EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC52: Entrance Ceremony
The air turned hostile.
Thousands of students glared at Neo.
Neo didn't shrink back.
He welcomed their ire.
"What?
"Why are you all looking at me like that?
"Is it because I called you losers?"
Neo swept his gaze around the hall.
He saw clenched fists, strained expressions, and the hundreds of auras waiting to explode.
"You called me a fraud, a weakling... What about you who are ranked below me?"
Neo smirked.
"Useless trash that can't be recycled. That's what you all are. Someone who lost to a weakling."
Their angry expression made Neo smile.
'That's right. Get angry.'
'You must be hoping for a chance to prove you aren't a trash.'
'But…'
'You all know I won against Morrigan even if I used traps.'
'There is no way you can defeat who triumphed over her.'
'All of you need to train, to become stronger, if you want to defeat me and...'
'Survive the calamity that would soon arrive.'
Neo knew his actions would put him in danger.
However, he was ready to gamble his life if he could push the students to grow stronger.
They, after living a luxurious life, became conceited.
Only a defeat against a no-name demigod like him could take them down from their high horses.
Some of the students were about to shout when suddenly the doors opened.
A young man followed by Amelia walked in.
He clapped once to draw attention of everyone.
"Okay, that's enough for the Ruler's speech."
Percival, the Student Council president, smiled bitterly.
'Crazy bastard.'
He stared at Neo.
'Was he planning to start a fight?'
Thankfully, he was peeking into the entrance ceremony.
Although his actions were against the rule, he saved the dignity of the entrance ceremony with the interruption.
"Neo Hargraves, thank you for your kind words. I will take it from here," Percival said.
Neo nodded and sat beside Arthur and Felix.
After Percival took the stage, he spoke the actual entrance ceremony speech.
Most of the students ignored Percival.
Their attention and hatred were aimed at Neo.
"Their stares sting," Felix said.
Arthur smiled ruefully.
He couldn't agree more.
Suddenly, they heard Harrison's comment.
"Fucking frauds thinking they are hot shit."
"Don't be like that, Harrison.
"There are some people who don't know they were lucky to succeed and think it was their skill.
"Even if they are foolish, we shouldn't admonish them," Lucas replied.
Harrison snickered.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Ah, I can smell the jealousy in air," Felix spoke. "Must be some sore losers."
"…!"
Arthur spat.
His attempts to suppress the laugh only served to irritate Harrison.
"Hey, you—"
Percival's aura suddenly descended over the first row.
He stared at them with a side-eye while he continued his speech.
'Shut up,' his gaze said.
His masterful control made it so no one, except the students in the first row, would know he used his aura.
Felix and Harrison groaned.
The others were not much better.
After warning them against causing a commotion, Percival retracted his aura.
The entrance ceremony ended.
Neo and others were guided to their dormitories.
They arrived at a crossroad.
"Each road takes us to one of the five dormitories," the guide explained.
He had a lower-half body of a horse and the upper body of a human.
Neo recognized him as the one who saved him and Morrigan in the tournament.
"The dormitories will be divided according to your ranks," Damian said.
Seraphim Hall for Rank 1~10.
Cherubim Hall for Rank 11~100.
Archangel Hall for Rank 101~500.
Guardian Hall for Rank 501~1000.
Celestial Hall for Rank 1001~1876.
Neo, Arthur, and Felix were brought to the Seraphim Hall.
The building stretched as far as Neo could see.
It had an empty area in the middle, which was large enough to house a café, a pool, a common training area, and an entertainment zone.
"Is that all?"
Harrison questioned Damian.
"I thought the Top 10 would receive better facilities than this."
"Yes, after all, this isn't the Zeus Clan's villa, but the dormitory for students training in Demigod Academy."
"tsk, useless."
Damian continued to smile without retorting.
After he explained the basic rules of the dormitory, he gave everyone a few palm-sized boxes.
"These are your rewards. You must use them on yourself. If it's found you shared or sold it, there would be heavy penalties."
He left after the explanation.
The students split up.
"What will you guys do?" Felix asked.
"I'm not sure." Arthur shook his head. "I'll decide after listening to you two."
"Then how about we go to the gaming zone!? It will be fun!"
Arthur nodded with a subdued expression.
"Games…?"
"…Are you for real? You don't know what games are?"
"Hahaha, I'm sorry. My circumstances are complicated."
Listening to him, Felix decided they would go to the gaming zone.
He turned to Neo.
"You are coming too, right?"
"I can't."
Neo showed his reward box.
"Starplum fruit needs to be consumed a week after it's plucked.
"I don't know how many days passed since the Academy got their hands on it, so I'll consume it now."
Felix's excitement reduced.
He made Neo promise he would come along with them next time.
"We'll come to your room before the dinner. Let's go together."
"See you later."
"Bye."
The two left.
