“I’ll get you guys an Exoskeleton Reinforcement surgery if you defeat me.”
The group’s eyes widened.
“Am I dreaming?” Jack muttered. “This is too good to be true.”
The surgery was expensive.
Using the cheapest metal for it would cost them at least 1000 million dollars.
The price increased if the patient wanted to use a stronger metal.
“That’s not all,” Neo added. “I’ll use Orichalcum for the surgery for all of you.”
…!?
Jack opened his mouth and closed it, unable to form words.
Orichalcum was expensive.
It was rarely sold for money, and when it was, its price would go into billions.
“You really are filthy rich,” Mars chuckled from the side.
Neo could throw billions as if it was nothing for him.
His words made them excited.
The Exoskeleton Surgery, especially with Orichalcum, wasn’t something they could get.
Only Arthur had a dubious expression.
While others returned their focus to the game, Neo stood beside Arthur and spoke in a whisper.
“You can use another metal if you have something better.”
“…!”
“No need to be shocked. Your face was saying everything.”
Arthur smiled bitterly.
He kept his eyes on the game and spoke.
“Yeah, there is something else I want to use instead of Orichalcum.”
“That is…?”
Arthur pursed his lips.
He wanted to be cryptic but decided against it.
“Bones of Old Gods.”
“I see.”
“Sheesh, I thought this would be enough to surprise you.”
“I’ll be surprised if Jack gets more marks than us in the exams.”
Arthur chuckled.
“Do you know about the bones of Old Gods?”
“Somewhat.”
“They are the bones of Titans. Not many of them remain now.
“Almost any bone that was excavated from the corpses has been used to create Ancient Weapons.”
Neo nodded.
Arthur continued,
“You might not know, but Ancient Weapons were the names given to the replicas of the Weapons of Gods.
The Lightning Bolt, Poseidon’s Trident, the Hades—”
“Arthur.”
Neo interrupted.
“We aren’t in a class.”
Arthur’s face flushed, and he chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
Both of them became silent for a few moments.
Neo took out his device and scrolled through his messaging app.
He was going through the random numbers that messaged him after he closed the Greenwood Labyrinth and Window.
He stopped searching when he found a particular number.
“Arthur, where are you going to get the bones?”
“I haven’t thought about it. I do have a place where I can start searching.
“It might take a few months—”
“Not might. It definitely would take you a few years — if you are lucky enough to find a Bone of an Old God that is.”
Arthur couldn’t refute Neo’s words.
Before he could say anything, Neo spoke up,
“Keep your schedule open for the next few months. I’ll help you get a bone.”
“Huh? What do you mean—”
“I’ll tell you about it when I have completed the preparations.”
The table tennis continued late into the night.
They split off after the game and went to their rooms.
Neo opened the door to his personal room.
Just as he stepped inside, he sensed a presence.
He noticed a woman with mechanical legs sitting on the chair next to his bed.
“What do you want?”
“…?” Luna was surprised. “Not ‘who are you’ but ‘what do I want?’
“Do you know me?”
He did know who she was.
Even id he didn’t, he had noticed her outside the labyrinth, and she had sent him a message, so he knew she was coming.
“I don’t know you, but no one can enter the Hargraves mansion without permission.
“I’m pretty sure you are here because my brother allowed you.”
“You are good,” the woman spoke. “You thought about the situation carefully instead of panicking.”
Neo sat on the other chair.
Luna, the woman, opened her mouth,
“I’m Luna Burton. I am—was—the leader of one of the excavation teams of the Hargraves Corporation.”
“The excavation teams?”
“Our jobs are to collect materials for weapons. Precious materials are always rare and in places that are out of reach.
“Hargraves Corporation sends powerful demigods to collect these materials.”
Neo nodded.
“What do you want with me?”
Instead of answering, Luna asked something else.
“Do you know about the bones of Old Gods?”
“I do.”
“Oh, that’s surprising. I thought it was a subject for the third semester in the academy.”
“I have a studious friend. He told me about them.”
“Well, this makes things easier.”
Luna added,
“The bones of Old Gods can make extremely powerful weapons.
“The Trident of Poseidon — the trident you gave to Henry — is made from multiple such bones.”
For the first time, Neo was surprised. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
This was something he didn’t know.
“You know about the trident?”
“Yes? Why wouldn’t I know—oh, wait, I guess I forgot to tell you about this…”
She explained,
“I became a member of the R&D department after leaving the excavation team.
“In fact, I’m the leading researcher responsible for converting the trident into a usable serum for you.”
“I see…”
She waved her hand.
