Earth's Alpha Prime

To no one's surprise, Earth Team was ranked at the top. Wibbit announced a three-hour break, asking everyone to reconvene at the Colosseum for the start of Round Two.

The second rank went to Urzo's Guastea Team. Most people avoided them, fearing any connection with Urzo might lead to trouble. But as Earth Team remained seated, the Guastea Team made their way over, stopping near Jay.

Zeix, the shortest and thinnest among them, stepped forward while the other nine members stayed silent. Despite their pride in being part of the elite 1% who lived in their home planet's city domes, they carried themselves cautiously in Jay's presence.

Zeix stepped forward, his eyes darting briefly to the Earth team before locking onto Jay. 

He seemed nervous but determined as he spoke.

"Jay," Zeix began, his voice low but steady. "Thank you for saving me from Urzo. I owe you my life, Jay. Without you, neither I nor anyone else would have escaped his grasp."

He hesitated briefly before continuing, his tone steady but earnest. "I'd like to stand by your side, if you'll allow it. I may not have much to offer yet, but I'll prove my worth."

Jay studied him carefully, remembering how Zeix had stepped in during the fight with Urzo. Even though it was likely to save himself, Zeix had acted when there was no need to. Jay stayed quiet, focusing his mind as he looked into Zeix's memories.

He sifted through them, searching for any sign of hidden loyalty to Urzo. But everything was clear—Zeix was genuine and had no ties to Urzo beyond being on the same team.

Zeix frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"Become my Sigil Holder," Jay said plainly. "With this, he won't be able to possess you again. The sigil doesn't control you like Urzo did, but it does place restrictions on the stats I provide you and the Innate Talent you share with me—though only if you have any intention of harming me."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Zeix hesitated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You're sure about this?"

Jay's voice was firm. "Once you have the sigil, he won't be able to control you at all."

After a moment, Zeix nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."

Jay raised a hand, touched his glabella as the process of giving him a Minor Origin Sigil . Jay half-expected it to fail—his past attempts with Dante had. But this time, it worked, marking Zeix as a holder and granting Jay access to his Unique Talent.

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║PHANTOM INVENTORY║

(Grade Unknown) (Unique Category)

Allows the host to collect broken 'Space-Time' chunks, merging them into a secure, personal storage space accessible only by them. The storage expands as more chunks are absorbed, offering increased capacity and tactical advantages.

Current Inventory Space

100 x 100 x 100 (meters)

Next upgrade requirement 

10 Tier-4 storage space Items.

Innate Exclusive Skills 

║PHANTOM FORM║

Allows the user to become immaterial, evading physical attacks and passing through solid objects for a short duration.

║INVENTORY PLANE║

Grants the user the ability to perceive and access the hidden Inventory Realm, revealing concealed items and spaces.

║PHANTOM LOCK║

Allows the user to extend a fragment of their personal Inventory Space onto a target, immobilizing them temporarily.

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Another view unfolded before Jay, revealing the surroundings in an entirely new way. A different plane of perception had opened up to him, one he had never experienced before.

Within a 10-kilometer radius, everything related to storage spaces became visible through a sense that didn't align with any of the seven senses he possessed. It was similar to how he had started sensing souls after gaining access to Olivia's Innate Talent.

The storage spaces appeared in his mind as glowing, ethereal constructs, shaped like delicate wireframe cubes. They pulsed with a soft, luminous light, hovering a few meters above the Alpha Chosen who owned them. Delicate space strings extended from each cube, tethering them to the storage equipment that served as their anchor.

Every storage space cube in this radius was concentrated within the Colosseum since all the Alpha Chosen were gathered there. Jay noticed the varied dimensions of the cubes. 

Those with Grade-3 Spirit Equipment, capable of storing 10 x 10 x 10 meters of space, appeared only one-tenth of their actual size. Everything inside the cubes was similarly shrunk, matching the compressed dimensions of the storage space.