Neo went towards his room.
It was similar to the knock-off dorm he used before the tournament.
Only this one was bigger and had more facilities like a TV, a refrigerator, and king-sized beds.
Neo sat cross legged on the training room's ground.
He opened the reward box.
There was a golden pearl inside it.
It had a sweet intoxicating aroma.
Neo put it into his mouth.
The sweetness rolled over his tongue.
He let go of the hold over his core.
[Restarting upgrade…]
Neo bit down on the Starplum fruit.
Divine Energy rushed out of it endlessly.
His body devoured everything like a black hole.
His injuries healed rapidly.
He gained muscles and his complexion improved.
A sense of unforgettable comfort surged inside him.
His body evolved and his Divine Energy pool increased.
[Unique Skill 'Immortal' Grade 5 has been upgraded to 'Immortal' Grade 4.]
[Rank: Grade 5 Awakened → Grade 4 Awakened.]
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC53: Grade 5 Mythic Purity
The rush of Divine Energy increased over time.
It enveloped Neo in a golden hue.
He took a deep breath and sucked the Divine Energy surrounding him at once.
His core bloated like a balloon about to burst.
He compressed the Divine Energy and forced it to stay inside the core.
When the compression reached the limit, he let go and the Divine Energy exploded into the surroundings.
It was denser than a moment ago.
Neo sucked it in again and compressed it.
He let it all out when he was done.
After repeating the process several times, his core cracked.
It let out a thunderous-roar and shattered.
Another core, larger, formed from its pieces and it stored his dense Divine Energy.
[Divine Energy Purity: Grade 1 Awakened → Grade 5 Mythic.]
Neo's blood gained a strong shade of gold.
His skin became fair and his scars disappeared.
He could tell his affinities became stronger.
Specifically, his attunement to his elements increased.
Neo opened his eyes slowly.
He let out a putrid breath and noticed his body covered in black gunk.
His nose scrunched.
"It smells."
Neo was about to take a bath when suddenly a faint lightning bolt hit his window.
He saw Felix and Arthur below at the ground.
Scanning the area, he could see several students who were similarly staring at Neo's window.
"What was that?" Felix shouted to ensure his voice reached the third floor.
"…?"
"Your Divine Energy just went berserk! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I had a breakthrough. My Divine Energy didn't go berserk."
Felix went silent.
He, along with Arthur, stared at Neo with wide eyes.
"Breakthrough?"
Felix spoke with trembling voice.
"You were successful in digesting the Starplum fruit?"
Neo nodded.
"...Mythic Purity?" Felix questioned in disbelief.
"Yeah."
"Wow, fuck."
Felix covered his face.
He suddenly turned around and laughed hysterically.
"Hahaha, everyone, you called him a weakling?
"No, he is far stronger than all of you! I bet none of you have Grade 1 Divine Purity, let alone Grade 5 Mythic Purity!"
Harrison and Lucas frowned and left without saying a word.
The other students, irritated by Felix's boasting, returned to their rooms.
Neo just shook his head.
"We'll have a party tonight! It's your treat!" Felix shouted before Neo left.
"Okay."
Neo closed the window.
He smiled at Felix's antics.
After he returned from the bath, he cleaned the room.
It took a bit of time to remove the smell.
"I've achieved my goal of Mythic Purity."
Neo sat on the sofa and opened a drink.
He let himself rest as a reward for the hard work he did during the tournament.
"There are still two and a half days left.
"What should I do now?"
Underworld was anything but safe.
Neo knew he had to prepare more if he wanted to complete Barbatos' training.
"Since my combat techniques should be sufficient, I should focus on survival."
Food and water.
Neo needed them after he lost the Underworld's blessing.
Battles exhausted him greatly.
It made him hungry and thirsty.
He could ignore hunger for the 12 hours he spent in Underworld.
Water, however, was a problem.
"I guess that decides it. I'll learn to create water.
"It should be possible with my Water Affinity.
"And I'll use the remaining time to awaken my Shadow Affinity."
Neo needed training manuals.
He was about to visit the library when someone rang his doorbell.
"Delivery. Please sign this," Damian said.
Neo took the parcel and returned inside.
"This sender's address… It's the previous Neo."
The parcel was sent from the apartment where Neo woke up in this world.
It was sent one day before his arrival.
Neo opened the parcel.
The box was empty save for the slip of paper at the bottom.
"What's this?"
The paper had nine dots similar to a phone's lock pattern.
A line joined multiple dots.
"Is this my phone's password?"
Neo checked.
The pattern wasn't for the phone.
"Strange…
"Why send this?"
The suspicious timing and address of the parcel made Neo frown.
Looking back, Neo never knew what happened to the original Neo.
He, according to Henry, was an introvert, who often acted as if he lost his memories and ran away from home.
It was against his usual self to register for the Demigod Academy.
