Child of Destiny

It was still too early to do his usual routine when Shin logged out of the game. It was still quite late into the night, but somewhat close to dawn.

Looking at the clock, Shin slightly furrowed his brows. “Two in the morning? I guess I still have quite a lot of time.”

He went to do his usual morning routine at a much earlier time, but he did not do anything too staining to himself to prevent any harm to his body. After all, his body was still in the middle of transitioning between the Foundation Building Realm and the Ascension Realm as well as the standard Grandmaster Realm and to its peak, so he had to be careful during his current raining routines.

He just did some simple foundation training and basic meditation practice before wrapping up.

He then walked out of his room and headed to the place where he usually did his training, along with David. Based on his estimate, his Senior Brother must be doing his morning routine there.

Shin knew that David was doing his training earlier, before helping with his training.

When he arrived at the usual spot in the backyard of the Springfield Household, he immediately saw David doing his usual training sessions.

From the look of it, David seemed to be about to finish with his training and only doing some simple cooldown exercises to relieve the stress in his muscles and bones.

Shin waited patiently until David was done before walking over.

David just finished his morning training routine when he suddenly turned toward Shin’s directions and said. “You’re quite early.”

Shin did not beat around the bush as he quickly went straight to the point. “I come to ask some questions about the so-called secrets of the game.”

David paused for a moment, seeming to think about something, before sighing. “You have already stepped into the Peak of the Grandmaster Realm anyway, so you will learn about it sooner or later.”

He took another pause to inhale deeply before continuing. “It is not much of a secret if it concerns almost all of the major powers in the real world, anyway.”

He was about to continue further when he suddenly recalled something before sighing once again. “But if you want to know more about it, I think it is better to ask one of the people who is somewhat related to it.”

After that, he went in silence, waiting for Shin to respond.

Shin, on the other hand, stared at David in silence. He was trying to figure out who the latter was talking about until he finally realized who it was.

Slight frowning, he asked. “Is it Mom?”

David did not reply, but his silence confirmed the doubts that Shin was currently having. It was clear that he wanted the latter to go talk with his mother and make things clear.

Seeing that Shin was still hesitant to answer, David sighed. “How about taking this opportunity to make up with Master? You should know the situation back then, even if you are still too young.”

“You have always been clever, so you should know why they have come up with that answer,” he added, trying to persuade Shin.

Meanwhile, Shin could only sigh when he heard those words. “I know. I know it very well, especially when I have personally sensed that ‘connection’ between Demonic Practitioners, particularly those with Seed of Hatred.”

He could even ‘feel’ that sense when he met Old Man Ryong, who was also a carrier of one of the most potent Seeds of Hatred.

If someone who was not related to him could pull out such an intense reaction to his Seed of Hatred, then what more the person from whom he had inherited it?

He could only imagine the intensity of the backlash once his fully awakened seed came in contact with its predecessor.

He could already see how hard it was for his mother to come up with such a decision, especially when she truly loved him when he was young.

With a sigh, Shin could only brace himself and agree. “Then I will talk to her.”

Hearing those words, David could not hide his joy and excitement, especially when he had only a bit of hope in this matter. He could also see why Shin was upset with the situation, even though it was the only way that they had at that time.

But he also quickly calmed himself down after a few moments. “That’s good! You have already agreed to it, alright? There is no backing out later.”

“I know,” said Shin before hesitating once again. But he strongly braced himself and immediately said. “Alright, where’s Mom? Let’s go to her now.”

It was only at this moment that Shin realized that there was an awkward smile on David’s face.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me-…” Shin seemed to have realized something and could not help but glare at his Senior Brother.

David maintained his awkward smile as he continued. “Hehe… as you can see, no one has expected this. Even if I am trying my luck today, I am not confident that you will agree to my words that easily.”

Confirming Shin’s suspicion, David continued. “Master is currently not in the household. She is doing some tasks for the Springfield Family to thank them for taking care of you all this time.”

“As if I will believe your words. I am sure that they are asking for some favor, taking advantage of her skills,” said Shin as if he could already see through the plans of the cunning old foxes of the family.

“What are they planning to do?” he asked with a slight coldness in his words.

