Formless Ascension: My Affinity Is Limitless

”Look at her wealth valuation,” the former Secretary of Defense breathed, a look of incredulity in his eyes. ”Fourteen thousand, eight hundred and forty-nine tokens. She is ranked number two in terms of global wealth, sitting entirely above Level 15 powerhouses. How is a Level 10 individual hoarding that much wealth?”

”It has to be the three dungeons,” the French general inputted. ”Aside from their general value, she likely has a way to generate income from them. She could simply be taxing people who use her dungeons to grind. It’s a steady source of income...”

Antoine looked around the room. ”Has anyone found a single trace of her in any sector? Any whisper from someone that might have known her at some point or come across her?”

A chorus of negative murmurs passed through the table.

”We can only pray she is located somewhere on our own continent,” Antoine sighed heavily. ”If she’s on one of the landmasses across the ocean, her assets are completely useless to us here. We will keep her on our high-priority tracking list, but until our scouts map the remaining western sectors, we are blind.”

Antoine shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he moved up the board.

”Rank 6, Daofarer. Level 11, but holds absolutely no territory or dungeons. His wealth is incredibly low at 191 tokens, meaning he is likely spending every resource he gains on advancing himself with cultivation materials.

Also, based on his name, we theorize he is originally from an Asian country, likely possessing a class related to Daoism, but aside from that, we can’t glean anything else. He is filed as unknown.”

”Rank 5, Black Sun,” Antoine continued. ”Level 11. He holds two territories under the title of The Black Isles, along with a single dungeon. His wealth is substantial at over three thousand tokens.

Some of our analysts are theorizing that based on the name ’Isles’ and the title ’Black Sun,’ he might be operating a rogue, seafaring faction or a pirate island. The more logical minds among us believe we simply don’t have enough data to draw a conclusion. He remains a wild card. Unknown.”

Antoine’s face turned visibly grim as his finger touched Rank 4.

”Perfection,” Antoine said, as if the words themselves were bitter to say. ”Level 13. Two full levels above Daofarer, and three levels above myself. His territory is registered as the ’Land of the Flawless.’ This individual is currently second at the top of our watch list as an extreme threat to human stability.”

”Why?” a diplomat asked. ”We haven’t even made contact.”

”Look at his alias,” Antoine replied coldly. ”A man who names himself ’Perfection’ and calls his land ’the Land of the Flawless’ is a man who possesses a dangerous ideal. He is beginning to actualize his personal fantasies upon the world, and he has the level to back it up.

He isn’t hoarding wealth. His tokens are likely being funneled directly into his progression. If he is on our continent, he will be a massive problem for our unified authority down the line. Yet, we haven’t heard a single whisper of his location.”

Antoine sighed, sliding his finger up.

”The same applies to Rank 3, King Alexei. Level 15. A massive power gap between him and Perfection. He holds the ’Tsar’s Dominion’ and a single dungeon. His wealth is staggering, nearly four and a half thousand tokens.

That is nearly four times my own valuation, yet he achieved this through only one dungeon as an asset. He is a powerhouse, and like Perfection, he carries a monarchical title that suggests he will not bow to a unified council. We can only hope he is situated on another continent entirely.”

Antoine’s hand hovered over the final two slots, and the tension in the room seemed to thicken by several degrees.

”And then, we have the anomalies,” Antoine whispered.

”First... Rank 2, Zara.”

John Allen leaned back slightly the moment her name was spoken. He looked to his side and glanced at Michael Bush, who shared the same knowing look in his eyes.

”She is the one whose details make absolutely no sense,” Antoine stated, staring at her name. ”She’s sitting at Level 20, five whole levels above King Alexei, and only two levels behind the number one spot. She is a monster in terms of raw level progression.

Yet, look at her total wealth value... She owns zero territories. She owns zero dungeons. Her total assets sit at a pathetic 388 tokens, placing her at Rank 11 on the wealth scale.”

The room erupted into low, confused whispers.

”How is that even possible?” a general muttered. ”To reach Level 20 in a week and four days means she has taken on thousands of beasts at this point. Even with their essence cores alone, shouldn’t she have enough wealth to be valued in the thousands?”

”Our analysts believe she is either funneling every single bit of her wealth into her progression at a terrifying rate, or there’s simply something about her we don’t know.” Antoine explained.

He looked up from the projection, his sharp eyes scanning the rows of seats until they landed directly on the back row.

”Which brings us to the final person... Red.” Antoine said, his voice taking on a heavy weight as the holographic screen shifted to focus on the top slot.

”Our intelligence about this person is non-existent, just like with Zara. But an hour ago, our new friends from Sector 13 officially joined our alliance. And they have brought us the single most critical breakthrough regarding the top of the leaderboard...”

A heavy silence fell over the room as every head around the table turned sharply toward the back row, their gazes converging squarely onto John Allen and Michael Bush.

Antoine locked his eyes firmly onto the two men. His voice trembled with anticipation and excitement, as even he had just been briefed about the two before the meeting.

”These two don’t just have information about the second-ranked ascender, Zara. They have vital information about Red, the number one ranked individual on the planet...”

”...In fact, they personally know him.”