“We have powerful defenders,” Neo said.
Silence descended in the room.
Jack stood up and paced around the room.
The wooden floor creaked beneath his steps.
He had found the truth behind many secrets—secrets someone like him wasn’t supposed to know—in just a few minutes.
His mind raced with the implications of everything he’d just learned.
A few minutes later, he returned to his seat.
His face was pale.
“Sigh, there is a lot I still don’t understand, but let’s focus on why you called me here.
“Why do you want me to go excavate the bones?” Jack questioned, trying to bring the conversation back to the immediate issue.
“First of all, there aren’t many bones.
“Luna thinks there are many, but it was a coincidence that she entered the place exactly where the most of the bones are,” Neo explained.
“How many bones are we talking about here?” Jack asked.
“Enough to make over a hundred weapons.”
“A hundred True Soul Weapons!?”
“Calm down. Not True Soul Weapons. Spirits aren’t so easy to find. I don’t think there are any more Spirits within those bones.”
There was a lot Neo didn’t clarify.
For one, Spirits could only be born within living beings.
In other words, those Void Entities to whom the bones belonged weren’t dead. Technically at least. They were weakened though. A lot at that.
“I-I see. Still, what about the aura of death that Luna Barten found while digging?” Jack asked
Luna Barten thought the whole continent’s crust was a corpse.
The cause was the aura of Death that came from everywhere.
If the aura of Death wasn’t from the bones, then from where did it come?
Neo looked at Jack with a strange gaze.
“Do you realize you just asked a stupid question?” Neo said. “What do you think is present under the world that is releasing the aura of death?”
“Something that is present under the world. Oh!”
Jack’s eyes widened with realization.
“It’s Underworld! Wait, but I thought the Underworld exists within another dimension? How come it is under the world?”
“It is inside another dimension that exists within the earth,” Neo clarified.
Jack nodded slowly.
The room was silent for a moment.
Suddenly, Jack’s expression changed as he came up with another question.
“What about the Blood Sea? Why does it have an aura of Death if it isn’t the blood of Oceanus?”
“Blood Sea is created by the blood of someone, I think so at least. But I’m pretty sure it’s not from Oceanus.”
“You don’t know where the Blood Sea came from?” Jack asked with skepticism.
“I don’t know.”
Jack seemed unconvinced.
He didn’t pursue the topic further and brought the conversation back to the earlier point.
“I guess I understand why you want me to go with everyone for the excavation. You want me to take the bones before anyone gets their hands on them.”
“That’s correct.”
Neo nodded and added,
“To be honest, since the bones belong to Void Entities, the correct procedure would be to warn the authorities.
“But I’m sending you guys there.
“Because it’s a good opportunity to train for all of you. And I don’t want to share the bones with anyone,” Neo explained.
Neo had become a proper Ascender.
Unlike before, he could devour the bones of Void Entities with True Darkness.
‘I wonder how much boost will I get from devouring them,’ he thought.
“That’s actually a good way for us to train,” Jack muttered.
His mind raced.
He had touched the peak of Grade 3 Empyrean Demigod rank once before.
He could reach that rank again. This time, far faster.
Moreover, their world had more resources that could boost a Demigod’s growth speed.
Jack believed he would need only 1-3 years to reach Grade 3 Empyrean rank, unlike before when it took him thirty years.
‘Seems like he is excited,’ Neo thought
During the Age of Gods, Jack had been busy helping others.
High-rank awakeners like him were supposed to protect civilians and cities from monsters.
It helped Jack strengthen his foundation to a high degree—there were only a few Empyrean-rank awakeners who could defeat Jack back then—but it delayed his progression speed.
‘Due to the day-to-day fights, his foundation became solid, but it slowed down his ranking-up speed.’
This time, Jack—already knowing how to lay a perfect foundation—could focus on ranking up as fast as possible.
“It’s the best idea!” Jack grinned.
His smile, however, suddenly stiffened.
“What about the Academy? I doubt they will allow us to go on the excavation for months.”
“Second-semester students can go for missions outside the academy if there is a senior looking over them.
“Ask Amelia. I doubt she will refuse you guys,” Neo replied. “If she refuses, I will ask someone from the student council.”
“That should work.”
Jack talked with Neo a bit more before he left.
The door creaked as it opened and closed, leaving Neo alone in the room.
Neo stretched his neck.
“I guess I’ve completed my tasks here. I can go to the Underworld finally now,” Neo muttered to himself, standing up.
He reached for his Grim Reaper badge and pulled it out.
“I wonder if this thing works.”
The timeline had changed and Neo technically was no longer a Grim Reaper.
The badge, which once allowed him to travel between the Underworld and the world of the living, was not supposed to work.
But there was a chance someone among the Grim Reapers remembered Neo becoming a Grim Reaper and saved the 73rd Grim Reaper position for him.
“Let’s see if this thing works.”
Just as Neo was about to use the badge, a sudden sound interrupted him.
Multiple screens appeared before his eyes.
Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
[Status Screen update completed.]
[User, Neo Hargraves, can now view his Status profile.]
Neo raised his brows.
“This thing finally upgraded?”
He wondered why the update had taken so long.
As far as he knew, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
“No point in thinking about things I can’t find the answer for,” Neo said. “It’s better if I focus on important things.
“Status.”