Hearing his tone, David could not help but laugh out loud. “That look in your face-… What? Are you worried about Master? Don’t worry, she will be fine. No one can easily touch here on this continent. Even those sly old monsters in seclusion will have to think twice before making their move against her.”

“Who said I am worried?” said Shin with a slight embarrassment, refusing to admit David’s words.

“Okay, okay. I believe you,” said David while continuing to shake his head before continuing. “Anyways, it will take Master a week or two before she finishes the task at hand. For now, you must focus on training and stabilizing your current state.”

“Don’t think about the distracting thoughts you have and focus on yourself. Those answers that you are seeking will naturally come to you,” he added.

Shin nodded his head after being reassured by his Senior Brother. He then suddenly remembered something, recalling the words that Jerimiah (Lawless) had told him within the game.

“Senior Brother, I heard that the game will be undergoing a major update that will change the entire structure of the virtual world,” he said.

“Hoh!? You have heard about that?” asked David before nodding his head. “That’s right. A major change is about to arrive, so a lot of people are preparing for it.”

“Those who have been standing at the border between their respective breakthroughs have already been informed ahead of time.”

“All of us are already making our preparations for it,” he added.

“Senior Brother is also preparing for his breakthrough?” asked Shin.

Hearing that, David chuckled as he answered. “Naturally! Do you even know how long I have been stuck at the Peak of the Grandmaster Realm? I am afraid that if this major update has arrived a little late, then I most likely have broken through right now and am unable to log into the game.”

“Forcefully suppressing one’s state is not that easy,” he added with a bitter smile.

Thinking about this, David suddenly remembered something as well. “The new patch will most likely launch a few days after the Grand Finals of this season’s United Cup.”

“I will obviously affect the next Hegemon Cup, which will most likely be delayed as well to give everyone some time to adjust to the updated patch.”

“Aside from the normal factors that you are already experiencing within the game, some old veterans and almost forgotten monsters will also join the game, abolishing the overall power structure of all major forces.”

“Things will be even more chaotic than you expect, so you must thoroughly prepare for it.”

David paused for a moment as he haughtily raised his chin and continued. “But you don’t have to worry too much about it since this Senior Brother of yours will definitely help you if you encounter anything difficult during this time.”

There was a cringed and disgusted look on Shin’s face when he heard those words, making the latter upset. “What’s with that expression!? This brat has no sense of respect at all!”

Shin then immediately cut him off. “If you are thinking of joining our adventurer team, then I am rejecting your application now.”

“What!? This Brat! Just why!? I will definitely be a good addition to your team!” said David, surprised.

Shin shook his head as he answered. “That is the exact reason why I am rejecting you. You are too good for our team, covering all our weaknesses. But it will also hinder the growth of our team as a whole if we add another broken individual and a complete monster into our ranks.”

“We already have plenty of such people in our team; adding more will only harm us as a whole with our current state.”

Hearing that, David felt a little dejected but did not give up. “You can at least add me to the name roster. I can also be a single combatant in single battles or such!”

“Nah! I knew that you were up to something. You must have seen our current prince in the assets ranking. I knew that you just want to hitch a ride into our success,” he mocked the latter with a devious smile.

“Tsk! When I saw how much money is flooding into your pockets with just the ticket sales, I am tempted to kidnap one of you and ask for some ransom money,” said David powerlessly.

“The earnings are quite good, but the maintenance fees that we must take care of are quite demanding as well. Fortunately, our team is quite small, so our profits are quite high,” nodded Shin.

“How about a manager or a treasurer? Do you need any other manpower to manage your other assets?” asked David with full anticipation.

Shin gave him a mocking look as he replied. “With Big Sis on our side, do you think I need someone to manage our money?”

The corner of David’s mouth suddenly twitched when he heard those words, before saying with full resentment. “Alright, let’s forget about it. Let’s proceed with your training now.”

“I know that you are still not familiar with your current strength. How about a quick spar to familiarize yourself with it?”

He did not even wait for Shin to reply as he quickly and forcefully dragged the latter into a sparring match.

The corner of Shin’s mouth could only twitch a little before he was thrown into a somewhat highly intensive training session.

……