I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow slightly—compared to the 500 proficiency points that could be earned through grinding, these rare and replaceable weapons and items were more useful.

You have obtained a basic, unprocessed gun.

Having chosen his reward for breaking through to the twentieth floor, Uesugi Tetsuya took a deep breath.

The road ahead will not be so easy.

Open your eyes and touch the mist.

——【Blurred and swollen (two and a half stars)】.

A humanoid figure, its entire body covered in purplish-black skin and filled with an unknown amount of translucent pus, stood swaying before Uesugi Tetsuya.

Suffering from illness and family members; swollen and swollen.

"This is really like running into an 'old acquaintance'..."

Uesugi Tetsu sneered.

During the Warring States period, the environment in the Kingdom of Sanhe was severely polluted, largely due to the presence of swollen cells containing thousands of viruses.

However, compared to its powerful ability to destroy the environment, Oborozumi's own combat strength is utterly pathetic.

He didn't even draw his sword, because he didn't want to dirty Kaga Kiyomitsu's blade.

Uesugi Tetsu held his breath and, with the high-speed operation of the Spirit Control Technique and the Five Thunder Technique, drew out a constantly surging, pale white lightning dragon in his palm.

Then, with perfect precision, it seized the moment just before Oboro exploded, and at its weakest moment, it had the Thunder Dragon envelop it!

[Your skill, Five Thunder Method: Qi Combination Proficiency +34!]

[Your skill, Spirit Control Technique - Qi Proficiency +18!]

……

[Your skill, Natural Rational Flow proficiency +5! ]

[Your skill, Spirit Control Technique - Qi Proficiency +22!]

……

The projection secret realm, the thirtieth floor.

[Your skill, Natural Rational Flow proficiency +9! ]

[Due to your extensive combat experience and your presence within the projection realm, your trait, Sword Principle (1%), has changed!]

Your trait, Sword Principle (1%), has been changed to Sword Principle (2%)!

"This can go up?"

After once again slaying his younger brother Ii Naomori, who had become much stronger than the last time they met, Uesugi Tetsu slowly calmed his internal energy and blinked in astonishment.

Can skill and reason really change during battle?

He had no idea before.

After sensing the change in his feelings, Uesugi Tetsu's eyes lit up.

This place is truly a treasure.

Not only does it give him proficiency and treasure rewards, it can even improve his skills and reasoning, which are usually very difficult to progress in. If he were outside this place, where would he find such a good thing!

Once his Qi Sea had calmed down and his spiritual energy was fully replenished, Uesugi Tetsuya, having caught his breath, looked expectantly at the three-choice reward for clearing the thirtieth floor.

The reward for clearing the 20th floor was already of "rare" quality, so it's time for something better.

[You have cleared the 30th floor of the Projection Realm. Please choose one of the following three rewards.]

【Part One: Records of Dharma Teachings】

[Records of Dharma Teachings]

[Quality: Epic]

[Effect: Grants 1000 proficiency points to the specified skill upon use. The effect is not diminished when used on expert-level or higher skills.]

Time flies, fleeting in an instant.

"So, the spell scroll causes a loss when used with expert-level skills?"

Uesugi Tetsu nodded thoughtfully, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he saw the hint here, otherwise he would definitely have lost out in the future.

【Two: Anchor】

Anchor (Special Item)

[Quality: None]

[Effect: Placing it in the Qi Sea will greatly enhance its stability. It will also produce unknown beneficial effects depending on the specific Qi Sea.]

—An anchor, used for positioning.

Items related to the Qi Sea...

Unsure, let's take a look further.

【Part Three: The Substitute Doll】

[Quality: Epic]

[Effect: After the user writes their true name in blood on the "Substitute Cloth," they can be resurrected once by a doll upon death. This effect is ineffective against beings of five stars or higher. It cannot overcome the barrier between the mortal and ordinary worlds.]

[——Where to place the doll is a question.]

Alright, now it's obvious who to choose.

Uesugi Tetsu already had a substitute doll that he hadn't used yet, and the one in the reward would become invalid if it was killed by a five-star being, while the one in his hand was one star higher.

You have obtained the Anchor (a special item)!

After selecting option two, a completely transparent triangular crystal fell into Uesugi Tetsuya's hand.

Although it's called an "anchor," it looks nothing like a ship's anchor; instead, it resembles a cheap plastic toy, making one wonder how effective it really is...

Uesugi Tetsu brought it close to his eyes and used his Eye of Decipherment to examine it for a while, but he still couldn't figure it out.

It can only be said that most special props are like this.

It looks ordinary, but when you actually use it, you'll find it has a completely different and amazing effect.

Uesugi Tetsuya temporarily tossed it into his backpack and continued his ascent to the thirty-first floor.

