Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

Ethan sat alone at his desk, deep in thought. The warm desk lamp cast a golden hue over the stacks of printed papers around him. Some were neatly arranged while others lay scattered, half-read and marked with notes. Dozens of tabs blinked quietly on his monitor, but tonight, it was the printed pages that mattered most.

Each page held a glimpse of something valuable. Bits of theory, fragments of invention, traces of discovery. Biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine. This wasn't just research. This was preparation for something far more serious.

He ran a hand through his hair, the memory of the video Yamal had shown still burned into his thoughts. Metallic limbs turning into weapons. Artificial Ascendants going toe-to-toe with Mark. They weren't just enhancements. They were transformations.

He picked up one of the documents. It was a dense paper on advanced genetic manipulation. The writing was technical and difficult, but one sentence stood out.

"Genetic modification has the potential to enhance human abilities beyond natural limits."

Ethan stared at it. Then he read it again.

This was the science behind the LaRues' experiments. This was the truth behind their twisted creations. They weren't improving people. They were redesigning them into something new. Something powerful.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling. His thoughts raced.

'They're not building weapons. They're building control. They're changing what it means to be human.'

He looked back at the paper, then at a diagram of muscle fibers fused with synthetic tissue. Notes outlined methods to bond organic nerves with machine sensors. There were sketches of failed attempts, followed by revised models that looked disturbingly functional.

'This is why they needed Mark's blood essence. It's not about strength. It's about stability. They need something real to finish what they started.'

Ethan circled the sentence in red and wrote a quick note beside it. His jaw was tight, his eyes focused.

"I know this is not going to be easy," he said quietly. Then he looked down at his own hand and felt the familiar pulse of the system inside him. "But I have the system."

He might not understand it all yet. But he would. One page at a time. One information after another.

Ethan skimmed through the next batch of documents—blueprints of cutting-edge weapons that looked too advanced for the public to know about. His eyes narrowed as he compared them to the weapons used by the cloaked figures in Mark's footage. Every curve, joint, and mechanism felt familiar. His mind brought back each frame of the battle with perfect clarity.

Thanks to his eidetic memory, he didn't have to rewind the footage or guess. He could see them in his mind like they were playing out right in front of him. The way one of the Artificial Ascendants transformed his metallic arm into a serrated blade. The way another's weapon emitted a faint pulse just before firing a burst of energy. These were not random designs. They were calculated.

He shuffled the blueprints, aligning them side by side. It didn't take long before a pattern began to emerge. But with every connection he found, more questions appeared in his mind.

"I don't know if I'm becoming smarter or just knowledgeable," he muttered under his breath.

His hand reached for a different pile—this one on nanotechnology. A whole new rabbit hole. He leaned forward, scanning pages filled with theories and diagrams of microscopic machines. Concepts ranged from cellular repair to neural enhancements. Some papers speculated on toxin-neutralizing swarms. Others hinted at the ability to temporarily boost physical performance.

Ethan's mind lit up with possibility.

'Could this be it? Could nanotech counter the LaRues' work?'

He grabbed a pen and started scribbling in the margins, linking notes from different pages, drawing arrows, boxing phrases.

The hours passed unnoticed. He was too far in. Too deep to feel the time slip by.

Everything felt like it made sense. Every new piece of information fit together like it belonged. He didn't just understand the theories—he saw how they connected, how they could be applied, how they could evolve.

What Ethan didn't realize was that something had shifted. His Intelligence stat had quietly crossed the 150-point threshold. His brain was no longer just absorbing—it was processing at a level most couldn't imagine. His thoughts were fluid, his logic sharp, his comprehension effortless.

But to him, it just felt... right.

Leaning back in his chair, Ethan took a breath. The hum of the monitor. The rustle of papers. The weight of his ambition.

His goals for Nova Tech were no longer about business. They weren't about profit margins or quarterly growth.

'This company needs to lead the world. Not just on land, not just in orbit. But under the ocean, across the stars, and into the human soul itself.'

He turned another page, now reading a journal on countermeasures for biochemical warfare. Strategies for containment. Methods of neutralization. Unpublished models of airborne virus dispersal.

His mind shifted again, now focused on the war ahead.

'How do I stop them before they get to us? How do I dismantle something that was built to survive against the strongest of us?'