…!?
Suddenly, a thought appeared in Neo's head.
He looked at the paper in his hand.
"Is it the private app password?"
He used the Akashic Record (Internet) to know how to open the privacy settings.
After watching a tutorial, he opened the private app space.
It asked for a pattern-type password.
Neo used the pattern on the slip of paper.
…!
The pattern worked!
There was a single video in the private space.
"Why am I nervous?"
Neo noticed his heart beating loudly.
He gulped.
There had to be a reason why the previous Neo left a video behind and used a roundabout way to send the password.
It was as if…
He knew someone else would possess his body.
"No, that is impossible."
Neo took a deep breath to calm himself.
He clicked on the video.
…
The recording started with a static noise.
It showed an apartment.
The original Neo sat on the sofa.
He scratched his face repeatedly, leaving red marks over his face that caused him to bleed.
His eyes shook and he seemed to be out of breath.
…He was afraid.
"I-If you are seeing this video, then I a-am dead."
The original Neo took a deep breath.
He tried to smile, but it only revealed the intense fear he was trying to hide.
"I'm leaving this video as a wa-warning for my successor.
"Run away…"
There was a noise as if something fell in the kitchen.
The original Neo jumped and tried to run away.
He came back after a few seconds.
He smiled bitterly.
"I g-guess you must be thinking I'm p-pathetic.
"Hehehe…"
His body shivered.
"S-sorry. Is the v-video weird? I g-guess I'll start from the beginning."
He picked the camera and held it in his hand.
His sunken cheeks and hollow eyes made him look like a corpse.
"I'm Neo Clinton, th-the second person to possess Neo Hargraves."
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC54: Neo Clinton
"Hehehe…
"You must be shoc- shocked, right?"
He scratched his cheek.
"I'm the same as you. My world was destroyed b- by ■ and I suddenly woke up in this body."
…
Neo paused the video.
It glitched when Neo Clinton revealed the name of those who destroyed his world.
"I couldn't hear it."
He replayed the video from ten seconds ago and listened carefully.
…
"I'm the same as you.
"My world was destroyed b- by ■■ and I suddenly woke up in this body."
…
"Again?"
The video glitched and he couldn't hear the identity.
Neo bit his lips.
His world could have been destroyed by the zombie apocalypse.
Was it done by someone intentionally?
He had to know the answer.
No matter how many times he replayed the video, it would glitch weirdly.
Neo sighed and decided to watch the complete video.
…
"I- It must been hard, right?
"Trying to survive in a dying world only to die and wake up in a world with a horrible family."
Neo Clinton smiled.
"I... I don't know who you are. But run away and hide.
"You can't d- defeat them.
"No one can defeat them. "
He gulped.
"It really do-doesn't matter though. I will die, you will die, eve- everyone will die.
"S- still, I h- hope you will survive.
"This message is to warn you of something else.
"S-someone is after Neo H-Hargraves' life.
"The original Neo Hargraves and my predecessor were killed by that per- person.
"I don't know who it is.
"But.
"That pe- person will definitely come after you."
Neo Clinton took a deep breath.
"Please, survive for as long as possible.
"I d- don't want to be forgotten, so, please, live for me."
…
The video ended.
Neo put down his phone and massaged his brows.
"Someone murdered the original Neo and the other two people who possessed the body of original Neo?"
Despite receiving the shocking news, Neo kept his calm.
"I can't trust this video. It's too weird.
"It's entirely possible the original Neo found out about someone aiming for him life.
"Coupled with his weak personality, the shock might've made him insane.
"He started to think the story of two non-existent people possessing his body, and left the video behind not knowing someone would actually possess his body."
It sounded like a far-stretched theory to Neo.
However, it had a high chance of being correct.
After all, wouldn't Henry notice if his brother's personality changed three times?
And, if Neo Clinton was afraid of people forgetting him, he could've revealed he wasn't Neo Hargraves.
He didn't do that.
There were too many strange points in the video.
"Sigh…"
Neo burned the slip of paper on the kitchen's stove.
"I can't do anything either way.
"It's not like I can confirm the truth about the video."
He clicked his tongue and decided to focus on the task at hand.
The library was far from the Seraphim Hall.
Neo used the Akashic Record (Internet) app for the navigation.
It took him time to reach his destination.
The campus was horrendously large.
Neo smiled.
He didn't tire out after walking!
The breakthrough gave a nice boost to his physical condition!
He felt like tearing up.
The day, where he could run without feeling like dying, wasn't far off.
On the way, Neo checked his status.
[Neo Hargraves]
[Rank: Grade 4 Awakened]
[Divine Energy Purity: Grade 5 Mythic]
[Stats]
﹂Strength: 23
﹂Speed: 24
﹂Dexterity: 18
﹂Constitution: 16
﹂Luck: 0
[Affinity: Death, Shadow, Darkness, Void, Water]
﹂Magic Spell: Necrotic Touch, Ocean's Embrace, Essence Breath
[Bloodline: Monarch of Death]
﹂Unique Skill: Death, Immortal
[Quest: Barbatos' Training (Part 1)]
His stats increased by 7.
