Child of Destiny

Later that day, the ones that Shin and the others were waiting for finally arrived.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The group arrived together as they traveled alongside each other to reach this place. Diablo was leading the group as he was the fastest and the one scouting the for the others.

He was also acting as the temporary ‘tank’ as he was the melee-dictated class. Even if he could not block the attacks of the wild boars in a frontal confrontation, he could still control their movements by leading them to his desired location while taking advantage of his insane speed to dodge.

Then Alice and Alucard would bombard the wild boars to death, using their powerful spells and skills. Cloe was also helping them with her buffs and healing while also throwing a couple of offensive spells in the mix.

Their journey was quite smooth even if they did not have Arthur leading their team. Moreover, Arthur was busy training Owen, Akailu, and Samael and teaching them how to play as a proper frontline.

Owen and Akailu were not strangers to this role as they were experts themselves. But what Arthur was teaching them was how to match their movements, skills, and techniques with the pace of a Godlike Player.

There was an unimaginable gap between apex experts and Godlike Players, which was also the dividing line between these players.

What Arthur was teaching them was how to bridge this gap or at least get used to this pace so that they could match those monsters in the future, especially when they would most likely be facing such gods in the upcoming rounds of the United Cup.

Shin and Leonard could not help but raise their brows as they watched the four arrive, especially when they noticed the auras that were enveloping them.

Diablo seemed to have learned how to hide his presence. It was a different way of erasing one’s presence that assassins like Faker were using. Instead, he seemed to have melded with the surroundings by utilizing the Shadow Powers that he had recently gained.

Moreover, Shin could also tell that Diablo must have mastered the martial manuals that he had given to him. Diablo must have reached a certain level where it almost matched the martial arts from the real world.

Alucard was on a similar level. The aura that he was emitting was overwhelmingly dense, particularly the scent of blood that he possessed. He felt more like a beast than a human from the perspective of an expert.

With the sniper rifle resting on his shoulder, he felt like a veteran soldier who had experienced countless wars in the real world. His posture also indicated that he was ready to fight at any given time, especially when his other hand was resting on the hilt of the rapier sheathed beside his waist.

Charlotte (Alice), on the other hand, was giving off a strange sense of ‘fullness’. Her presence was overwhelming with vitality and elemental energy. It felt like the surrounding mana was obeying her and matching every move she made.

She was blending with the surroundings, but in a different way than how assassins like Diablo and Faker hid their presence. It felt like the surroundings were taking the initiative to hide her presence rather than actively doing it with her techniques.

Then there was Arielle (Cloe), who was constantly emitting a noble air around her. The holy aura surrounding her also made her look like a Saintess descending to the world.

Shin even felt that she possessed the same level of holy aura as Cardinal Ronald, who was almost approaching the limits of this plane. If it was based on aura alone, then Shin could feel that Cloe had far surpassed everyone here.

“It seems like you guys have benefited a lot from your respective quests,” commented Shin as he observed them.

Diablo and Alucard shrugged their shoulders, refusing to give any comments. But they acknowledged that they indeed had gotten a lot stronger compared to the first they had arrived on this continent.

The two of them were even confident that they would not lose to Shin, Arthur, and Leonard if they battled right now, especially Alucard, who did not have a Transcendent Race and Class.

He had learned quite a few tricks from the Vampire Families of the Awakened Continent. Even if their lineage was from a different root compared to King Dracula of the Frozen Kingdom, the principles of their techniques and skills shared a lot of similarities.

He was confident that the Blood Arts that he had learned from them could help him match these guys even if they used their respective Elemental Possession.

Cloe, on the other hand, quickly hopped over Shin’s side and interlocked his arm with hers. “You bet! I have learned quite a lot of powerful spells this time around! I will give you a big surprise later!”

Alice stared at the two, particularly the interlocked arms, for quite a while before turning her attention to where Arthur and the others were training. “The monsters here are much more powerful than what we have expected, especially those at Elite and Special Elite Ranks.”

She paused for a moment before continuing. “But it is not an insurmountable gap. We can just use the Elemental Spirit Possession to bridge it and even overwhelm them.”

“Why are you guys not using it?” she asked as she became somewhat confused about Arthur struggling against a Special Elite Iron-Skinned Wild Boar in the distance.

The others also turned their heads and seconded her thoughts by nodding their heads.

Leonard chuckled as he answered. “It is Shin Bro’s idea. He said it is a form of training.”

Hearing those words, the others could not help but turn to Shin, giving him an inquiring look. The expressions that they were making indicated that they wanted him to further explain.

Shin shrugged his shoulders. “We are aware of that as well. But it will be a waste if we don’t take advantage of this opportunity to train ourselves.”

“We may have been adjusted with the mana density of the Awakened Continent, but the benefits that we can get from staying in this condition don’t end at enhancing our techniques and skills.”

“Can’t you see? The more we fight under constant stress along with the strong pressure given by the environment, the faster we improve ourselves?”

He paused for a moment as he directed his gaze at Arthur and the others. “The density of the mana filling the air is forming a certain level of hindrance in our movements, especially when we are using our combat techniques and special skills.”

“This is giving us a hint about the flaws that we don’t notice up until now. Adding the pressure that we are getting from the powerful monsters, we are able to constantly press ourselves to the limit and repeatedly surpass it.”

“That’s right, using our Elemental Possessions can help us defeat these monsters much easier. We can even challenge a Chieftain Rank Monster given our overall composition.”

“But if we rely on our Elemental Possessions a little too much, then it will limit our growth in the long run.”

He then paused for another time as he looked at Alice and Diablo, who also had Transcendent Races, and gave them some advice. “Those cards are our powerful trump card, but that doesn’t mean that we have to rely on them every time.”

“We can also use them as a reference to improve our Martial Arts or Mentalism in the real world. But striving to become stronger through our own strength is quite good as well,” he added as he turned to Alice.

He had learned this lesson when he was inside the Trail Grounds previously. He had learned quite a lot from utilizing his abilities to the fullest, so he wanted others to learn something as well.

Shin did not want to discourage them from using their Elemental Possession. He just wanted to learn that these elements were another form of power and not a shortcut to becoming powerful. Discover stories at empire

Once they have learned how to properly utilize their individual strength at the highest level, then combine them with the Elemental Powers provided by each possession, the level that they would reach would be unimaginable.

He could even remember when Uno had used the Dual Elemental Possession from the latter’s memory. Even if Uno was holding back at that time, the strength that he had showcased during that time far surpassed their current level.

He had even defeated Arthur in a single strike right after he fully unleashed a fraction of his real power even in an instant.

He wanted the others to reach a similar level in their own right. He knew that it was impossible to catch up to Uno with just that, but he at least believed that the others could find their way of reaching that level with their respective strength and understanding of their abilities.

Setting that thought aside, Shin turned to everyone and said. “Since we all are gathered, let’s proceed with raiding the dungeon.”

……