The Black Dragon Medal, as the name suggested, was the highest level of honor—earned through countless battles and remarkable contributions to the Skadi Empire.
Before it, anyone had to bow and comply with the holder's request, regardless of who they were.
"In the name of Great Commander Izroth, I order you all to let me pass at once!"
Igaris declared aloud, his voice reverberating like thunder.
Instantly the guards' souls shook upon hearing the name "Izroth."
They were practically trembling as they moved aside in fear.
Seeing this, Adrian and Lucius sneered.
"Tsk, look at that worm, acting all high and mighty using his dead brother's achievements to do whatever he wants. Does he have no shame?" Adrian muttered with disdain, loud enough for the two heiresses to hear.
"Yes, what a shameless and ungrateful bastard he is," Lucius added, eyeing Daisy as he spoke.
"Big sister Aluna, my beautiful Daisy, look. Look at that pathetic creature. I can't believe you two were once betrothed to this worm. How does this crippled bastard even qualify for you two divine beauties?"
Aluna and Daisy remained silent, but their favorability toward Igor visibly dropped after seeing him use his dead brother's name for something so trivial.
What was he trying to prove by getting close to them?
Did he think he could become one of the World Divers just by getting in the line?
That was nothing more than wishful thinking.
No one can enter inside World Dungeon without awakening God particle.
This was just an insult to the Black Dragon Medal, and to the name of Great Commander Izroth.
They couldn't believe how pathetic Igaris had become after being crippled.
What was even more absurd was that they had once been engaged to this guy.
Just thinking about how far he had fallen from the once-proud young master made them feel nothing but disgust.
Seeing the disgusted looks on Aluna and Daisy's faces, the two heirs wore victorious smiles.
Now no one else could claim these two as their prey, except for them. That much was now certain.
No one else was even qualified to stand against their Houses in whole Earth State.
The Vance House once was… but now, it was just history.
And Igaris? He was now nothing more than a pathetic loser.
The surrounding crowd also began throwing curses at Igor, shouting words like "Ungrateful," "Shameless," "Loser" right to his face.
Igaris couldn't help but laugh at the irony.
Because in the past, these same people had praised him to the high heavens, nearly worshipping him and bootlicking his family.
And now, seeing him so vulnerable, so weak, they said whatever came to their minds, without even trying to understand the truth.
But no one cared.
The saying was true after all: when you fall, people don't reach to lift you up, they push you further down.
They stop caring the moment you lose your value.
Society was cruel like that and still is. It doesn't hesitate to rip apart your pride and dignity just to feed its own sense of superiority.
People like that never really cared about you.
And when you finally realize it, it's already too late.
"Halt!"
Just as Igaris stepped into the line, he was stopped by the Overseer.
Igaris met his gaze calmly, but only he knew the depth of hatred he held for these higher beings.
"Why are you stopping me?" he asked, not a hint of respect in his voice.
Witnessing this, the Man's expression darkened at the blatant lack of honorifics.
His tough face twitched because of suppressed anger.
"What does this human sprout think he is? Does he really believe I can't touch him just because of a Black Dragon Medal? Humph…"
With a displeased frown, the Man began speaking in his native tongue.
"Although I have no right to stop you directly, but as the Overseer of this Dive, I must ensure everything proceeds smoothly. You are a disruption—an unqualified presence among these candidates. And so, I must prevent you from going further."
His tone was dignified, authoritative.
But beneath that polished exterior was a cruel monster, barely restraining the urge to tear this audacious human apart.
Igaris understood every word, because he was well verse in their language from a young age.
In response, Igaris sneered. "And who said I'm not qualified?"
The Skadi burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA... You're qualified? Don't make me laugh, human boy. Do you even know what kind of talent it takes to become a World Diver?
You need to—"
The next moment, the man paused, as if he had seen something astonishing.
A paper ball floated over his palm, suspended in the air by some unseen force. It moved gently around his hand, as if guided telepathically.
Seated calmly in his wheelchair, Igaris smirked.
"I need to be able to awaken the god particles, right? And this should prove it, shouldn't it?"
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
"H-He awakened god particles!"
Even the four heirs and heiresses were shocked.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Because in the whole decade, not a single disabled person had ever been chosen as one of the World Divers.
To become a World Diver, the first and most essential qualification was to awaken the mysterious energy particles, commonly known as God Particles.
Once that state was achieved, the individual could be classified as a higher lifeform, someone with incredible potential to be powerhouse.
But reaching that point was extremely difficult, at least for ordinary people.
Only those born with an innate constitution or extraordinary mental strength could easily awaken God Particles and become World Diver.
There were only a handful of such gifted individuals.
The rest had to earn it through relentless effort and dedication from a young age.
"Can I go now?" Igaris asked flatly, already rolling his wheelchair forward to take his place in line.
The Skadi Overseer could only watch him go, speechless.
Yet deep inside, something unknown stirred, a feeling he couldn't explain. As if a warning had been issued, telling him he had just made a terrible mistake by letting Igor in.
But he could do nothing to stop it now.
At the very front of the line, Adrian and Lucius turned back, their gazes filled with unconcealed hatred.
From the female line to the right, Aluna and Daisy also met Igaris's eyes for a brief moment.
But neither of them said a word. Clear disgust was written on their faces.
It was clear they had no intention of speaking to him anymore.
Igaris simply smiled. A bitter smile, one that mocked no one but himself.
In the past he had trusted them as childhood love and future wives.
But with the downfall Igaris house and him being a cripple, they broke the engagements and stopped contacting completely. As if their once precious childhood memories was now nothing mere illusions.
Nonetheless, before long, he got down from his wheelchair and began crawling into the World Dungeon, following after the others.
Spectators scoffed and sneered at the sight of his pitiful state.
Everyone except the old butler, who watched in silent loyalty.
Aluna and Daisy, standing at the threshold, noticed him and frowned before disappearing into the dungeon's darkness.
The moment Igor entered, all perception of time, space, and matter vanished.
He couldn't see anything.
It felt like he was floating through an endless void, lost in absolute darkness.
Then, something unknown drilled into his body, and a searing pain erupted—like his very soul was being torn from him by an unseen force.
And then... he saw something.
[ Initiating World Dive... ]
[ Class Potential: Undetermined ]
[ Searching for compatibility with Innate Ability... ]
[ Warning: Compatibility Exceeds Baseline Limits. Can pose threat to System ]
"..."
< Start Awakening without Protocol >
[ Command Received. Initiating Innate Ability Awakening... ]
[ 0.1%... 3%... 30%... 40.5%... 77%... 99.99% ]
[ Success ]
[ Ability Acquired: Infinite Acquisition (God-Tier) ]
[ Initializing Soul Sync... ]
Then, Igaris' mind went blank.