arrogance. Cowardice. Lust.

One by one, these negative emotions began to surface and magnify uncontrollably.

What was once ordinary human desire now swelled into madness.

Their auras twisted, and their consciousness began to fracture.

Daniel's brows furrowed.

He could feel it clearly now—their minds were being replaced.

Something vast and ancient was creeping into their souls, devouring their identities like a shadow swallowing light.

And all of them… were being taken over by the same presence.

The same consciousness.

The same source.

Daniel quietly exhaled.

Deep down, this confirmed the suspicion that had been forming in his mind.

So that was it.

The so-called Old God System—the one that birthed countless ancient Demigods and Fake Gods—was, at its root, a singular origin.

All of its children, no matter how powerful, ultimately existed for the sake of one supreme being.

Their value lay not in themselves, but in the faith they provided to feed that primordial god.

If his deduction was correct, then somewhere beyond this reality, the strongest among them—the true Old God—still existed.

And perhaps, every domain of existence had one such being at its center.

If that were true, the power of the Old God lineage was far beyond what Daniel had imagined.

It was not merely a pantheon, but an interconnected web of faith and possession—a hive of gods feeding one mind.

Of course, Daniel knew this was only conjecture for now.

The available data was too limited, and he couldn't draw a final conclusion.

If there was a chance, he would ask Luck Goddess Luke.

Maybe she or her sisters in the modern pantheon would know the truth.

Unfortunately, Daniel's current power wasn't enough to stand among the gods, let alone to reach her.

Even if he wanted to, he could not yet step into that battlefield.

Meanwhile, the human Awakeners finished absorbing the divine remnants completely.

Their bodies pulsed with light, but their faces twisted with feral hunger.

And then, their forms began to distort.

Their breathing turned ragged. Their eyes clouded over.

Daniel sighed softly and raised a hand.

A wave of Purification Light spread across the hall.

It burned through the contamination, cleansing their corrupted souls in an instant.

But when the light faded—

—they did not return.

Even stripped of impurity, their consciousnesses remained alien.

Their bodies stood like empty shells, driven by the wills of whatever had replaced them.

Daniel understood immediately. His experiment had failed.

Human Awakeners could not ascend to Demigod Rank by absorbing the divine positions of Old God–type Demigods.

The process was inherently incompatible.

Even purification could not restore them.

It seemed that his Purification Ability was effective only up to the Demigod Rank.

Beyond that, the rules changed entirely.

Having reached a conclusion, Daniel snapped his fingers.

Time itself rippled backward.

The hall returned to its untouched state—the Demigod corpses intact once again, the experiment reset to minutes before it began.

This time, Daniel selected a different group of test subjects.

These humans were not ordinary Awakeners—they already possessed Demigod-level divinities, inherited through the modern god system.

Daniel intended to see whether those who already carried a divine core of their own could resist the corruption when absorbing Old God–type energy.

He crouched and drew a massive magic array on the ground, each sigil inscribed with mathematical precision.

It was moments like this that reminded him how valuable the knowledge he'd once obtained from the Imperial Library of the Sovereigns truly was.

Every formula, every inscription, now proved its worth.

As a Demigod himself, Daniel technically possessed the ability to grant divine positions to others.

But he refrained.

Because if he ever intended to step into Godhood, he would eventually have to slay every being who shared his divine domain.

That was the immutable law of the higher planes.

Passing down his own god-seed, therefore, served no purpose—it would only create obstacles he'd one day be forced to destroy.

And besides, Daniel was certain of one thing: sooner or later, he would transcend into the God tier himself.

According to his calculations, if a being already held a divine position before accepting an Old God's divinity, they might be immune to the spiritual corruption.

He activated the formation and waited.

…

Elsewhere, while Daniel's main body continued his experiment in the sacred hall, one of his avatars met with Kate in the City of Luck.

"Kate," Daniel said calmly, "I need a specific material. It's called the Rope of Genesis. Do you know anything about it?"

Kate's expression froze.

He closed his eyes and searched through his vast mental archive, scanning thousands of years' worth of memories and records.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally nodded.

"Yes… I do recall some information about the Rope of Genesis," he said slowly. "But the last recorded sighting of it was more than ten thousand years ago."

"As for where it is now—no one knows. It might not even exist anymore."

He hesitated, then added, "According to historical archives, the Rope of Genesis was once kept inside the Fate Tower."

Daniel's gaze sharpened slightly. "Fate Tower?"

Kate nodded. "Yes. But you know the story. When the Land of Origin was destroyed, the Fate Tower was obliterated along with it."

Hearing that, Daniel fell silent, lost in thought.

So that was it.

The Rope of Genesis might exist only in the past.

That was… inconvenient, but not impossible.

After all, he was only one step away from completing his Star Upgrade Quest—the monumental mission that would allow him to merge with the higher layers of the cosmic system.

The only remaining task was to synthesize a God Rank Skill ranked within the top 40.

He had completed every other requirement.

And right now, the most promising candidate for synthesis was the Liberation Technique.

All the materials were ready—except one.

The final missing component was the Rope of Genesis.

Which meant, if he wanted to complete the quest, he would have to find it… even if it meant traveling through time once more.

As he pondered, Kate suddenly spoke again.

"Come to think of it," he said, "there was once a Gate of the Past deep within the Storm Sea of the Land of Origin."

Daniel's eyes flickered.

The words awakened a memory he'd almost forgotten—of the time he had explored that very sea.

Yes… he had encountered such a gate.

It was strange and alive, pulling everything nearby into its depths like a living organism.

If the Rope of Genesis still existed anywhere, it would be there—beyond that gate, hidden in the timeline it led to.

"I see," Daniel murmured. "Then I suppose I'll have to pay the Storm Sea another visit."

He allowed himself a faint smile. "But first, I'll need to deal with a few more Fake Gods. Gather enough universal materials. Preparation always comes first."

Even in his confidence, Daniel never underestimated the risks.

The Backworld was treacherous, and time travel, even for him, carried untold dangers.

As he planned his next move, another question emerged in his mind—a subtle, unsettling one.

Now that he had mastered the God Rank Skill – Myriad Worlds Mastery, what would happen if he entered the Gate of the Past again?

Would his spiritual world—and all the human consciousnesses linked to it—be drawn into the past with him?

Would his entire inner civilization follow him through time?

Daniel shook his head slightly, forcing the thought away.

He opened his inventory.

Within his spatial storage, countless fragments of Fake God remains shimmered faintly, already being converted into Universal Materials.

The number continued to grow, increasing by the second.

Daniel closed the interface with a quiet, determined smile.

Whatever awaited him beyond the Gate of the Past—he would face it head-on.

Because if the Rope of Genesis was the key to completing his evolution, then no era, no law, and no god—ancient or modern—would stop him from claiming it.

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