Neo activated his blessing.
His speed increased sharply, and his injuries began to heal.
He shot forward like a bullet.
The world blurred around him.
The distant rustling of leaves and the chirping of the birds faded into the background.
Just as he took a step, something struck his shin.
He tripped, his momentum betraying him, and fell face-first into the ground.
The impact sent a jolt of pain through his body as dust and loose dirt scattered into the air.
“Fweeeet! Fweeeet! Fweeeet!”
Neo groaned, pushing himself up, only to find an ostrich towering over him.
The oversized bird stood there, its beady eyes gleaming with what could only be amusement.
Neo blinked, baffled.
Short head, long neck, shaggy feathers, two-toed feet with sharp claws—it looked like an actual ostrich.
If Neo hadn’t been tripped and killed by them before, he would’ve thought these were just normal ostriches.
But…
“Fweeeet! Fweeeet!”
‘Is it just me, or is this birdbrain laughing at me?’
The ostrich stamped its feet, unmistakably taunting.
Its beak curled slightly in what could only be described as a smirk—an irritating, smug smirk.
After one last mocking call, the bird took a step and disappeared in a blink.
Neo sat up straight, his hands digging into the dirt as he turned to look at Percival and Kane.
Kane had a knowing smile.
He had expected this.
Percival, on the other hand, was doubled over, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably.
Neo stood up, dusting himself off.
His gaze shifted to the tree he had been aiming for, but the fruit no longer interested him.
His main goal changed. He would bash the face of that birdbrain first, then take the apple.
“Why the fuck are you laughing?”
“I never thought I’d see someone getting trolled by a bird.” Percival wheezed, barely containing his amusement.
“You got killed by it. At least I could move, unlike you.”
Percival shrugged, as if saying getting killed was still better than being humiliated.
“Hah, this is fun.” Percival finally calmed down, setting his massive hammer down and rolling his shoulders. “But I’d rather not die again. So, I’ll finish it now.”
He took a step forward.
“Come, Sunshine.” Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire
A second sun materialized in the sky, blazing brilliantly above them.
The temperature spiked, and waves of heat rippled through the air.
Basking in divine light, Percival’s aura flared, surging in intensity.
Golden flames erupted around him.
His muscles tensed, and veins glowed faintly beneath his skin with golden hue.
A slight, almost imperceptible shift occurred in his gaze—his irises burning with newfound strength.
‘The blessing of Apollo: [Might],’ Neo thought.
Percival had effectively reached the strength of a Grade 3 Exalted.
Without hesitation, he bolted towards the tree.
The air exploded around him, shockwaves rippling outward, and he left a blazing trail of golden fire behind him.
Neo raised a brow at the sheer speed when—
Percival’s body jerked violently.
His momentum cut off instantly, and he collapsed like a puppet with its strings severed.
A hole had been drilled clean through his head.
He was dead.
“Seriously?”
His soul hovered over his lifeless body, staring at the corpse incredulously.
“I couldn’t even react in time.”
Apollo’s blessing was the strongest in terms of raw power.
To die so easily after activating it came as a shock.
The golden flames that had once surrounded him were now extinguished, leaving only the scorched ground.
Percival’s thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Neo’s faint smile.
His lips twitched.
“I died because I was careless.”
“Sure.”
His body disintegrated, turning to dust before vanishing entirely.
A moment later, a new body materialized around his soul, whole and unscathed.
He exhaled and walked back to the starting point.
“Your turn,” Percival said, rolling his shoulders.
“You two might want to work together on this one,” Kane suddenly interjected with a hint of amusement. “Those birds aren’t easy to defeat.”
“I can do it myself.” “I don’t need the help of others.”
Percival and Neo glanced at each other as their words overlapped.
Kane frowned but said nothing.
Then, after a brief pause, Percival spoke,
“The training is for us to participate in the Grand Expedition. I know teamwork is important, but we will fall short if we are too weak individually.”
Kane alternated his gaze between Neo and Percival before sighing.
“Do as you wish. But keep in mind, you only have five days.”
He flicked his wrist, and out of nowhere, a wooden chair appeared.
He sat down leisurely, smirking.
“I would recommend teamwork, but solo is also fine. No reason for me to refuse something that gets me a good laugh.”
Percival’s lips twitched at the blatant insult.
Neo, however, focused on something else entirely.
‘Where did that chair come from?’
His brows furrowed.
The more he thought about it, the more questions arose.
‘Now that I think about it, Kane appeared out of nowhere when I met him.’
‘How did he do that?’
‘Kane doesn’t have Space affinity. He shouldn’t be able to manipulate space since he lacks the spatial perception that Space affinity users have.’
‘If he tries to manipulate space, he should fall through dimensions like I did.’
Neo recalled Kane mentioning the Pseudo-Gap.
‘The Pseudo-Gap must be how he can do that.’
This could be the key to completing his training.
While Neo was lost in thought, Percival had begun his attempts already.
Again and again, he charged forward.
Again and again, he was killed.
Each time, his body dissolved and reformed at the starting point. The cycle repeated without pause.
“I should start as well,” Neo muttered.
He triggered the Artemis’ blessing.
A surge of power coursed through him as his control over the dark-type element increased.
Then, he used his own blessing.
His strength, elemental control, and elemental power shot through the roof.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly, unable to withstand the sudden spike in pressure.
Using two buff-type blessings was incredibly draining on his World Energy reserves, and it put a heavy strain on his body.
A sharp, internal ache was spreading through his muscles.
Neo didn’t care.
He activated [Infinite Mana], another buff from the Moon’s blessing, to work as the source of energy for the two skills gained from his blessings.