It was, as expected, a big jump.
When one's Rank increases, their stats receive a boost, but it is only a side effect.
Divine Energy pool and Unique skills are the ones that get a huge amplifications.
Neo could tell his Divine Energy reserves doubled after the breakthrough.
"I bet my skill got a huge—"
[Immortal]
[Exp: 0/150]
[Effect: You gain an extra life every 24 hours (Max Stack: 4).]
"What?"
"The stack increased by one."
"…"
"That's it…?"
Neo really wanted to cry.
He expected something like this to happen and it still made his heart break.
Unique skills upgraded in a linear fashion.
It is only when they evolve, that they change drastically. Like how 'Death' became 'Immortal'.
Neo reached the library with a heavy heart.
"Today is a holiday. The library is closed…."
The guard was about to tell him off until he saw Neo's clothes.
Ruler of the first years.
He bowed and opened the door.
"Welcome, Sir Ruler."
The library, while closed, could be used by special students like top 10 students or student council members.
"Now where are the books on Water element and Shadow element."
The reception was empty.
While Neo was trying to find a solution to his predicament, he noticed Percival and Amelia coming down from the second floor.
"Neo?"
Amelia noticed him first.
"Hmm?" Percival followed her gaze. "Oh my, if it isn't the suicide-loving first year."
They came up to Neo.
"What are you doing here?" Percival asked.
"Looking for books on Water element and Shadow element."
Percival smiled, half-shocked, half-surprised.
"You can already use Death and Darkness, and you are trying to use more elements?
"Wow, maybe I should call you the crazy suicide-loving first year."
"You'll confuse him if you explain it like that."
Amelia shook her head.
She turned to Neo.
"Sorry, he doesn't mean bad. He is just annoyed his tournament victor predictions were wrong."
"They weren't wrong, just slightly off.
"No one could've expected his defence Spell to be strong enough to survive the fall," Percival retorted. "Not even the great me."
Amelia ignored him like the air and checked Neo.
"Why are you outside? Your injuries shouldn't be healed already."
"They did." Neo released a bit of his Divine Energy. "I had a breakthrough."
Amelia and Percival understood he healed after the rank up.
However, they couldn't help but be surprised at Neo's attitude.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC55: Elizabeth's Arrival
Anyone would be jumping around and boasting if they reached Mythic Purity, not to mention Neo was far ahead of others.
Yet, he didn't do that and continued to train.
"Whatever, it's nothing special." Percival let out a mocking smile. "I had Mythic Purity far before others.
"The great me attained it before joining the Academy."
Amelia was exasperated.
She never expected much from Percival but he managed to hit a new low today.
"Don't be jealous of your juniors," she sighed.
Percival shrugged and left.
He told her to explain library rules to Neo before she returned.
"The library is divided into two floors. First years can only use the first floor.
"You can get Spell Books for all 108 elements from the library, but only if you have the element's affinity.
"You must pay to rent the Spell Books and you can't share them with others.
"Since you don't have any credits, you can't take anything."
Neo frowned when he listened to her explanation.
"I don't need Spell Books, only books with basic elemental knowledge. I need credits for them too?" he asked.
"Yes," Amelia smiled bitterly. "The academy is based on meritocracy. You get rewards if you show results, but you don't get anything if there are no results."
Credits could be earned through missions or be awarded by professors.
Neo had to wait until tomorrow, when the classes started, if he wanted to earn credits.
Seeing his frown, Amelia got closer to him.
"Show me your phone."
"…?"
"Just do it."
Neo took out his smartphone.
Amelia clicked on her phone a few times and held it above Neo's phone.
A notification arrived.
[Amelia added you to her friend list.]
[You are now friends with Amelia.]
[Amelia has sent 10 credits.]
[You've exhausted 20% of your credit transfer limit.]
"Oh?"
Amelia spoke,
"The new Ruler gets 50 credits transfer limit? I'm jealous."
She tapped her phone on her chin and smiled.
"Anyway, congrats on becoming the Ruler. Think of the credits as a gift from me. You should be able to buy the books you need with them."
"Thanks."
"Don't mind it."
She left after explaining a few more rules to Neo.
Alone inside the library, Neo went around the library to get two books.
He didn't waste much time since Amelia told him the where he could find them.
[Water Element: How to use your affinity. For Toddlers.]
[Shadow Element: Awaken, my powers!]
He went to the reception.
The table had an empty box.
Following Amelia's advice, he placed the book inside, and typed his name on the keyboard next to the box.
The box flashed a light on Neo to confirm his identity.
