Chapter 26: The Divide
The reason behind the divide between the pope and the leader of the climbers association was because they were divided on a fundamental issue regarding Rocky.
To Cody, the most sensible choice seemed to be that the information around Rocky be restricted and the hype around him be killed.
The leaked video of Rocky was making rounds on the internet and by this point almost every man, woman and child on Earth had seen or heard about his branding as the champion although it had not even been a full 16 hours since the incident first took place.
Cody wanted to take him off the limelight as much as possible and hide information even from himself, to keep him safe.
Being the leader of the climber's association, he saw Rocky as an asset of Earth first and a champion of Gemini later.
His plan was to only reveal Rocky to be a S ranked talent to the universe, allow him to go into the tower and grow without the universal attention being centered on him and use him as an Earth's asset as and when needed.
He wanted to bury Rocky in university debt and force him to fight for Earth where he could be protected until he was sufficiently mature and ready
Cody knew that Rocky's presence could be a big morale boost for Earth's forces, especially during the year of death and Cody wished to control his image in a way that benefited everyone.
On the other hand, Cole, the pope, was having none of Cody's ideas.
He would not even listen to the reason behind the proposal of controlling the champions life as he boldly declared that
"His life is in the hands of Gemini, not trash like you-"
When it came to funding his education, Cole declared that he would bankrupt the Church rather than see the champion drown in petty debt and threatened to mobilize all religious men and Guildmasters against the association, should Cody try to enforce his judgment on Rocky.
It was a particularly difficult spot for Cody as well, as he could not deny the threat and Influence that Cole commanded.
Currently, Earth was more or less united under one law and the balance of power was even.
However, there was no denying that the Church of Gemini was THE biggest player with there being millions of religious fanatics who would not hesitate a second to lay their lives for Gemini.
For Cody to reign in Rocky, the support of the Church was crucial, however, Cole simply refused to take part in it.
The negotiations between the two broke down so spectacularly that Karna had to be brought in to mediate between the two, however since both Cody and Cole were incredibly strong climbers themselves, Karna had to bring Neatwit with him to keep matters calm.
Finally, out of the five people in the room, Amelia was the only one who had tagged along because she was genuinely worried for Rocky's health, as her presence in the room ensured that the other powerful climbers did not expose their aura.
That was how Rocky woke up to the tense atmosphere while being surrounded by some of the most important people on Earth, however, he did not understand the nuances and power struggles going on behind his back.
'SSS talent? Huh' Rocky thought to himself as he felt quite proud to be evaluated so highly.
He walked in with 0 expectations and underwent a groundbreaking event that would most likely go into the history books, however, just because Rocky had a SSS talent did not give him the assurance that he would become a god, as he knew all too well that only a few of those who possessed talent ever lived up to their potential.
Not letting his evaluation get to his head, Rocky remained calm and unfazed as he focused on the situation at hand.
"Rocky….. did you receive some revelation of any sort while undergoing the branding?" Cole asked politely with the expression of a devout as Rocky felt confused on how to reply to him.
He had not received any revelations while being branded, however, just looking into the hopeful eyes of the pope, Rocky could not bring himself to say 'No' as he made up a very slight lie.
"I don't remember, but I think I met someone who looked like Lord Shakuni from the books. In a white space" Rocky said as Cole began to burst out tears of joy as he banged his head on the wall in joy.
" He saw the lord!
He saw the lord!" he kept repeating while banging his head as at this point Rocky felt genuinely worried about the mental sanity of this man.
" This is an absolute disgrace, it's like he's possessed.
Karna talk some sense into him, I can't even get through his thick skull.
He's the leader of a religious organization and one of Earth's strongest climbers, yet he's behaving like those conmen who beg on the streets in the name of god" Cody complained as even Karna felt powerless in this situation.
Religion and faith was a topic where logic and rules did not apply.
There was no reasoning with a man who had surrendered himself to God as then he was not afraid of anyone and not bound to anything anymore.
Chapter 27: Choice
Rocky was presented with two choices.
