Yawning, a brown-skinned girl, her features reminiscent of Middle Eastern heritage, casually strolled through the Expanse.

  Her long, curly, frizzy hair bounced slightly with each step, an oversized scarf loosely draped over her head, barely staying in place.

  Her glasses, far too large for her face, tilted slightly, threatening to slip down her nose.

  She complained the entire trip to her destination, grumbling under her breath as she trudged along.

  Finally, she arrived at a hidden cave, tucked away in the landscape, its entrance partially obscured by twisted roots and overgrown foliage.

  Just as she was about to step inside—

  The Worldstone Fragment in her hand pulsed, reacting to the cave’s presence.

  She groaned, rolling her eyes.

  "Uggghh, those people never told me I’d have to walk this far."

  She adjusted her glasses and scarf, muttering curses under her breath.

  Then, gripping the Worldstone Fragment, she sneered.

  "Wait till I reach my full potential—I'm turning their houses into trees. Let’s see how they like that."

  Her fingers tightened around the fragment, eyes flickering with irritation.

  "They better hope I’m kind enough not to poison them."

  She sighed, shaking her head as she stepped forward into the cave, still mumbling complaints.

  An almost systemic voice echoed throughout the cave, responding to her presence.

  “Hmmmm? Detected a…........”

  It never got the chance to finish.

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Silvie interrupted, waving her hand dismissively.

  Her voice was flat, dripping with exhaustion.

  "I’m the God Spark of Nature, blah blah blah—untold potential, most capable being in existence to become the Supreme God of Nature, blah blah blah."

  She cut off the voice mid-announcement, too tired to care.

  With a dramatic sigh, she pulled the Worldstone Fragment from her pocket and tossed it forward.

  "Here. Do what you have to do. My feet are killing me."

  With that, she collapsed onto her knees, rummaging through her bag and pulling out a water flask.

  She took a deep sip, mumbling under her breath.

  "This better be worth it."

  As if judging the tone of her voice, the mysterious entity spoke once more.

  “I’m sorry, young one, but your Force progression is not the highest among the participants of your trial in this Expanse.”

  …

  …

  …

  Silvie stared blankly into the air, her mind seemingly unable to process what she had just heard.

  Then—

  "WHAAAAATTTTTTT?!?!?!"

  Her furious shout echoed through the cave, her entire body tensing as pure outrage surged through her.

  "I’m already at 30% in Force progression for Vine Force! Who the hell surpassed me?!"

  Her voice rose with frustration, hands gripping her scarf in disbelief.

  "I’ve been training this since I was a kid! The moment they found me, they told me I was a once-in-a-generation talent! Now you’re telling me I’m SECOND PLACE?!"

  The voice responded with mocking amusement.

  "You still look like a kid. Barely a teenager."

  Silvie snapped her head upward, shooting the air a fierce glare as if that would make a difference.

  The voice giggled in response.

  "I’m sorry, young one, but someone has already reached the cap in Force progression for those below the 1st Realm. Got to admit, that’s pretty impressive."

  Silvie’s eye twitched.

  "Impressive?! I thought I was making legendary, untold progress in the multiverse by reaching 30%! And you’re telling me SOMEONE’S ALREADY AT 50%?!"

  She gasped in sheer disbelief, gripping the Worldstone Fragment as if shaking it would somehow change reality.

  "Same thing I said, kid." The voice sounded way too entertained by her frustration. "Anyway, I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to acquire the item you came here for. You’ll have to choose something else."

  The moment the words registered—

  A fierce screech tore from Silvie’s mouth, her frustration manifesting as nature itself twisted in response.

  Vines curled along the cave walls, leaves quivered, and even the air felt tense, as if the world itself understood her tantrum.

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  Then—just as suddenly—she plopped onto the floor, flopping like a defeated child.

  "I wanna go hooooome to my mommy…!" she whined, kicking her feet against the dirt, voice dripping with dramatic misery.

  The voice, ever the opportunist, saw its chance.

  "Come on now, we both know you don’t have a mommy."

  Silence.

  Absolute silence.

  Silvie’s mouth hung open, completely gobsmacked, unable to come up with a response.

  The pure audacity left her stunned.

  Back on Earth

  A meeting was taking place in a hidden location, nestled deep within the heart of a bustling city. To the unknowing public, the structure housing the gathering was nothing more than a well-known organization, a seemingly mundane institution lost among the thousands that dictated society’s daily operations. But beneath the surface, behind its carefully curated image, it harbored one of the greatest secrets in human history.

  This organization was more than just a covert group. It was humanity’s last line of preparation—the force working in the shadows to ensure Earth’s survival in the vast multiverse. Their true purpose was simple but monumental: to prepare humanity for the inevitable.

  The organization had existed for as long as Earth itself, passed down through generations, its existence concealed from the eyes of the uninitiated. While the world carried on, blissfully unaware of the cosmic stage it had yet to step onto, they had been watching, waiting. They possessed knowledge far beyond what any nation or governing body could fathom—records, calculations, and ancient texts detailing everything necessary to endure within the multiverse. The System, cultivation techniques, Force Alignments, and the Expanse—these were not myths or theories to them. They were facts. And they had studied them extensively.

  The Expanse was not just some anomaly; it was a trial, a rite of passage for worlds seeking integration into the multiverse. Earth’s turn was coming, and the organization knew that when the time arrived, the planet’s people would be woefully unprepared. That was why they existed—to change that.

