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

Chapter 52 - 52: Strange Pendant

Bang!

Ethan's door flew open with a crash, startling him out of his haze.

At the doorway stood Lyla, her face pale but filled with alarm. She spotted him sprawled on the floor and immediately rushed to his side.

"Ethan! What's wrong?" she asked, panicked.

Wincing through the pain, Ethan forced himself to sit up. "I'm fine… just overdid it with the workout."

Lyla's gaze swept over the room, taking in the assortment of fitness equipment strewn about. She exhaled deeply, holding back tears, and punched Ethan square in the chest.

"Ow!" he gasped, clutching his ribs. For someone still recovering, her punch carried enough force to knock the wind out of him. If she had been at full strength, Ethan was certain she could've broken a few bones.

It always surprised him how much power Lyla could pack into her tiny frame. He knew she was capable, but he never imagined how intense her training must've been.

What Ethan didn't know was that after he left her behind as a child, Lyla had immersed herself in learning combat and self-defense, eventually undergoing systematic training to become the formidable woman she was now.

Noticing his grimace, Lyla softened. Realizing she'd gone too far, she quickly helped him to his feet.

After some rest and another round of nutrient shakes, Ethan's strength began to recover. But his stomach growled loudly, nutrient shakes weren't exactly filling.

Neither of them felt like cooking, so they opted for the ultimate solution: ordering a home delivery.

By the time they finished their meal, it was evening, and the game servers were about to go online. Lyla wasn't thrilled about Ethan logging back in so soon.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? You just recovered," she said, crossing her arms.

"I'll be fine, I promise," Ethan said, coaxing her with reassurances until she finally relented.

As he prepared to enter his game capsule, a thought struck him. He turned to Lyla with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, Lyla, how did you even get my game pod open in the first place? It's supposed to be fully locked and blast-proof."

"At first, I couldn't," she admitted. "But then… I don't know. I just touched it, and it opened on its own."

Ethan frowned, pondering her response. Could this have been Morzan's doing? It was the only explanation that made sense.

---

Back in Ethereal:

Ding!

[System Notification: Offline XP bonus has accumulated to 98.8% of your current level. Bonus will automatically apply when killing monsters. Offline time: 9 days, 18 hours, 23 minutes.]

Ethan froze. Nine days?

It hit him: his time in the Underworld had counted as being offline in Ethereal.

Then he remembered the Ethereal Blooms he'd been harvesting. Opening his character panel, he exhaled in relief. His levels were intact, and his bag was still full of Ethereal Blooms.

But then he remembered something else, the black pendant.

He

"Alright," Ethan said, turning to leave. "Stop messing with it, though. It's not going anywhere. I'm heading back to my room."

"Fine, but seriously, what is this thing?" Lyla called after him.

Ethan paused at the door, shaking his head. "I don't know either."

He shut her door and returned to his room, Sliding into his game pod.