He jotted down ideas. One after another. Every thought more refined than the last. Every answer sharper than the question that came before it.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, eyes heavy from hours of relentless focus. He exhaled slowly, then said to himself, "Time for a break."

Pushing the chair back, he rose to his feet and stretched, arms reaching overhead. The soft cracks from his shoulders and back echoed in the quiet room. It wasn't just satisfying, it was grounding. A reminder that for all his mental strides tonight, his body still had limits. And he needed both working at their best if he was going to keep up with the pace he had set for himself.

He paced slowly around the study, steps unhurried, letting the movement untangle the weight in his mind. Papers still lay scattered across the desk, filled with notes and theories, half-finished diagrams, and cross-referenced pages.

But they weren't just research anymore. They were plans. Concepts that could take form, not someday, but soon.

'This is no longer guesswork. I know what they're doing. I know how far they're pushing their science.'

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The bio-weapons. The artificial Ascendants. The shifting metallic arms. Every piece of knowledge he'd collected had one purpose now—build a counterforce.

But paper alone wouldn't cut it. If he wanted to go further, he needed a physical space. A controlled environment. Somewhere ideas weren't just written down, but tested.

He stopped by the tall window of his study and looked out at the vast sky outside.

"A lab," he murmured, almost tasting the word as he said it. "I need a lab."

Nova Tech already had everything.

Research teams. Testing grounds. Security clearances.

But what he wanted now… had to be his alone. No eyes. No questions.

A space where failure would be silent and success would be his secret until it was time.

He pictured it. Clean, modular designs. Private AI-assisted systems. Containment protocols. Toolsets capable of 3D bio-printing, nano-assembly, and structural synthesis.

Not tucked in some corner of the company, maybe in his home.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. The thought of telling his staff made him grin.

'They'd think I've finally lost it. Turning my house into a private science fortress.'

He stepped closer to the window, palms resting against the cool glass as he stared outward. The image of who he once was, the boy who dreamed of building better machines, merged with the man he was becoming. The world didn't need another people with ambition.

It needed something more.

A force that stood at the crossroads of innovation, strategy, and strength.

"I cannot imagine..." he whispered to the glass, his voice barely audible. "If I am going to be the richest, strongest, and smartest man alive."

He didn't say it with arrogance. He said it as if testing the idea. Weighing its truth. Could he become that? Should he?

Then, like a pulse through his mind, he felt the quiet hum of curiosity rise again.

It was time.

Without needing to speak it aloud, Ethan knew exactly what to do.

He pulled away from the window and opened his system interface.

It was time to check his Status Panel.

=====

[Status Panel]

Name: Ethan Cole

Level: 6

EXP: 31,000 / 46,500

Ascension Points: 61

Wealth: Unlimited

Attributes:

Strength: 105

Speed: 105

Endurance: 105

Intelligence: 150

Charisma: 120

Free Attribute Points: 0

=====

Ethan's eyes widened as he stared at the numbers blinking back at him.

"150 points already?"

The disbelief came naturally. He had expected progress, but not this fast. Not like this. He leaned back slightly, hand resting on his desk as he tried to process it. Then, the shock gave way to something else.

Clarity.

'No wonder everything's been clicking into place so easily. No wonder I've been seeing connections that I never know.'

His breathing slowed, steadying itself as his thoughts aligned. This wasn't just another level-up.

This was the threshold. The moment he had been inching toward with every rep in the gym, every note in his research, and every hour of focus.

He stood up, not in a rush, but with calm precision. His chair scraped quietly against the polished floor. He took one last glance at the scattered documents before walking to the center of the room.

"This is it," he whispered.

He moved aside the low table near the window, cleared a patch on the floor where the warm light from the ceiling fell evenly. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be.

'No one's going to guide me this time. No Mark. No Maya. No Yamal watching from the shadows.'

He lowered himself to the ground and crossed his legs, palms resting lightly on his knees. His heart thumped once, loud and deep.

Then came the stillness.

The study felt like it was holding its breath with him. Outside, the world moved on. But inside this room, everything paused.

Ethan closed his eyes. He didn't try to force anything. He just breathed.

Inhale. Calm. Focus.

Exhale. Release. Empty.

He began repeating the words Mark had taught him during one of their private training sessions. Words that were less of a mantra and more of a mental switch.