In reality, the storage spaces were merely compressed dimensions linked directly to the storage item, with the internal space remaining unchanged.

He wasn't surprised to see that more than one-third of the Alpha Chosen present had access to some form of Storage Item. Given that they were the best from their respective Trial Regions, it made sense that many had acquired such valuable tools.

When Jay focused on a storage cube, he could perceive everything stored within it. Yet, none of the resources he saw caught his interest. Compared to what he had already collected, the combined contents of all the storage spaces there were insignificant.

Then, one storage space cube stood out. Its dimensions were far larger than the rest—50 x 50 x 50 meters. Jay traced the energy streams back to its owner and discovered that it belonged to none other than the Tournament Manager, Wibbit.

Despite its massive capacity, the cube's contents were sparse. Only a few essentials and some Essence Fruits below Grade-3 were stored within. 

(Author's Note: In the revamped chapters, I'm referring to the Spiritual/Magical fruits as "Essence Fruits." It felt inconsistent to call specific ones Spirit Fruits while using "Spiritual Fruits" as a blanket term for the entire range.)

For someone of Wibbit's power and high position in one of the top ten forces of the Virgo Supercluster, the contents of his storage space were meager—barely worth mentioning. Anyone familiar with the System-assimilated Universe would expect that much.

Jay understood why. As the Tournament Manager, Wibbit wasn't allowed to carry high-grade items or contract-based resources. This restriction was enforced by the System to prevent managers from coercing participants into joining their respective factions.

Jay decided not to focus on the storage spaces any longer and turned his attention to his own. Unlike most, he didn't need a Spirit Item to access it. The storage space he now possessed was enormous, measuring 100 x 100 x 100 meters—large enough to hold nearly any resources he needed.

The only downside was that he had to share it with Zeix. Still, Jay wasn't overly concerned. The ability ensured he could monitor whenever Zeix accessed it, just as Zeix would notice if Jay did the same.

Jay was relieved that the cooldown of shared skills under the Origin Sigil didn't apply to both users. If he used one of Zeix's skills, only Jay would deal with the cooldown, and vice versa. This allowed him greater flexibility.

He decided to test the new abilities he had gained through Zeix's Unique Talents,║PHANTOM INVENTORY║and║NEUTRALIZER║. The former could be utilized immediately by synchronizing with Zeix's current mastery. However, the latter would require more work.

Jay could only claim either the talent or its mastery, not both. He had chosen the║NEUTRALIZER║talent, as the mastery alone was useless without the ability itself. 

Now, he would need to develop the skill's mastery from scratch. Considering its powerful function—nullifying the targeted opponent's skills—Jay felt it was worth the effort. 

He planned to raise its mastery as soon as possible, though this, along with synchronizing with║PHANTOM INVENTORY║, would have to wait until they reached the Rest House assigned to Earth Team.

Only the top 100 teams from Round One were moving forward to Round Two. The remaining teams, though disqualified, seemed more relieved than disappointed. For many, surviving the terrifying ordeal was already a victory.

The Colosseum began to empty as teams exited through the entrances and exits positioned at its four corners. Jay and the Earth Team joined the flow, walking alongside the other teams from their Trial Region toward the Rest Houses.

Before they could leave, however, Wibbit descended toward them on his hovering metal disc. His voice carried over the crowd as he began listing the benefits his faction would offer if Jay joined them.

The terms were nothing short of astonishing. Even those who had already expected Wibbit's offer found themselves taken aback by how tempting it was. Yet, despite the overwhelming generosity, everyone knew Jay wouldn't agree. Still, the sheer magnitude of the offer left them all speechless.

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Author Note: 

The revamped version of Volume 1 is now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new edition!

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Volume 2 Revamped Chapter Release Schedule

📅 Daily Releases – A revamped chapter will be released every day until Chapter 130.

These revamped chapters won't interfere with the usual chapter updates, ensuring consistent daily content for all readers.

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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.

The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.

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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :

.gg/maQC7xDBYZ

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