A notification arrived on his phone.
[Two books have been rented.]
[10 credits deducted.]
[Deadline to return the book: 1 month]
He left the library.
The guard at the door confirmed the completion of renting process before Neo was allowed to leave with the books.
Neo returned to his room and opened the Water element book first.
What he needed now was not a Spell.
He only wanted to learn to create water using his Water Affinity.
Magic was similar to architecture.
An architect could create a house with his own experience or he could use precise equipments to build the house.
Spells were a magician's equipment. A demigod could use a Water-affinity Spell to create water or they could use their experience to produce water without a Spell.
It depended on one's mastery over the element and the complexity of the magic they wanted to use.
Creating water was the most basic process.
There was no need for a Spell to achieve it.
"I should start training."
Neo took a deep breath.
He kept the book aside.
His veins glowed and he burned his Divine Energy.
…
An unfrequented area on the border of Demigod Academy
Elizabeth moved through the place.
She held a large gig bag on her back and had her presence suppressed.
While she was trying to secretly visit Neo and Amelia, she suddenly sensed a powerful presence moving towards her at a rapid speed.
A beat later, a gigantic phoenix appeared in the sky.
It blotted out the sun with its huge body and stared at Elizabeth.
An old woman, barely 150cm, with bob cut hairstyle and a face full of wrinkles, jumped down from the phoenix's back.
She landed in front of Elizabeth.
"Tsk, I thought you were dead," the old woman, Charlotte, said.
"…"
Watching Elizabeth's silence, Charlotte became livid.
"You never visited your master in ages, and now you did, you won't even greet your master?"
"…It is good to see you, master."
"If you are happy, then stop making a face as if you stepped on shit!" Charlotte raised her cane and shouted.
She huffed.
"Anyway, why are you here?"
"To meet them."
Her answer made Charlotte frown.
"That's all…?" Charlotte asked. "What will you do after you meet your daughter and that boy?"
"I'll return."
"Return to where, you dumb girl!? The entire world thinks you are dead! Where are you going to live!?
"Are you thinking of wasting your life while living in hiding after you finally left that damned country behind!?"
Charlotte stopped shouting.
She was out of breath.
Her glare was aimed at Elizabeth.
"Then what should I do?" Elizabeth asked. "If I stay with them, I'll only put them in danger."
She couldn't ask for help.
Not after ghosting Charlotte for decades.
"tsk, you might've become a Queen, but you are still foolish.
"I can't believe you faked your death without any contingency plan."
Charlotte, the principal of Demigod Academy, turned around.
She whistled and the phoenix flew down.
"Follow me.
"I knew you would come to meet them, so I've prepared a disguise and a job for you.
"You are going to be the teacher of the first years now and live here," she said.
Charlotte jumped on the phoenix's back.
Elizabeth didn't follow her immediately.
She didn't know how to respond.
Even though she never fulfilled any duty of a disciple, her master still cared for her.
"Thank you..."
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC56: Late Night Dinner
Neo exhaled as he lay on his back.
"Damn, this is fucking tough."
It had been hours since he started training.
He made zero progress.
Water Element and Shadow Element.
Neo could not manipulate them at all.
"I can use Ocean's Embrace, even if it's a Water affinity Spell, because Elizabeth ingrained the technique on my magic circuits.
"Otherwise, I can't use Water element."
He knew it was normal.
Only two weeks passed since he came to this world.
His speed was already fast.
It would be too much to expect a newbie like him to gain mastery over 4 elements so quickly.
"Sigh, why am I trying to find excuses again?
"It doesn't matter if my growth-rate is good.
"There is no genius on a battlefield, only victors and losers.
"My growth pace doesn't matter if I can't win."
Neo had to do better.
His enemies wouldn't wait for him to grow stronger.
He had to breakthrough his limits if he wanted to survive and win.
Sighing, Neo stood up.
"I'll eat something and refill my energy before I start training again."
The cafeteria would be open even though it was night.
He left the room.
Arthur and Felix sat on the bench outside his room.
The two were asleep, with their Felix leaning his head on Arthur's shoulder.
"Yawn, how did you training go?" Felix opened his eyes when he noticed Neo's presence.
"So-so," Neo answered. "What are you two doing here?"
"Waiting for you to treat us."
Felix yawned before he continued.
"We would've come earlier, but we met the Student Council Vice President.
"She told us you were training and we shouldn't disturb you.
"So, we've been waiting for you to come out for dinner after your training ended."
Felix yawned while he tried to wake up Arthur.
The protagonist was half-asleep.
He only nodded and his eyes remained close.
"Did you guys eat anything?"
"No, we were waiting for you."
Felix continued to yawn.
He was only a little better than Arthur.
"Then, let's go eat," Neo smiled bitterly.
He didn't expect them to wait for him until the midnight.