"Breathe in… feel the energy…"

With every breath, he imagined the energy flowing through his limbs, his chest, his spine. His body was no longer skin and bones and blood, it was a network of circuits, all waiting to connect.

He reached inward, tapping into the strength he had built and the intellect he had sharpened. And slowly, like drawing invisible threads, he began pulling energy from every inch of himself toward a single point in his abdomen.

It was strange. It was overwhelming. But it was real.

The heat gathered first. Then pressure. The sensation was like compressing lightning into a grain of sand. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't easy either. His forehead dampened with sweat, his jaw clenched.

And still, he pressed forward.

The energy began to spiral now, faster, tighter. A golden glow shimmered faintly beneath his skin. He could feel it—a core beginning to take form.

'Come on. Stay with it. This is your moment.'

His spine straightened as instinct took over. His breathing remained deep, every inhale feeding the growing light inside him. His muscles ached from the effort, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.

The core was nearly there.

Then, it happened.

The swirling power surged inward one final time and condensed with a force that shook him to the center of his being. The pressure vanished in an instant, replaced by warmth. A glow. A hum.

The first beat of a new kind of life.

Ethan gasped softly as his eyes flew open.

Everything was different.

The air felt lighter. His skin buzzed with energy. His hearing sharpened. His thoughts… they weren't racing—they were flying.

He could feel the core inside him. Bright. Steady. Waiting.

Then, like a finishing touch, the system's voice rang clearly in his mind.

=====

[Core Formation Complete!]

Ascendant Rank Achieved: One-Star Golden Ascendant (Lower Tier)

Your core has been forged from golden energy, a rare and powerful signature of limitless potential. It hums with brilliance, marking the first step toward transcendence. Few walk this path. Fewer still begin with gold. You are now one of them.

=====

Ethan opened his eyes slowly. The world looked different—brighter, clearer. A soft golden glow pulsed in his pupils, steady like the heartbeat of something newly awakened inside him. He drew in a breath, surprised at how light his body felt, yet how packed with strength it had become. Every sound in the room felt sharper. Every breath of air tasted cleaner.

His thoughts were no longer racing. They were smooth and steady, connecting ideas with ease. It felt as if a veil had been lifted from his mind.

'So this is what it means to be an Ascendant,' he thought, his chest rising with quiet awe.

But before he could reflect further on the transformation, a familiar chime echoed in his mind. The system was not finished yet. Another notification was coming.

=====

[Mystery Rewards Unlocked]

1. Eternal Dragon Codex

You have inherited a legendary cultivation manuscript once guarded by the highest of ancient Ascendants.

The Eternal Dragon Codex contains profound knowledge—techniques for harnessing inner energy, mastering elemental control, and ascending beyond mortal limits.

It is a living codex, one that evolves alongside your journey. As your Ascendant rank grows, so too will the secrets it reveals. This is not just a guide. It is your legacy.

2. Divine Eyes

Your eyes have awakened to the essence of truth. You can now perceive beyond illusions, piercing through lies, hidden motives, and veils of deception.

With but a glance, you may gauge the true nature of people, artifacts, and the world around you. No Ascendant can conceal their rank or intent from your gaze—not anymore.

3. Attribute Surge

An unseen force flows through every fiber of your being.

All core attributes have surged—now stabilized at 300 points.

Mind. Body. Soul. Aligned at a level once thought unreachable for one so newly awakened.

You are no longer just preparing for the battle ahead. You are ready to shape it.

======

Ethan inhaled sharply as a tidal wave of energy surged through him. It didn't just flow—it roared. His muscles clenched with newfound strength, every fiber of his body tightening like a drawn bow. His vision snapped into perfect clarity, each line and shadow in the room suddenly more vivid. Thoughts moved through his mind with astonishing speed, unfolding like brilliant flashes of insight, as though an unseen gate had opened within him.

He could feel it.

Not just power, but transformation.

His very being felt reshaped, reforged in something far more potent than flame. It was like being bathed in golden fire—warm, commanding, eternal. A kind of rebirth.

"One-Star Golden Ascendant…" he murmured under his breath.

The words tasted foreign on his tongue, but they carried weight. He didn't know the full extent of what they meant—what the ranking truly represented—but something told him this was not ordinary. This was not how most Ascendants began.

He wasn't following someone else's path.

He was carving his own.