  They were not soldiers in the conventional sense, nor were they scholars confined to theoretical knowledge. Their members had been trained since childhood, conditioned in martial arts, discipline, and survival. Despite never having direct access to Aether, they studied and memorized every documented instance of its use, their understanding rivaling even those born with it. They had pioneered scientific breakthroughs that shaped humanity’s greatest achievements, all under the guise of innovation when, in truth, every advancement had been a stepping stone toward comprehending the forces that governed the wider cosmos.

  Physics, engineering, medicine—every field of study had been meticulously examined through the lens of cultivation, Aether, and Force. Science, for them, was not just a means of advancement but a method of deciphering the hidden truths embedded within reality. If they could not wield Aether, they would learn its structure. If they could not cultivate like those in the multiverse, they would understand its principles so deeply that mastery would be inevitable once the opportunity arose.

  For centuries, they had waited in the shadows, quietly observing, shaping humanity’s trajectory where they could. Their influence could be found in the foundations of history’s greatest civilizations, their hands guiding the creation of ideas that seemed ahead of their time. They knew the day would come when Earth would no longer be an isolated world—when it would be forced to take its place among countless others.

  And when that moment arrived, they would already be ten steps ahead.

  "It’s been more than a month since Silvie entered the Expanse," a young man muttered, sweat dripping from his brow as he struck the training dummy again. His muscles ached, but he barely paid attention, too focused on his thoughts.

  "Hopefully, she’s gotten what she needed from the First Expanse by now. I don’t even want to think about what happens if she fails." His strikes became heavier, frustration bleeding into his movements.

  A young woman nearby scoffed as she finished her own drills. "For the leader of this organization, you sure don’t have much faith in our greatest asset."

  The young man let out a dry laugh, shaking his head.

  "Greatest asset? That’s the biggest understatement in the history of Earth." He turned to face her, arms crossed.

  "The idea of Silvie failing is bad enough. But someone like Silvie? You could search every world, every civilization in the multiverse, and you wouldn’t find another like her."

  His expression darkened slightly, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

  "How she ended up on Earth? I don’t care. What matters is that she gives us something no other world has—a real chance to rise to the top."

  He exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he readjusted his stance.

  "And we’d be idiots to let that slip away."

  "A God Spark, huh?" The woman laughed, shaking her head. "I’ve read the teachings left behind so many times, but their existence still feels unfair."

  Her fingers absently traced the edge of a nearby training post, lost in thought. "Beings born with untold, unmatchable potential in their Grand Force Alignment… able to surpass every living thing and claim the title of Supreme God of their Force. And only one can ever exist."

  The young leader nodded, arms crossed.

  "Supreme Gods… the only beings who can claim to have the greatest understanding of their Grand Force in all of existence. One for each Grand Force. No rivals. No competition."

  He let out a slow breath. "And Silvie… she reached 30% in her Force progression before even stepping into the First Realm. The others in the Expanse will be lucky if they leave with 2%. Even geniuses from other worlds barely break 5% before their first breakthrough."

  His gaze flickered toward the ceiling as if thinking aloud. "With that kind of advantage, there shouldn’t be anyone in the Expanse capable of stopping her from getting what she wants. The only question is whether she actually gets it or not."

  A heavy silence lingered before the woman sighed, rubbing her temples.

  "And if she doesn’t…" She shuddered. "May God help us, because her tantrum might just level this place completely."

  The thought of a rampaging, barely teenage Silvie tearing through their organization sent a chill down her spine.

  "Alright, get dressed. We have a meeting with those people—we need to plan for when the trial takers return." The leader’s tone left no room for argument.

  The woman groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Do we really have to? They’re weird."

  "Yeah, but what choice do we have? Would you rather discuss these events with the global leaders?" he shot back.

  She clicked her tongue. "Whatever. Let’s just get this over with."

  Entering the meeting room, they found the seats already filled, waiting for the leader and his secretary to take their places.

  A sturdy-looking man leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his gaze unimpressed. "Took you long enough to arrive."

  Ren Sui ignored him completely and got straight to the point.

  "As you all know, the Expanse trial has been ongoing for a month now. 10,000 participants were chosen, including a few of our own, and most importantly—Silvie Nicole."

  His tone was steady, but there was an underlying weight to his words.

  "At this point, assuming everything goes well, Silvie should be well on her way to claiming the prize for defeating the First Apex Boss of the Expanse…"

  A scoff interrupted him.

  "You really trust a preteen to accomplish something like that?" The same sturdy fellow from before spoke up again, his disbelief practically dripping from his voice.

  Ren didn’t so much as blink. His gaze turned ice cold as he addressed the man directly.

  "How about you get above 2% Force progression before speaking? You have a lot to say about a little girl who could kill you without even noticing your existence."

  Silence.

  The man grumbled under his breath but didn’t press the issue. "Whatever."

  Ren smoothly resumed the meeting.

  "As of right now, our priority is preparing the world for what’s to come. News of 10,000 people vanishing has finally started spreading across the globe. But right now, any mention of Force, Aether, or the multiverse would only make us sound like conspiracy theorists."

  He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table.

  "We wait for their return before we make our move. That will be the moment we set everything into motion. It’s taken millions of years, but it looks like our generation will be the one to finally accomplish the goals set for this organization."

  His gaze swept over everyone in the room, cold and unwavering.

  "I expect no failure. You know what to do. Dismissed."

  Back in the Expanse…

  The environment was a chaotic mess—the landscape upended, torn apart as if nature itself had been flipped upside down.

  A voice echoed through the destruction.

  "You know, for someone attuned to Nature Force, you sure do destroy nature a lot."

  Silvie twitched.

  Her patience had already been hanging by a thread.

  Hearing that?

  That thread snapped.