The Seraphim Hall had its own cafeteria.
"Are you going to treat us?"
"I can't. I don't have credits," Neo told Felix.
The cafeteria had specific meals that were provided for free.
If the students wanted to eat something different, they had to buy it.
Most of the times, the meals differed for everyone.
After all, they had a choice to get high-quality and limited amount meal set, or low-quality and high-amount meal set.
"Yawn, let's just eat what we can get. We can have the treat later."
The trio entered the cafeteria.
Felix had to support Arthur throughout the way, since he walked with his eyes closed, half-asleep, and almost hit several walls face first.
"He is completely different right now since he is sleepy," Felix smiled wryly.
Neo nodded.
Arthur was like a kid who couldn't stay awake past the bedtime.
The door of the cafeteria tingled.
They walked towards the counter when suddenly they saw Morrigan.
She sat on the seat at the front.
Her plate was filled with dozens of bread pieces.
She wore black leggings and black tank top that revealed her navel. Her body was covered in sweat and a white towel rested at her neck.
Her cheeks were stuffed, filled to the brim with the bread.
Morrigan gulped the food and froze.
She exchanged gazes with Neo and Felix.
Neo went to the counter after staring at her for a few seconds.
Felix followed after him.
"H-hey, we should go. I'm not hungry anymore."
Felix noticed Morrigan's murderous gaze at them before he whispered.
"Let's get out. She looks angry!"
"Wait for me. I'll get my food first."
Neo ordered four burgers.
Felix altered his gaze between Neo and Morrigan.
Unlike Neo, Felix knew what was happening with her.
She had been called back to the Zeus Clan as she lost the first rank, and to a low-rank, no-name demigod at that.
Rumors were circulating that she was no longer the leader of Zeus Clan's circle inside the academy.
From a revered genius to a laughing stock.
Neo destroyed her life.
"Sigh, I'll get something to eat too," Felix said.
He followed Neo closely and made sure to stay away from Morrigan…
Until Neo sat in front of her.
"What do you want?" Morrigan frowned.
"…"
Neo didn't talk and focused on eating.
Felix sat next to him nervously.
He couldn't eat any under Morrigan's stare.
Suddenly, Arthur laughed.
He woke up and stared at Morrigan's plate.
"You eat like a pig."
His head drooped and fell asleep.
Felix closed his eyes.
His expression was one of a soldier about to die.
He thought Morrigan would attack without hesitation until he saw her lowering her head.
Her ears were bright red.
She stared at the ground, almost as if she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
"Don't mind him. He talks nonsense when he is asleep," Neo spoke up.
He passed two of his burgers to Morrigan.
"What is this…?"
"You can have them. It must've been exhausting training late into the night."
She glared at him, but it wasn't scary when she was on verge of tears.
It was weird for her to show so many emotions.
He wanted to get closer to her and find out why she was different from the novel.
And what was better way to befriend a glutton than to feed them?
Morrigan pursed her lips.
Her dignity and emotions told her to flip the table and leave.
"You don't need it?"
Neo grabbed the plate with burgers.
He was about to pull it back when Morrigan suddenly grabbed the plate.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Morrigan didn't say anything.
She wanted to refuse, but couldn't.
Neo let go.
He didn't say anything else, since he didn't want to make things awkward for Morrigan.
He left with Felix when they finished their dinner.
"Wow, she's different from rumors," Felix muttered.
"How so?"
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC57: Who Is She?
"She's more normal than I thought," his smile faded and he frowned. "Though it's weird how she didn't seem angry with you."
Neo agreed with him.
It didn't feel like Morrigan cared if she won or lost.
She was the opposite of the bloodthirsty, power-seeking Morrigan he knew.
"Good night."
"Sleep well."
They split up after a bit.
Felix took Arthur, saying he would bring him to his room.
After returning to the room, Neo trained for a bit and slept.
He woke up in the morning.
"The classes start today," he said to himself.
"I still can't use Water and Shadow. Guess I need to ask for help from the teacher."
He wanted to sigh.
The classrooms were assigned when he was unconscious after the tournament.
Neo was in the class with the main cast.
Their teacher was a extremist who favoured God Clans' descendants.
"Arthur faced a lot of problems in the novel thanks to him and now I will too."
He initially didn't want to ask for help from the teacher.
But there was no choice left.
Just as he was about to leave, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Neo! There is a problem!"
He opened the door and found Arthur on the other side.
Arthur was drenched in sweat while his face was filled with concerns.
"What happened?"
"I can't find Felix! I've searched for him everywhere and there is no clue where he went.
"He isn't even picking up his phone."
Arthur became restless.
"Do you think the Zeus Clan got him?" he asked worriedly.
There was a high chance Felix was targeted, since he made a fool out of Zeus Clan and he was the weakest among the three.
"Calm down."
