Leo stood before the mass of pure golden energy. The control room was so quiet he could hear the low hum of the cooling fans.
This energy was the reward for slaying a Legend-grade monster with his own hands, a ticket to a higher level bestowed on him by Lady Season Star.
He did not hesitate.
Leo raised his right hand, clad in dark gray armor, and slowly reached toward the golden sphere pulsing like a living thing.
David, standing nearby, held his breath without realizing it. His gaze darted between Leo and the energy, his heart pounding beyond his control.
He wanted to see what Leo would become if he succeeded. At the same time, he felt a fierce urge to shove Leo aside and take his place.
Caught between those impulses, he clenched his fists.
Season Star leaned against the converter with her arms folded. Leo and the golden light were reflected in her beautiful eyes, which were full of scrutiny and curiosity.
At last, Leo's fingertips touched the energy.
There was no searing heat, no violent surge.
The instant he touched it, something he could only describe as "information"—pure beyond measure—rushed through his fingertips and into his Neural Interface!
It was not data, not a string of zeros and ones. It was a higher-dimensional Law Fragment that defined the very concept of "power"!
[Alert! An extraordinary Divine Information Flow has been detected!] [Ascender "Leo": Central Neural Interface load has instantly exceeded 3,000%!] [Abnormal body temperature rise! 750 K... 890 K...] [Warning! Warning! Synchronization rate is plummeting! 45%... 21%...]
Countless blood-red warning boxes flooded Leo's vision, and a piercing alarm shrieked deep in his mind.
His body—his Ascender Armor—began to shake violently.
Golden arcs spread from the arm touching the sphere and raced across his body,