“Anyway, the point is, bones of Old Gods are extremely rare.
“Even a fingernail-sized piece of bone can throw the world into chaos. Everyone would compete to get its ownership.
“And I know a place where we can get those bones in abundance.”
“….”
“Come on, you don’t believe me, do you?”
She slapped her mechanical legs.
“I lost these legs while trying to get to that place.
“Heck, the bones used to create the Soul Series Weapons were excavated from there. Though I lost my legs — and entire team — in the process.”
As she spoke, her eyes went towards Obitus resting at Neo’s waist.
The sword was one of the four Soul Series weapons.
Only Neo knew the Soul Series Weapons would be called God Slayer Weapons in the future. The bones of Old Gods were that powerful of a foundation metal.
Neo opened his mouth to speak, but Luna spoke before him.
“I’m not trying to guilt-trip you or anything. We were paid for the job, and we took it knowing the risks.
“My point is, the place I’m talking about exists.
“There is a huge amount of bones that have yet to be excavated.”
“…”
Neo pursed his lips.
“Where is this place?”
“Glad you asked.”
She grinned and pointed at the floor.
“There.”
“The ground?”
“No.” She corrected him. “The continent.”
“…?”
“The bedrock of our continent is the corpse of the Great Titan, Oceanus, and his blood is the ocean.”
Silence.
Neo didn’t say anything.
Luna, believing Neo was too shocked, gave him time to digest her words.
She opened her mouth after a few minutes,
“I know it sounds completely unbelievable. Anyone would tell you I’ve gone insane.
“But the weapon you are carrying — the sword — is the proof that bones of Old Gods exist in the continent’s crust.
“I have plenty of proof that it is Oceanus’ corpse.”
She continued,
“The problem is, the aura of Death surrounding the corpse of a Great Titan like Oceanus is too powerful.
“Whatever killed Oceanus was so strong that its aftereffects haven’t disappeared until now.
“My legs — and my team — died thanks to it.
“I’ve tried everything, but my legs won’t heal or regenerate.
“That’s how strong the death around the corpse is,” she explained.
“So you want me to go down and excavate the bones?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”
Luna’s brows furrowed.
Although she had been excited, her enthusiasm started to wane after talking with Neo.
He was a rich and strong.
He was a prodigy with a bright future ahead of him.
There was no reason for him to endanger his life and excavate the bones of the Great Titan Oceanus.
He would refuse.
Luna was sure of it.
“Got it. However, I have one condition.”
“Please think about it again before you refuse… wait, what?”
“I’ll bring one of my friends along with me.”
Luna blinked.
She had a hard time believing her ears.
“You are agreeing… to my request?”
“Yes—”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
She jumped and hugged him tightly.
Neo heard his bones creak when she failed to hold back.
The air was pushed out of his lungs.
“I’ll go and tell the news to the other guys!
“As for your friend, he can follow you if he gives his consent!”
She waved and jumped out of the window in an excited, hurried pace.
Neo shook his head with a smile.
“I secured a way to get the bone for Arthur at least.”
Neo slept after taking a shower.
He had to undergo thorough makeup from the professional for the press conference after he woke up.
Although Neo wanted to refuse, he agreed to it when the butler remained adamant.
He met up with his friends before noon and went towards the press conference venue.
The place was filled with reporters.
They tried to surround Neo when he arrived, though the guards stopped them.
“I’ll see you guys later.”
“Got it. We’ll go get seated in the guest area,” Arthur said.
They were about to leave when Mars approached Neo.
“Neo….”
He placed his hands on Neo’s shoulder.
“You’ve become a celebrity thanks to everything you’ve done in past months.
“The reporters will ask question that you won’t like you and try to get answers from you.
“Stay calm. Answer only if you want. If you don’t divert the question.”
Jack spoke from the side.
“If you are nervous, just know things like these will become common in the future.
“You’ll have to attend a lot more interviews — bigger than this one — because you are a friend of the future Great Necromancer, Jack Hanma.
“Something at this level shouldn’t bother you.”
Neo rolled his eyes.
The group laughed.
They split off and went to their respective areas.
Neo met with Henry.
“You finally look presentable, little shit.”
“You look good too.”
Henry clicked his tongue when he saw Neo wasn’t bothered in the least with the curses.
“Are you ready for the interview?”
“Somewhat,” Neo answered. “But is there a need for all of this?”
“Of course, there is.”
Henry snorted.
“It would look weird if the heir of Hargraves Corporation didn’t attend the press conference.”
“…?”
Neo’s brows creased.
“Heir?”
“Stop asking everything twice, dumb fuck.”