Chapter 451: Chapter451-The Future of Humanity
Daniel gathered his wandering thoughts, taking a long breath before refocusing his mind.
His gaze shifted toward the next stage of the Human Advancement Quest — the path that would determine the destiny of his entire race.
Every completed advancement mission had always brought a massive leap in strength for humanity.
And now, standing before this new set of objectives, Daniel couldn’t help but feel an uneasy anticipation.
[Human Advancement Quest]
[Objective 1: At least 10 individuals of the human race must reach Fake God rank.]
[Objective 2: The Human Emperor must complete the ninth phase of the Human Emperor Trial. (Completed)]
[Objective 3: Every member of the human race must reach at least demigod rank. (Excluding those who have not yet participated in the Awakening Ceremony.)]
[Reward: Racial rank ascends to Star Rank. Maximum level cap increased to 700.]
After reading the quest description, Daniel’s expression twitched uncontrollably.
What kind of joke was this?
How could any sane being complete such an impossible task?
In that instant, Daniel finally understood why Aurelia had abandoned the Angel of Gold and Silver race.
The requirements listed here were, by any reasonable measure, unattainable.
The first objective — reaching ten Fake God-level humans — might be barely feasible if Daniel devoted every possible resource and focus toward nurturing them.
But the third objective?
It was simply absurd.
To expect every member of a race to reach demigod level was not just unreasonable — it was madness.
Even the Angels of Gold and Silver, with their divine bloodline and infinite resources, had never achieved such a thing.
The notion that every individual could stand at demigod level was, in truth, beyond any civilization’s reach.
Still, Daniel realized that even the impossible sometimes hid a narrow path forward.
There were ways to bend fate if one refused to give up.
But he couldn’t ignore one crucial difference — Aurelia had only ever completed the eighth phase of the Human Emperor Trial.
When she reached the ninth, she had failed.
That failure meant her people could never advance further, no matter how hard they tried.
That was why Aurelia could no longer lead her race forward — she had hit the unbreakable ceiling of divine evolution.
From ancient times until now, Daniel was the only being to ever complete the ninth phase of the Human Emperor Trial.
Neither Aurelia nor Faer had managed it.
Both of them had fallen at the same step, unable to breach that invisible wall.
Of course, this was still only Daniel’s speculation.
He couldn’t be completely certain that the tasks they faced were identical to his.
But deep in his heart, he had a strong intuition — that the fundamental structure of racial ascension tasks was universal.
Which meant that both Aurelia and Faer, faced with this impossible wall, had made the same decision — they had chosen to leave their race behind.
That was the price they had paid for chasing godhood.
And that was why, from that day onward, they were no longer "rulers" of their species.
Once one reached the racial limit of level 500, it became an eternal shackle.
The only way to advance was to sever all ties with one’s race — to walk the lonely road of the godhood seeker.
Now, at last, Daniel understood them. He understood the pain and necessity behind their choice.
But at the same time, a thought surfaced within him — they had to leave; that doesn’t mean I must.
The most difficult part of the trial, the ninth phase, was something only Daniel had completed.
That alone gave humanity an advantage no other species had.
If there existed any race in the entire cosmos capable of reaching the so-called Star Rank, then it could only be the human race.
Daniel knew that this journey would be unimaginably long and difficult.
But the reward... the reward was too great to ignore.
If humanity succeeded, the entire race’s level cap would rise to 700.
And if every member truly reached demigod rank before that — then once the new cap was unlocked, wouldn’t that mean every awakener could eventually ascend to Fake God rank?
That realization made Daniel inhale sharply.
If the human race continued to evolve... what would come next?
All members reaching Fake God level?
Then demigod rank would no longer suffice — would the next goal demand that everyone ascend to godhood itself?
The thought sent a shock through him. His mind filled with visions he could barely comprehend.
A civilization where every man, woman, and child possessed the might of a god...
Even for Daniel, whose imagination had already brushed against infinity, such an image was impossible to fully picture.
It would be the most spectacular, overwhelming sight in the history of existence.
After letting his mind wander in awe for a while, Daniel forced himself to calm down again.
He understood the rule — the more dazzling the reward, the more impossible the task behind it.
The path of human ascension would only grow harder from here.
Each step forward would demand more than the last.
But even so, he had no intention of stopping.
He laughed quietly to himself. "Well, one more impossible challenge doesn’t make much difference anymore."
Between the Star Upgrade Quest, the ascension of his divine seats, and the countless trials ahead, Daniel had already long accepted that his life’s path was one of endless struggle.
"The road before me," he murmured with a bitter smile, "was destined to be paved with hardship."
Opening his task panel, he scrolled through the long list of missions.
There were many — not densely packed, but enough to fill a considerable portion of his interface.
Seeing the rows of glowing objectives, Daniel couldn’t help but laugh again.
No wonder Aurelia and Faer had both given up.
The difficulty was absurd, almost mocking.
At present, Daniel’s own tier was still technically demigod.
In terms of raw strength, though, he was already far beyond that rank — powerful enough to battle even Fake Gods and perhaps win.
But tiers were tiers; until he broke through the system’s restrictions, he couldn’t officially progress.
Still, Daniel felt utterly confident.
Even if he were compared to the ancient pantheon of the Lost Castle, he was certain that at the same tier, none of them could defeat him.
If he didn’t use his God Rank Skills, he could still overpower several of them working together.
And if he did choose to use them...
He would simply raise a single finger and whisper, "None of you are even worth fighting."
In the vast mental realm, the spiritual world where the Land of Origin existed, many human awakeners were already completing their own Star Upgrade Quests.
The race had accumulated massive stores of Exp Drops, allowing for incredibly fast growth.
No one needed to grind endlessly in underground labyrinths anymore.
These Exp Drops were prioritized for the strongest awakeners — the ones most likely to lead humanity forward.
Among them were the past Human Emperors, who had once borne the race’s future on their shoulders.
Now, unburdened and driven by the shared knowledge of countless eras, they surged forward at breakneck speed.
Their levels were rising like rockets piercing the sky.
And among them, the former Human Emperor Odin stood at the forefront.
[Odin]
[Former Human Emperor]
[Current Level: 500]
[Domain: Balance]
[Current Tier: Demigod]
Odin had reached the limit — Level 500 — the maximum permitted under the current racial advancement.
And this also meant that he now fulfilled the minimum requirement to begin the process of ascending to Fake God rank.
In precise terms, any demigod who reached level 500 could initiate the Ascension Ritual — a long series of trials that, if completed, would allow them to step into the realm of Fake Gods.
It was remarkable, really.
Even after stepping down from leadership, Odin had not stagnated.
Freed from the burden of guiding humanity, his latent potential had flared up again, brighter than ever.
And that, Daniel thought, was proof that the human spirit — once unshackled — could ignite the cosmos itself.