The merchant’s cart creaked under the weight of the items Gershion had requested, meticulously packed and ready. As he approached Gershion's stall, he hesitated for a moment before setting the goods down. He scanned the pouch of celestial coins Gershion had left as payment, his fingers counting quickly. His brows furrowed—something wasn’t adding up.

“Mr. Gershion,” the merchant said, his voice tinged with uncertainty, “I’m afraid the celestial coins you’ve provided aren’t enough to cover the full cost of these items.”

Without hesitation, Gershion began pulling out monster cores from his stores, their dark, swirling energy casting flickers of light in the merchant's eyes. The merchant thought he had a spartial ring where he was pulling them from so didn’t bother since it was something common. First, he placed low-level monster cores on the counter, then mid-tier, and finally, the cores of high-ranking monsters—all laid before the merchant in a neat, glowing pile.

The merchant’s jaw dropped as he stared at the growing collection, his hands trembling with shock. “These… These are mid and high-tier cores! Where did you—” He stopped himself, realizing who he was speaking to. No celestial in the Genesis portal had ever ventured so deep into the portal’s core. To hunt monsters of such rank required a group of elite celestials, and even then, they barely survived. Yet, Gershion, a lone celestial, had returned with more than a dozen of them.

His gaze shifted to the towering dragon that loomed silently behind Gershion, its eyes gleaming with latent power. The realization hit him like a tidal wave. "Could it be...you went into the core of Genesis? Alone?"

Gershion simply nodded, his face calm and impassive. He watched the merchant carefully, noting the growing awe in the man’s expression.

The merchant, still trembling, hurriedly reached into his robes and pulled out a VIP card, its surface gleaming with a faint celestial glow. It was unlike any other card—this was a Purple VIP Card, reserved only for celestials of extreme importance.

“This… This is for you, Mr. Gershion,” the merchant stammered, handing the card over with both hands, as if presenting a royal gift. “This card grants you access to every Global Trade Merchant Shop. Anywhere. Anytime.” He paused, still overwhelmed by the sheer impossibility of what he had just witnessed. “And... regarding the balance, after deducting the cost of the items, you still have...”

The merchant hesitated, taking a moment to double-check his calculations. His hands shook as he glanced up at Gershion. “You still have 3.5 million celestial coins. I've placed the remaining amount on this card.”

Gershion’s eyes flickered in interest as he took the purple card from the merchant’s hands and tucked it neatly into his storage ring. The merchant was still standing there, staring at him, too shocked to speak further.

“Thank you,” Gershion said with a small nod before turning to leave.

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He walked towards the exit teleportation portal with his dragon following closely behind. As they neared the shimmering runes that marked the portal’s boundaries, Gershion reached into his pocket for the teleportation fee and handed it to the operator.

When he arrived on the other side of the portal, he immediately spotted the same teleportation clerk who had greeted him earlier, an uninterested celestial engrossed in a holo-graphic display. The man had barely glanced at Gershion when he had first entered the Genesis portal, dismissing him as just another low-tier celestial with a meager essence.

The clerk, still immersed in his holo-display, sneered as Gershion emerged from the portal. “Back already, huh? I’m sure he only roamed around the outer layer to play it safe,” he muttered to himself, not even bothering to look up.

Just as he finished speaking, the teleportation runes flickered again, and a massive shadow filled the portal’s exit. The clerk’s holo-display flickered off as he raised his eyes, mouth half-open in mid-sneer—only to freeze at the sight before him.

Gershion’s dragon stepped through the portal, its form towering over the teleportation circle, eyes glowing with otherworldly power. The clerk’s expression shifted from smug arrogance to complete shock. He jumped to his feet, his mouth agape.

“Wha… What the—” The clerk stammered, nearly dropping his holo-tablet. His eyes widened as he glanced from the dragon to Gershion. “You… you ventured into the core of Genesis? And survived?”

Gershion didn’t acknowledge him. He simply walked past, heading toward the entry teleportation pad that would return him back into Genesis. However, something strange caught his attention. As he reached for the teleportation runes, expecting to be blocked by the system—after all, his celestial essence had recently skyrocketed reaching the archangel level, meaning he should have been barred from re-entering low-tier portals—he realized with surprise that the runes didn’t reject him.

“It is… allowing me to pass?” he muttered under his breath, puzzled.

His dragon stepped forward, and it too passed through the barrier without resistance. Gershion frowned. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Higher-tier celestials weren’t allowed into lower-tier portals.

He recalled the moment he had maxed out his stats upon defeating Astaroth and sealing the dark portal. Before, when he reached the archangel tier, he had felt an overwhelming repulsion from the Divine Will of the World—a force that kept beings like him from meddling in places they no longer belonged. But now? That repulsive force had vanished, replaced by a strange sense of belonging.

“Is this... the Divine Will showing appreciation?” Gershion wondered, his eyes narrowing. “Is it alive? Can it really recognize me?”

He was used to the divine laws of the world being rigid and unyielding, but this... this felt different. For the first time, it seemed as though the world was acknowledging him—accepting him, despite the demonic essence that now coursed through his veins.

But why? Was it because he had sealed the dark portal? Or was it something more—something deeper that connected him to the essence of the world itself?

As he stepped out of the teleportation circle, his thoughts remained clouded with questions. The world’s Divine Will had always been an impersonal force, indifferent to the struggles of individuals. But for some reason, it had chosen not to block his path.

Whatever the case, Gershion couldn’t help but feel a quiet sense of satisfaction. He had defied the expectations of celestial society, overcome the impossible, and now the world itself seemed to recognize his feats—even if the celestials didn’t.

With a silent nod to his dragon, he dashed out in a flash of light, leaving behind the still-shocked clerk, who remained frozen, staring wide-eyed at the empty teleportation pad.