Neo added when his words failed to assure Arthur,
"The Academy's Principal can monitor the whole academy premises at all times.
"There is no way the Zeus Clan members will act out while she is watching."
"Then, where is Felix?" Arthur asked.
"He might be busy. We should go to the class. I bet we will find him there."
Arthur wanted to ask why Neo was so sure.
But he decided to believe his words for now.
They entered the classroom.
The chatty atmosphere turned deathly silent as soon as they stepped in,
Neo ignored them.
He wanted to sit at the backbench.
Unfortunately, he had to choose the middle seats in order to be with Felix and Arthur.
Arthur on the right, Neo in the center, and Felix would sit on the left when he came.
'It feels weird to receive so much attention from the main cast,' he thought.
Neo was not going to push away Arthur just because he was the protagonist.
He saw no reason to not befriend the future leader of humanity.
While he was waiting for the class to start, he turned to Arthur.
"I'm stuck with Affinity control. Can you help with that?"
"Yes? Of course, I will help if I can."
Neo explained his problem with Water and Shadow Affinity.
He did not want to ask for help from the homeroom teacher if possible.
"Oh, just that? You have to feel your affinity and ask it to work. That's all.
"You should be able to use Water Affinity with this method since you can use it's Spell already."
Neo wanted to punch Arthur.
Did he not know not everyone was a genius like him?
Noticing his expression, Arthur gave more solutions.
They were all useless.
While they chatted, the main cast arrived.
Morrigan scanned the classroom as she stood at the doorstep.
Her gaze hovered on Neo.
A beat later, she sat on the front seat.
After her, Leonora entered the class.
She wore a jacket over the academy uniform and walked with her head down.
Leonora sat at the backbench Neo planned to sit.
A few minutes later, a boy, with red flaming hair and a wild aura about him, arrived.
He went to the back of the classroom.
"Can I sit here?" He asked Leonora while pointing at the seat next to her.
She raised her head and looked at him with a nervous expression.
"N-no, please keep your u-ugly face away from my eyesight."
Mars was stunned.
The students knew not to laugh.
Except for one of them.
"Pfftt!"
Arthur's attempts at suppressing his laughter were worse than Neo's excuses.
Before Mars could say anything to him, a hand hit Arthur's back.
"I told you my jokes are funny."
The girl, beautiful and proportionate, with lavender hair, continued to hit his back.
She turned to Mars.
"Sorry if we interrupted you. I had a bet with him."
Mars nodded, still unable to recover from Leonora's answer, and he took another seat.
"Thanks," Arthur told the girl.
He understood she saved him from a troublesome matter.
"But who are you? I've never seen you before," he said.
"You don't recognize me?"
The girl seemed surprised at Arthur's confusion.
"Dude, it's me. Did you forget I have Aphrodite Bloodline?" she said.
Arthur tilted his head, unable to understand her words.
He turned to Neo for an explanation.
"The Aphrodite Bloodline's first Unique Skill allows them to change their gender."
"Oh."
Arthur stared at the girl, then at Neo, then back at the girl.
"Felix….?"
He was too shocked to form proper words.
"I'm really curious about your childhood now. How can you not know about my clan's skill?"
Felix shook her head and sat to left of Neo.
Soon, the class was filled with students.
At exactly 9:30, the homeroom teacher entered the class.
Her black hair with dark blue undershade and her red eyes complimented her perfect nose, small lips, and cold expression.
She wore a light blue shirt, a black tie, a leg slit skirt, and a fashionable overcoat that went well with her clothes.
"Good morning, I'm Anna Rose. Your homeroom teacher."
She stood at the podium and swept her gaze around.
Her eyes stopped at Neo for a brief second.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC58: First Class On Aura Manifestation
Neo didn't notice her gaze.
His mind was preoccupied with other thoughts.
'Anna Rose…?'
'Who is she?'
This was the first time he heard about her.
What happened to the original homeroom teacher of the class?
The present changed.
It was not the same as Neo knew.
'Did our homeroom teacher change because of my actions?'
A butterfly effect.
Small flaps of a butterfly could cause tsunamis on the other side of the world.
Neo's minor actions might possibly change the future drastically.
He would lose the advantage of knowing the future if this continued.
But….
'So it began.'
Neo smiled.
'It's possible for me to change the future.'
'I don't how much changes the Fate would allow, but this confirms my actions aren't meaningless.'
Neo never wanted to maintain the status quo.
The future was a meaningless world ravaged by wars and destruction where…
…The protagonist failed.
…The heroes died.
…The gods fell.
Nobody could stop the calamities.
So.
Neo would protect his future by taking the matters in his own hands.
"We'll take the attendance before starting the class," Anna said.
After the attendance, Anna explained about the curriculum.
"The first month classes will teach about the basics you've already learned.
"It is to allow students from outside of God Clans to catch up to their peers."
She continued.
