It was easy to imagine that after the video Daniel had taken in the Celestial Domain was released, it would cause nothing short of shock and awe.
Especially since even the Everlight Moon guild had pushed a huge promotion to make sure the video spread everywhere.
They had uploaded it on the most famous social network in the world, Ctube, through a newly created channel named The Fallen. The name was chosen at Daniel’s own request.
The fact that a peak rank B managed to wipe out a Corruption Worshipers’ base and even defeat a false rank S created a huge uproar. Many people even claimed the video was fake and refused to believe it was real.
But when people looked at how someone named Fallen had broken the simulation tournament record held by the National Federation of Awakened Association and set an insane new record that no one else could even dream of beating, his name spread even further.
His followers had reached more than one hundred thousand in just three days, and the number kept growing rapidly.
Chances were, once he uploaded his next video, it wouldn’t take long for him to hit one million followers—a very satisfying result.
According to what he had heard, James was extremely furious. But no matter how hard that idiot tried, he couldn’t break Daniel’s new record.
At least for now, Daniel was sure no one could.
’I can’t wait until that bastard finds out I was the one who set the record. Sooner or later, everyone will know.’ He smirked.
Another thing that had happened was his meeting with the real leader of Everlight Moon—the father of Lana and Maya. That man turned out to be much kinder than Daniel had expected.
In short, Daniel had finally finished all his business and could now retreat into seclusion to push toward rank A. He didn’t have much time.
It seemed the raid on the Merisia Island dungeon had been moved forward and would be held next week. That meant he had only one month left.
If he could reach rank A, he would have much more confidence leading a team in a purple-rank dungeon.
Then his attention shifted to Alice and Tiana, who seemed to have finally finished their sparring match. He smiled and walked toward them.
"How was the fight?" he asked, tossing them two bottles of water.
"It was great, I can really feel I’m finally getting stronger," Tiana said excitedly.
"Me too, I really missed this feeling of growth. Brother, how about having a spar with us?" Alice asked playfully with a mischievous grin.
"Oh? Got a little stronger and already that arrogant again?" Daniel laughed, but he didn’t refuse. As a brother, he felt it was his duty to keep her arrogance in check.
"Haha, this time I’m sure we won’t lose at least," she said with pride. With her current strength and that armor her brother had given her, she was certain they could at least fight on equal ground.
Of course, only if Daniel didn’t use any skills, energy, or special power—not even his physical strength.
"Well, that’s better. This way I can see more clearly how much you’ve improved," he smiled and gestured to his Fallen.
The Fallen respectfully walked over and handed him a wooden sword. Then both of the girls dismissed their summons, sending them back into their spiritual seas.
"Ready?" Daniel asked, turning to them.
"We have to cooperate," they both agreed and got into battle stance.
Alice started with [Meteor Dash], leaping toward Daniel like a falling star. Her speed was blinding. But Daniel only took half a step back, lifted the tip of his wooden sword slightly, and brushed her silver blade aside. Her strike cut through empty air, and she was pushed back.
At the same time, Tiana launched [Storm Spear]. Lightning burst from her ring and whistled toward Daniel.
Daniel smiled. With just a smooth flick of his wrist, the wooden sword touched the tip of the spear. The energy shattered and vanished into smoke.
"Magic is beautiful... but if you give the enemy time to think, it’s useless. Your speed has improved a lot compared to last time, really a lot, but it’s still not enough. Especially against me."
Alice gritted her teeth and shouted:
"[Starfall Strike]!"
Her blade shone and came down like a falling star.
Tiana followed up with [Flame Spiral], flames spinning around the field to distract Daniel and force him back at least a little.
But Daniel didn’t retreat a single step. With a smooth twist, his wooden sword deflected Alice’s strike, then its tip struck the ground to split apart the swirling fire. The gust from his movement cut the flames in two.
"Alice, your strikes are powerful, but your eyes give everything away. Control your emotions better. Tiana, you rely too much on building focus before attacking. If that concentration breaks, your entire structure collapses. And don’t forget the gap in strength between us. I’m not afraid of these little attacks."
"I’ll change the conditions. Like this, you really don’t have a chance. As long as you can make me drop this wooden sword, you win."
The girls frowned, their faces red from anger and embarrassment.
"Then watch this!" Tiana shouted.
The ground shook as [Terra Crush] launched stone pillars at Daniel.
Alice seized the chance and slashed with [Celestial Rend], a strike of light fused with her blade.
Daniel didn’t even break a sweat. His wooden sword gleamed, a clean strike breaking the pillars’ bases so they collapsed. Then his body spun, brushing Alice’s glowing blade aside with the back of his sword. In the same instant, the wooden tip was already at her throat.
"If this were real, it’d be over."
Alice froze, holding her breath. She didn’t even ask "How?"—the answer was obvious. Daniel’s speed and precision were beyond her comprehension.
From behind, Tiana yelled:
"[Frozen Shackles]!"
Ice erupted beneath Daniel’s feet, freezing the ground. But before it even closed around him, Daniel broke the ice with a light strike and appeared behind her in the next instant.
The wooden sword tapped her shoulder gently.
"Your focus takes too long. In a real battlefield, no one will ever give you time to prepare all four elements."
Their speed wasn’t bad. In fact, for their rank, they were among the best. But their reaction speed had to become instinct—using the right skill at the right time without thinking.
Right now, these girls needed between three to ten seconds to think. That might not sound like much, but in battle, even a hundredth of a second was too long.
Tiana thought for a moment, then nodded in thanks. She already knew this weakness, but the guild instructors had told her it wasn’t something to worry about yet—when her mental and spiritual strength grew in the future, it would naturally improve.
They weren’t wrong. But Daniel had strict and high standards. At the very least, he wanted these two girls to reach his level.
Was it possible? Even he didn’t know. But there was no harm in trying.
"[Deathless Star Armor]!" Alice suddenly shouted.
A radiant, dark armor wrapped around her, glowing with star-patterned lines. Her strength and defense at least doubled. Her eyes burned with confidence.
"Now you can’t beat us so easily!" she declared proudly.
"Wanna bet?" Daniel only chuckled.