The Genius Evolution Store

”Tsk!”

Auric smiled. ’So, can you tell me about it?’

”I can tell you a portion of it. I told you not to worry about not having an avatar in the past, right?”

’You definitely did.’ Auric still remembered the time he assured him. He was worried about not having an avatar because he would be weaker than the others without the special abilities.

Of course, he thought having all elements was also a strength he could utilize to counter that power, but he didn’t know how long the advantage would last.

Lindwurm explained, ”This power will allow you to possess that kind of power. Creating an artificial avatar and performing the transformation, manifestation, and fusion. There are only two requirements. The first is your father’s element, and the second is the special battle technique.”

’My father’s element again...’ Auric looked down, contemplating. ’I’ve been thinking about my father’s element. No matter how hard I think about it, I can’t figure out what his element is.’

”Unfortunately, I can’t tell you about it. There will be a time when I’m allowed to let you copy his element, but not now. In fact, you should focus on pushing all your elements to Rank 3 for the time being. If you can’t do that, then it’s impossible for you to get this element.”

’Fine. I’m not going to ask about it for the time being.’ Auric sighed. He still had many questions, but he believed his father’s element would be the answer to everything. If he could just figure out his father’s element, he wouldn’t be asking questions anymore. ’Still, you can talk about this, right?’

Lindwurm shifted his gaze down and looked at the necklace. ”Of course. Since it has been destroyed, there’s no point in hiding it anymore. It’s a magic item made from your father’s element.”

’Magic items...’ Auric knew magic items. They were items made specifically by imbuing one’s element into them. There were complex systems in it, so they were quite rare.

However, he was already aware of the magic items, so no further explanation was necessary.

Lindwurm continued, ”Your father sealed his power in that necklace to protect you three times. Because he can’t accompany you on your journey, he gave you that necklace through your mother.

”After all, your father wants you to be safe. I am the one who determines whether to activate that power or not.”

’Did you activate it when I was about to die?’

”The basic condition is killing intent or death. The moment this condition is fulfilled, the lock in the magic item is released, and I will be able to activate it.

”For the first two instances, it determined that the assassins could kill you. I determined that if it wasn’t activated right away, it would be impossible for you to escape the situation.

”That was why the necklace was activated right after you were surrounded. On the other hand, the last instance was that I determined you would suffer a massive loss, no, an unacceptable loss that I chose to determine that activating the necklace was necessary.”

’No death, though.’

”Losing both arms is similar to dying to awakeners. Your career will be over.”

Auric narrowed his eyes. ’There are people who can regrow their limbs, so I’m not exactly out of options.’

”I know you’re going to say that, but do you think my action is wrong?”

’I can’t exactly say it’s wrong. It’s true that I’ve made a mistake.’

Lindwurm nodded. ”That’s the reason your father left behind a necklace. You are a smart kid. I am also advising you whenever you allow me. He wants you to grow from your mistakes.

”Rather than letting you grow in an environment where you can get everything, it’s better to let the toughness of life teach you the lesson.

”At the same time, he doesn’t want to be irresponsible. He wants to protect you with that necklace. However, now that you understand the real circumstances about the necklace, there’s nothing left that will protect you.

”By now, you should have gained a lot of connections and power. If you haven’t achieved all that, he might end up coming to you, albeit disappointed.”

’Is this what it means by suffering from success? My father is not seeing me because I’ve been growing according to his expectations?’

”You can say that.” Lindwurm chuckled. ”Sadly, this is the extent of what I’m allowed to tell you. All I can say is that the stronger you will become, the more information you’re allowed to access. In the future, you will learn about your father’s true identity.”

Auric wanted to argue. He wanted to know about his family.

However, he was a rational person. If he asked Lindwurm about this, he wouldn’t receive any answer, and Lindwurm would be a bit annoyed with him. Rather than throwing a tantrum, it was better to move on without saying much.

Lindwurm looked at Auric for a few seconds. ”You look calm. I thought you were going to demand more information.”

’It’s not like I can get it. Even a baby can cry to tell others that he doesn’t like something. It’s the adult’s job to fix it. So, I’m not going to throw a tantrum. Instead, I’m going to punch my father in the face for all this trouble when we meet again,’ Auric smiled.

”Your mother was once so angry that she beat up someone while covering her fist with her power. That way, the wound would be healed almost immediately, and only the pain would remain.