"There is no minimum compulsory attendance.
"But beware the professors might hold a grudge if you keep bunking their classes."
Neo listened carefully.
While he knew everything beforehand, he needed to make sure there was no gap between his knowledge and the actual information.
"Credits are the currency used inside Demigod Academy.
"You can buy anything with them.
"Spell Books, equipment, holidays, extra lessons from the professors. There is no limit to what the credits can buy.
"Just remember one thing.
"You need to pay with credits if you want to sit in exams.
"If you don't have any credits, you won't be allowed to take the exam and you will be failed.
"Now, I'll explain about the Templar Course."
The students straightened their backs and focused on her words.
All of them came to the academy to receive the Junior Templar Certificate.
It was important.
"You can convert 1000 credits into a Star.
"Only those with 3 Stars or above can attempt the Junior Templar Exam.
"If you are able to gain 5 Stars, you can become a Junior Templar without challenging the Junior Templar Exam."
"You will receive credits for completing Missions, special tasks, or they will be awarded by the professors. So work hard."
The explanation was easy to understand.
It took a few minutes to complete.
Some students asked about their doubts. Anna answered them patiently.
After half-an-hour, Anna changed the topic.
"Since the explanation has been given, we will start the Class.
"I will be teaching you about 'Aura' and 'Aura Manipulation'. It's your core subject for the first semester."
Everyone grew visibly excited.
Aura Manipulation was an advanced branch of elemental manipulation.
It was easy to use Aura to intimidate others.
However, that was just the beginning.
High-level demigods used Aura attacks to battle their foes.
"We'll start with basic elemental control today.
"I want all of you to use your secondary elements and manifest its aura."
The students followed her words.
Neo closed his eyes and tried to do the same.
Death and Darkness.
He was familiar with them.
They were his primary elements.
His mastery over Water element was poor, thus it was a secondary element for him.
Minutes ticked by.
Neo couldn't do anything at all.
Unlike others, he failed to manifest the slightest bit of Aura using Water affinity.
Anna noticed him.
She picked a piece of chalk and drew on the blackboard.
"Elemental Manipulation is divided into three steps: [Core], [God Blood], [Magic Circuits]."
Her words drew the attention of the class.
This information was not in the books Neo took from the library.
He tuned out the distractions and focused on the class.
"[Core] helps you convert your non-elemental Divine Energy into elemental Divine Energy."
"…?"
Neo frowned.
That sounded too easy.
It was something he never heard before, and he doubted it was so simple to use elemental Divine Energy.
He had been training for days and he had been unsuccessful.
Still, he followed Anna's words.
He controlled his Divine Energy and pushed it into his Core.
…!
His mind went through a tremendous change.
He felt enlightened.
As if he was a blind man who could suddenly see, or if he found the wallet, he was searching for, inside his pocket.
'How didn't I notice this sooner?'
Neo felt bewildered.
Whenever he used Spells, he had been using his Core to create elemental Divine Energy.
It was a gap.
He was directly fed with information of Spells.
The instant mastery allowed him to use the Spells without former training.
In exchange, it left huge holes in his basic knowledge.
Anna stared at Neo expressionlessly.
Her eyes gleamed at his success.
"Your [God Blood] carries the elemental Divine Energy and it distributes the energy throughout your body.
"The amount of Divine Energy your [God Blood] can store determines your Divine Energy reserves.
"The purity of the Divine Energy is decided by the concentration of Divine Energy per unit [God Blood]."
The process of infusing Divine Energy with Water element was slow and tiresome.
He was not dejected at his snail-like pace.
After all, he could finally sense his Water Element!
It was a huge progress compared to a day ago where he couldn't feel his Water Affinity at all!
He, however, still couldn't use the water element infused aura.
The lecture continued.
"[Magic Circuits] are the outlets that allow you to pour your Divine Energy out of your body into the surroundings.
"They are like muscles.
"The more you use a [Magic Circuit] on a certain part of your body, like your palms, the faster you can let out your Divine Energy through your palms."
Neo closed his eyes.
He tried to sense the Magic Circuits on his body.
After locating a few of them, he pushed out his water element infused Divine Energy.
…!
He manifested a pale blue aura.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC59: Aura Blade
A smile appeared on Neo's face.
After manifesting the aura, he tried to create water.
Neo failed.
He tried again.
And again.
And again.
The result was the same.
'I guess I'm still far off from reaching the necessary level.'
Neo smiled bitterly.
He had a lot to learn.
When he was busy practicing, Anna explained.
"Looks like all of you can use your Auras.
"Now, I want you to create an Aura Blade."
The faces of students hardened.
Aura Blade was the first combat technique of Aura Manifestation branch.
A person needed months of training to manifest an Aura Blade.
"Take your time. It's a difficult technique, so there is no need to feel pressured to create an Aura Blade in today's class," