Chapter 36: This Too Is A Part Of Your Training
"Fuck, if I'm here, might as well complete the task."
Neo rushed towards the burned bonfire.
The Gremlins in his path were pushed away. Their attacks did nothing against Ocean's Embrace.
He kicked the bonfire and a flagpost was revealed.
'Thank god, it's actually here.'
If it wasn't, he might've really cried.
He pushed the flag into its place.
Nothing happened.
"It's done, right? Don't tell me I have to make sure the flag isn't pulled out—"
Neo's senses flared.
An attack from behind.
He raised his arm.
A sword sliced through the Ocean's Embrace and cut halfway into his arm.
When the blade stopped in place, Neo smashed the elbow of his other hand into the Gremlin who stood behind him.
The Gremlin moved its head to dodge the attack.
It pulled back the sword and kicked Neo in the back.
Neo crashed into the heaps of burned bonfire.
Before he could move, the Gremlin jumped on top of him and stabbed the sword at his heart.
'An evolved Gremlin?'
It was bigger than others, almost the same size as Neo, and had defined muscles.
Neo was not its match in physical contest.
Nevertheless, Neo grabbed the blade before it pierced him.
Ocean's Embrace saved his fingers from being sliced off.
The Gremlin grunted.
It increased the strength and tried to push the blade.
Before the Spell could be breached again, Neo kicked its shin.
The attack threw it off balance and Neo broke its neck with three stacks of Necrotic Touch.
Neo could only see Gremlins everywhere he turned.
They weren't a threat individually, but even an elephant would fall against an ocean of ants.
Neo tried to dash out of the encirclement.
He didn't think.
There was no time to waste.
He had to escape before the hundreds of Gremlins returned.
The Gremlins attacked as if they didn't care about their life. They tried to stop him even just for a second.
When Neo was confused by their vigor, they suddenly threw ropes around him.
…!
'These fuckers, they are used to fighting someone stronger than them.'
Neo grabbed the ropes and pulled with a snap.
Unfortunately, multiple evolved held the ends of the ropes.
It was the end of the rope for him.
Neo could not escape.
Desperate, he used Necrotic Touch to shatter his left hand tied by the rope.
The pain sent waves of agony across his mind.
But.
He had no choice.
The encirclement was stable because it was being pulled from all sides.
When one of the ropes got cut, the encirclement lost its stability.
Neo crouched and dashed into the group of nearest Gremlins.
He used Necrotic Touch to finish the evolved Gremlin that jumped out.
His Divine Energy was about to hit rock bottom.
The anemia was making him feel as if he was about to die.
A sword stabbed into his back and he realized the Ocean's Embrace had worn off. He could not maintain it any longer.
The Gremlins pounced on him.
A heavy blow to his head threw him to the ground.
He tried to use Necrotic Touch but failed.
At the same time, he felt pain in his legs. His bones were being crushed and his flesh was torn apart.
Neo didn't stop fighting.
'Just a bit more!'
He released his aura of death.
The Gremlins, residents of Underworld, were not affected in the least.
However, they shrieked when Neo used the Darkness element.
The groups of monsters feeding on his body backed away.
They stood at the border of the darkness stretching below him.
Neo struggled to keep his eyes open.
He didn't look at his body, afraid of what he might see.
All of his energy was diverted towards maintaining the Darkness domain beneath his feet.
The Gremlins knew it could devour them.
And they understood it was Neo's dying struggle.
'Just a bit more.'
Strength slipped from Neo's grasp.
The darkness began to shrink.
Gremlins pounced on him with a savage grin.
And…
'It's done.'
[Time Remaining: 00 hours: 00 minutes]
[Immortal time limit finished.]
[You will be revived forcibly.]
Neo's eyes snapped open.
He woke up on the hotel bed.
…
Underworld
Barbatos stared at the camp of Gremlins.
The monsters were in disarray after Neo suddenly disappeared.
"We miscalculated. He had a Tremor-ranked defensive spell."
Barbatos lowered his gaze at the broken branch.
It was the same branch from which Neo fell and was forced to fight the Gremlins.
A sigh left Barbatos' lips.
"Forgive us, O Great Child of Monarch. But this too is a part of your training. No amount of physical strength can help a weak mind."
Barbatos was the reason why Neo got caught and why the Gremlins returned so quickly.
He had to make sure Neo lost.
Because Neo had to understand defeat.
Neo, with the bloodline of Hades, had the potential to dominate the world.
But that was all.
Potential meant nothing if he could not achieve it.
Humans had the potential to run 100 meters in 9.5 seconds if they reached their max potential.
How many could actually do it?
Only 0.1% of humans at best.
If students studied, they had the potential to enter the best universities or colleges.
How many actually cracked an exam?
Barely a small percentage.
Potential was just potential in the end.
If Neo lacked the drive to improve, he could never achieve anything substantial.
Barbatos gave him the push.
This defeat….
It would either break Neo or it would change him for the better.
"We hope you will succeed, O Great Child of Monarch."
…
Dover Hotel
"Fuck…"
Neo covered his face to hide his terrible expression.
"I lost… Fuck…"
The plan failed.
He almost died.
Not almost.
He might've survived, but he would die the next time he appeared in the Underworld.
The location he would arrive at was where he had left from.
So.
He would wake up in the Gremlin tribe.
Besides, would he even heal?
His body was badly injured in today's battle.
If he reappeared with those wounds, he would die within a minute.
...
A/N:
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