Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 107

Chapter 107: A Place to Stay
Ethan grumbled to himself but got no response.

Morzan had only spoken that one cryptic phrase before going completely silent.

It seemed like he was agreeing with Celeste’s warning.

Ethan sighed and turned to her. “Alright, but what about my guys? If you really planned on tossing them into an isolated mountain, we’d have a serious problem.”

Celeste glanced at the car.

“They may not have special abilities, but they’re top-tier military talent. They won’t be part of the Ninth Division’s core, but they qualify for squad roles.”

“With them, that makes five of us. We just need one more to form a full task force. Most squads in the Ninth Division have a similar setup. It’s not like every team is full of Controllers or Mutants, people with special abilities are rare.”

Ethan thought for a moment. “And outside of missions, what do we actually do?”

He had a reason for asking. After all, he still needed to play Ethereal.

His strength came from the game. Morzan had told him that growing stronger in Ethereal would make him stronger in reality, too. Not to mention, he had a Divine Bloodline. Once activated, who knew what kind of abilities it would unlock?

Celeste shrugged. “Unless there’s a mission, you’re free to do whatever you want. You’ve got that gym, right? Just have them work there.”

Ethan blinked.

Was she seriously suggesting that he hire the guys she dragged into this mess?

“You’re telling me I have to put them on my payroll?” he asked, deadpan.

Celeste rolled her eyes, though with her sunglasses on, he couldn’t see it. “Since they’re in the Ninth Division, they’ll get paid. Don’t worry, the benefits are solid.”

And with that, she climbed into the car.

Ethan sighed, pulling out his phone. Ethereal’s communication system was linked to reality. Text messages, calls, anything he received in real life would show up in-game as well.

He sent Leo a quick message:

“We’re all up. If you guys aren’t busy, log out. Let’s grab some food and figure out our next steps.”

After finishing his cigarette, Ethan climbed into the car just as Leo, Victor, and Williams were taking off their VR headsets. He settled into the front seat and gave Williams directions. Their destination?

His gym.

___

The gym’s third floor had several empty rooms meant for staff housing. But since most of the employees had their own places nearby, the space had been sitting unused.

Ethan led the group inside.

“For now, you guys can stay here. The place is empty anyway. Not much to do besides keeping an eye on things, but Quinn manages most of it, so just help out when needed.”

“I’ll find you all a proper place soon, and I’ll get each of you a VR Capsule. But for now, just make do.”

After sorting that out, he turned to Celeste. “By the way, where’s Celia?”

Victor had just gotten married, splitting them up after only a day didn’t seem right.

Celeste answered flatly, “At your house.”

“What? And you’re just telling me now?” Ethan grabbed Victor and the others, rushing back to the villa.

___

As they pulled up, Ethan immediately spotted Celia standing outside the house.

She wasn’t alone. Three people stood with her, clearly security. They were probably the bodyguards Celeste had assigned to protect her.

Victor frowned. “Didn’t you say Celia would be sent somewhere safe?”

His tone was sharp, when it came to her safety, he wasn’t going to compromise.

Celeste, unfazed, replied, “She is safe. This place has one of the most advanced security systems money can buy—cost over a hundred million. You tell me, safe or not?”

Ethan raised a brow. He hadn’t known that. He glanced at Lyla, who simply nodded. Clearly she was aware.

Right at that moment, Celeste stepped out of the car. “Alright, we’re out.”

And just like that, she left. No further explanation. No concern.

Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it. ‘So you’re just gonna dump Celia here, huh?’

But he couldn’t say that out loud, not in front of Victor and Celia. It would sound like he was kicking them out.

Truth be told, he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of someone else living here. He and Lyla, this was their own private world. A third person? That just made things… awkward.

Victor must have caught on, though, because he scratched his head awkwardly.

“Maybe Celia should just stay at the gym with us,” he offered. “We’ll be together, and there won’t be any issues.”

“Daytime, sure,” Ethan said. “But what about at night? Everyone’s in Ethereal then.”

He wasn’t just speaking hypothetically. In his last life, being attacked while in the game had happened more than once. And more recently was right before his rebirth.

VR headsets had motion detectors, so they’d issue a warning if someone approached. Problem was, the first time it happened, Ethan had been renting a tiny shared apartment. The walls were so thin, the alert went off constantly from his neighbors moving around.

By the time he realized the real threat… it had been too late.

Lyla, sensing his discomfort, stepped forward and took his hand.

“Forget the gym. You guys can just stay across the street.”

Victor blinked. “Huh?”

“I was half-asleep in the car earlier, so I forgot to mention it. There are a few empty villas nearby.”

She pointed to a house across from theirs. “Same security setup as this place. Victor, you and Celia can take the biggest room on the second floor. Consider it your honeymoon suite.”

Then, she turned to Leo and Williams.

“As for you two? Third floor. You wouldn’t want to get in the way of their alone time, right?”

Ethan noticed how she emphasized those last two words.

Wait.

Did she just say ‘a few’ empty villas? He’d been living here for a while and never saw neighbors.

‘Hold up… are all these houses Lyla’s?!’

Leo and Williams exchanged glances, then groaned.

“So what, single people don’t get rights?”

Lyla grinned mischievously. “Nope! But hey, if you guys ever find girlfriends, I’ll let you pick one of those two villas.”

She pointed to the homes on either side of Victor’s.

Leo and Williams turned to inspect them, then looked back at her.

“…Lyla, you got any sisters?” Leo asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” Williams added. “Older? Younger? Maybe a cousin?”

Lyla rolled her eyes. “Dream on.”

Leo threw up his hands. “This isn’t fair. Ethan’s not as tall as me, not as handsome, and somehow he gets to live the good life.”

Ethan’s foot met Leo’s shin.

“You calling me a freeloader?!” he laughed.

Leo stumbled back, clutching his leg dramatically. “DID I LIE?! You’re literally living off her, man!”

“I’ll show you who’s freeloading—” Ethan lunged at him.

Victor, Celia, and Williams stood off to the side, shaking their heads, laughing. The tension from the night before finally faded, washed away by the morning sun.

Only Lyla, though she was smiling, still had something on her mind.

And Ethan?

Even as he joked around, his thoughts drifted to Celeste’s request.

‘How exactly do you play the role of a spy?’