”Back then, your mother ended up breaking 605 bones and causing 204 teeth to fall out.”

’From a single person?’ Auric widened his eyes in shock.

”Yes.”

’I suppose I shouldn’t ask... the reason...’

”Wise choice. Usually, the quiet one is the most dangerous.”

Auric looked away. ’For now, I understand the circumstances. Now that this necklace is gone, I have to be extra careful from this point onward. Of course, it’s not like I have been relying on the necklace every time I make a plan.’

”Actually, your father wanted you to make the biggest three mistakes in your life so that he could save you. It wasn’t a hero complex or anything. With the three biggest mistakes in your life already done, nothing would be bigger than them, and you would be able to know how to deal with the smaller problems.” Lindwurm smiled.

Auric sighed. He scratched the back of his head before raising one finger. ’I do have one last question. Does my mother know my father’s true identity? I just need a yes or no. I promise that I won’t demand an explanation from her unless she’s going to tell me first. I just don’t want my mother to live miserably because of a lie or because my father didn’t tell her anything.’

Lindwurm nodded in understanding. ”All I can say is that your mother was happy.”

”Was?” Auric frowned. He felt so suspicious about the word choice that he couldn’t help but utter it aloud.

Lindwurm refused to answer further. Auric opened his mouth but soon shut it again, knowing he wouldn’t get any information from him. He let out a long sigh and said, ”Fine. Well, I don’t know if the training program will continue or not.”

”They must be debating about it right now.” Lindwurm chuckled.

...

As Lindwurm and Auric were discussing the matter, the world was talking about the incident, whether inside an office or on the open internet.

[They are so shameless. We need to punish Dermania.]

[It’s unbecoming for an instructor in a program that is promoting peace and strength to actually try killing a candidate from a rival nation. This is Dermania’s true face.]

[They were calling others cheaters when they were the real cheaters. If I lived in Dermania, I would be so embarrassed.]

The debate online was completely one-sided. Dermania was trying to fight back, but the four countries joined hands. It was true that Dermania was shameless, and its people had also suffered.

More importantly, the Europe Training Program’s purpose was to promote peace. They wanted to show the strength of future generations so that people wouldn’t have to worry about the movement of the beasts.

So, the fact that the host of this event had defiled its purpose made the situation even worse. It could be seen that the host’s true intention was actually to eliminate the other geniuses so that they could continue their hegemony.

At the same time, Granda, Lech-Aistia, and the UK couldn’t show their hostility toward Dermania openly. It was true that Joker was another option for their safety, but there was no telling what would happen if Joker was injured.

After all, if they completely cut off Dermania, they would only have Joker to defend the four countries for them. Joker could get injured or even refuse to help them.

That was why the three countries didn’t openly show their hostility, but they let their citizens say their piece.

However, it would be a different matter for Esfrata. Their pride had been trampled on.

The president immediately called for a meeting.

With a serious face, he asked, ”So, what are we going to do about it? I need the pros and cons of our actions. First, what will happen if we choose to fight this out?”

One minister raised his hand. ”Auric’s reputation might not be the best in this country, but it’s not exactly the worst. In fact, considering all his actions, he’s not the one searching for trouble. It’s the other who doesn’t want to let him succeed. Well, envy, you may say.”

Another minister nodded in agreement. ”If we fight this out, we will show that the country is standing behind them. It will assure the citizens that we’re protecting them and won’t let anyone from the outside bully them.”

”However!” another one added in a slightly higher voice. ”We don’t know if Auric Elfe is loyal to the country or not. If he’s loyal, we can fight to the bitter end. However, he already has a bad relationship with the military. If we help him now and he decides to leave in the future, it will be a huge loss.”

”If we don’t stand by his side right now, he won’t even feel any obligation to this country.”

”Well, well, well...” another minister grinned. ”If you’re worried about that, then just bind him right now. There are plenty of ways to bind him, such as contracts. If not, we will just force him to join us.”

”Are you sure it’s all right for you to say that in front of me?” Chief Lucas narrowed his eyes.

”It’s precisely people like you who are the problem, Chief Lucas. You are threatening national security.”

Chief Lucas’s expression turned cold before sighing. ”If you are truly going to do that, I’m going to raise my hands. Whatever you do or whatever he does, I’m not going to be a part of it anymore. I just hope it’s a decision you won’t regret.”