Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

Ethan's hands moved on instinct, sliding around Nora Vance's waist.

She let out a soft, delicate hum.

Whoosh…

A beam of white light burst from the center of Ethan's brow. It shot straight into Nora's forehead and exited clean through the back of her skull.

"You…"

Nora froze, eyes wide in disbelief.

The next heartbeat, the woman Ethan was holding dissolved into a wisp of white mist and vanished.

Ethan's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"Why her… sigh…"

He shook his head, a dry, self-mocking chuckle escaping him.

The world around him began to distort. Buildings bent and twisted; colors bled into each other. And then—everything shifted.

He was standing in the heart of a concrete jungle. Towering skyscrapers clawed at the clouds, and the air was thick with the smell of exhaust and the blare of supermarket loudspeakers. People bustled past, jostling along the crowded sidewalks.

Ethan blinked, stunned. This was Ember City. He turned in a slow circle, taking it in. The streets, the shops, the smell of food from the corner stand—it was all achingly familiar.

His gaze landed on the entrance of a nearby apartment building.

A man burst out of the doors, looking flustered—then froze mid-step.

"Ethan? What are you doing here? I finally found you…"

Ethan stared at him, speechless. It was Leo.

"Ethan?" Leo called again, frowning at his silence.

"…Huh? Why are you here?" Ethan asked at last.

"I was looking for you. Hey—your legs…? Did you get prosthetics?" Leo's voice sharpened with surprise.

Ethan glanced down. From the knees down, his legs were gone—replaced with sleek prosthetics. He couldn't feel a thing below them.

Vroom—screech!

The roar of an engine and the squeal of brakes cut through the air.

"Don't just stand there! Get in the car!"

Ethan turned to see his Predator Beast X idling by the curb. The tinted window slid down, revealing Williams, his face tight with urgency.

Leo jogged over, yanking the door open. "Ethan—come on!"

Ethan hesitated, then stepped closer—and froze again. The car was packed. Inside sat Victor, Leeroy, Ryan, Evelyn, Markham, Maria, Rook, Bobby, Kiara, Amber Zane… faces he'd once known so well. Nearly everyone from his life on Earth, crammed into one vehicle.

If the Predator Beast X hadn't been so massive, they'd never have fit.

They all stared at him as he lingered outside. Leo came back, grabbed his arm, and pulled him in.

Once inside, Ethan scanned their faces, drinking them in. Years had passed since he'd last seen any of them.

"Where are we going?" he asked, his voice low.

The others exchanged glances. It was Leo who finally answered, grinning. "Lyla's getting married! We're going to crash the wedding!"

Ethan's mind stuttered to a halt. "What? Lyla's getting married?!"

The car went quiet. Every single person turned to look at him like he'd just grown a second head.

After a long beat, Leo raised an eyebrow. "Ethan… you didn't lose your memory, did you?"

Kiara leaned in, eyes narrowing as she studied Ethan's face like she was searching for cracks in a mask.

Before he could ask what she was doing, Williams slammed the brakes. The Predator Beast X skidded to a stop in front of Ember City's only Grand Star Hotel. Doors flew open, and the group spilled out in a rush.

Ethan found himself swept along with them into the lobby, straight into an elevator. No one spoke as the doors slid shut and the lift hummed upward—straight to the eighty-eighth floor, the penthouse suite.

When the doors opened, the space was transformed. Walls were draped with flowers in every shade, clusters of balloons bobbed gently in the air, and music pulsed through the floor like a heartbeat.

Someone shoved Ethan forward. He stumbled down a short hallway and turned a corner—

"…Miss Silverwood, do you take this man to love, cherish, respect, and accept him, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and to be faithful to him until the end of your days?"

"I do—"

"I object!"

The word tore out of Ethan before he could stop it.

Every head turned. The Officiant blinked in confusion. "Uh… and who might this gentleman be?"

On the stage, Lyla looked up. Just seconds ago, she'd been smiling—radiant, glowing, the picture of joy. The moment her eyes met Ethan's, that warmth twisted into something sharp and cold. Disgust. Revulsion.

The sight drove a spike straight through Ethan's chest. He forced his gaze away from her and onto the man at her side.

Zachary.

Rage flared, hot and blinding. This cursed illusion wasn't just toying with him—it was dragging his worst nightmares into the light.

"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted behind him.

"Alright, pay up! I told you! He'd get mad, but he wouldn't lift a finger."

It was Victor—once like an older brother to him—grinning wide as he held out his hand for money.

Ethan turned to see Leo step forward, a smirk curling his lip. "What's with the look? You really think we came here to help you crash the wedding? We're here for the show." He shoved Ethan's shoulder. "And don't give me that glare—you didn't actually think we considered you a brother, did you?"

Their words washed over him like ice water. Lyla's contempt. His so-called friends' betrayal. Zachary standing beside her, victorious.

Fine.

He didn't know who was behind this illusion, but when he found them, he'd rip them apart piece by piece.

He still didn't realize this wasn't someone else's trap—it was his own subconscious, serving up the things he feared most.

Ethan drew in a slow breath. "Phew…" His eyes swept the room, lingering on each mocking face.

Then, with a flick of his finger, he let an Energy Blast fly.

Swoosh!

"Ah—murder!"

The hall exploded into chaos. Guests screamed and shoved each other in their scramble for the exits. On stage, Zachary's smug grin vanished, replaced by a wide-eyed stare as a perfect crimson dot bloomed on his forehead. His body crumpled to the floor.

"You brat. How dare you!"

The roar came from Donovan Silverwood. In a single bound, the old man soared above the fleeing crowd like an eagle taking flight, his fist cocked and ready to crash down on Ethan.