A)To go to the university for nourishment of young talents with his real talent hidden and his profile as the champion of Gemini suppressed.
Going down this route would see him have his image on Earth tarnished, with the viral video of his branding being deemed a deep-fake and his status as a champion being denied.
If he decided to go down this road, He was to be given membership of the True Elites Guild and protected as a high priority individual on Earth and within the tower.
A core team would always be assigned to his protection detail and the truth about his true talent and status was to remain hidden until Rocky felt that he was prepared for the responsibility it brought and was strong enough to fend for himself on the universal stage.
This was the road Karna and Cody suggested that Rocky take as in their opinion it was the most practical approach.
While Cody also wanted to change Rocky's identity entirely and bury him in debt to exert more control, Karna convinced him to ditch the more extreme points, as he convinced him to take a more moderate approach.
B) The second choice for Rocky was to align with the church and reveal himself as the champion.
If he chose this path, Karna warned Rocky that his life would be fraught with needless challenges, the likes of which Rocky would not even have imagined.
Of Course the threat to his life was the most obvious drawback. Nefarious factions would always be after his life and Rocky would face a perpetual struggle for survival.
However, even if he ignored that, Karna warned Rocky from personal experience that once his talent and status was revealed he would be a target for various social conspiracies that he was not prepared for.
Karna explained how once his talent was revealed, men and women tried their hardest to genuinely please him and get closer to him, however, all of them did so with the hopes of getting closer to a rising star and how Karna could trust no-one because of his status.
He explained to Rocky how living a normal life would no longer be possible for him and how overnight his life would observe a drastic shift, however, after explaining all this, he finally let Rocky choose between the two choices, as in the end it was his own life at stake and nobody had the right to coerce him into doing something that he did not wish to do himself.
"So what will it be? Will you be sensible and patient? Or vain and dead?" Cody asked, as Rocky was tempted to say that he chose the first path.
Rocky was not a glory chaser. He wanted to make a big name for himself as a successful climber, but he wanted to do it for 'Himself' and not as the champion of anyone.
He did not care about the prestige that his position as the champion brought and he did not wish to tackle more trouble than he could handle, however, before he could mutter the words "I choose the first choice", the system screen lit up.
[ Strongest System Notification:- Lord Shakuni wishes to inform you that choosing the second path will help you rescue your sister faster- ]
A system notification popped up out of nowhere and informed Rocky that choosing the second path would help him save Riva faster, as the moment he read it, all other hesitation was removed from his mind as he answered confidently "I choose the second option-"
Karna and Neatwit let out and audible sigh together, while Cody bit his finger in frustration.
" CHILDISH CHOICE. FOOL! THE CHAMPION OF THE GODS IS AN IMMATURE FOOL" Cody shouted in anger as he stomped his feet, causing the entire medical facility to tremble because of his power.
" That's enough Cody, the champion has spoken.
The will of the champion is the will of the gods and I will not see the will of Gemini be disrespected.
You've done all you can. From here on out, let us handle the upbringing of the champion" Pope Cole said as he escorted everyone else out of Rocky's room.
While just a few days ago, the Bishop of the Church of Gemini wished to interrogate Rocky for being a heretic, now it's leader became a puppet in Rocky's hands.
Life was truly a mystery that way, as never in his wildest dreams could Rocky have ever imagined that his biggest backing would someday be the Church of Gemini.
" Please rest well, Champion, I will handle the imbeciles from here on out.
Also don't worry about the fees for your university education.
Everything shall be arranged" The pope assured Rocky as he closed the door to Rocky's room to give him some space.
**********
A few hours later, the church of Gemini made the earth shattering announcement regarding the verification of the champion and his connection to the divine and revealed Rocky to be a SSS talent that has never been seen in the history of mankind before.
This news was like petrol on fire for the media that was already ablaze with Rocky's content, as within hours a new sensation was born.
A picture of Rocky working out with the text
"Earth's First son.
Gemini's Champion.
Rocky Yadav"
Went viral on social media, as the name "First Son Of Earth" stuck alongside Rocky forever.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
21 Power
stone 
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