……

At this moment, what Uesugi Tetsuya didn't know was—

Mr. Y probably had some extra free time after arriving at his destination, so he updated the top 100 list remotely.

With the update now completed in a single refresh, the top 100 list is no longer updated only after the entire challenge has ended.

Instead, it's settled in real time.

The same applies to the stone tablet in front of the vortex in the secret realm.

Therefore, this included Tamamo and Yagyu Akira, who were waiting for Uesugi Tetsuya to emerge in front of the stone tablet, as well as countless operators who were paying attention to the newly emerging rankings in the Special Affairs Bureau APP, and even some busybodies.

Anyone who is watching the almost unchanged top 100 list can see that "Anonymous Person No. 666" is climbing up the current bottom line of the top 100 list - the 25th floor - at a terrifying speed!

Twenty-six, twenty-seven... In less than three minutes, this anonymous person, number 666, had climbed to the thirtieth floor.

That's not all.

After a pause of several tens of seconds, Anonymous Person No. 666 resumed his rapid ascent, reaching the thirty-fifth floor at an average rate of one floor per minute.

He has surpassed Yagyu Akira, who was originally ranked fourth, and is now tied with the third anonymous person on the current top 100 list.

Yagyu Chi stared at his declining ranking, but instead of being discouraged, his eyes revealed an expectant expression: "There are so many strong people in Hamamatsu City right now."

Tamamo glanced at him but didn't say anything.

What powerful expert... She looks exactly like Brother Uesugi who just went in to challenge the secret realm!

Saying they didn't participate in the top 100 ranking? Hmph, nobody would believe that!

Looking up at the glittering "thirty-five floors," Tamamo couldn't help but think of herself, who had been defeated and sunk on the second floor.

She used every trick in the book, even her teeth, to kill the old man with the pitchfork.

As a result, a much stronger guy came from the next floor and stabbed her through the heart with a spear.

Damn it!

Tamamo touched her flat chest with lingering fear, then looked up again, hoping that the "thirty-five floors" could grow a few more times.

The girl clasped her hands together, silently praying, "Brother Uesugi, please stomp on that Saito's head hard..."

Although Tamamo, who was well-versed in all kinds of intelligence, knew that such a thing was unlikely to happen.

Because that's Saito Ryuichi...

Meanwhile, the potential seed group in Arakawa Ward is bustling with activity.

The group, which usually only sends a few messages a day, exploded with excitement because of a top 100 list.

The newbies in the group were discussing – if everyone in our Arakawa area tried it, who could get the highest ranking?

[Hattori Ayako: Uesugi-kun. 】

[Akechi's general: It must be Uesugi-senpai!]

There's only one truth: to be honest, it really is Uesugi-kun.

Everyone in the group was shocked, not because they were surprised by the unanimous agreement.

But who exactly is this Uesugi-kun?

Next, "General Akechi" began to list, as if reciting a familiar story, all the deeds of Uesugi Tetsu that were publicly recorded in the Special Affairs Bureau's mission log.

"I don't think so."

Kitano Runa chuckled, temporarily left the group chat, and clicked on the blue avatar filled with the ocean.

[Never be a loser! :Poke it.jpg]

【Never be a loser!: Ririko! That top 100 ranking seems really popular lately, they're gathering geniuses from all over the world for trials. I bet Uesugi-kun will definitely go there too, why don't you go and show off your skills?】

As a seasoned "glass catcher" on LINE, Kitano Runa deliberately added the keyword "Uesugi-kun" to her words.

Otherwise, Ririko might not even bother to reply to such trivial trending topics.

But this time she miscalculated.

Ririko turned her gaze away from the top 100 list and the pop-up message about Kitano Runa, her heart as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.

She simply wore her Taoist robes and continued to practice alone in the empty Taoist temple.

Spiritual practice.

A solitary spiritual practice.

An endless journey of spiritual practice.

Most ordinary people cultivate themselves for what? Money, beauty, power, a stronger body, and the sense of security that they won't be killed by demons.

And so on and so forth.

But Ririko is different.

She prides herself on being different.

Being able to practice swordsmanship, cultivate oneself, and continue on this path is enough.

"Everything else doesn't matter."

The eighteen-year-old girl closed her eyes and murmured softly, as if emphasizing something.

"—If you want to go, that's fine with me."

In the Special Affairs Office, Nanjo Ai shrugged, having finished half a day's work and gotten a precious break.

She scrolled through the forum, which seemed to have exploded, and chuckled: "This kind of effect, like a virus invasion... without a doubt, it must be Y's doing."

Nanjo Ai used her toes to tap the shadow beneath her.

"Xiaoying, if you go, take Xiaoru and Rihefang out for a walk too, so they can get some fresh air. Don't stay cooped up in the office all day like me, or you'll go crazy."

A startled cry came from the shadows: "How could you say something like that? As expected, Ai-mi, your mind has gone mad!"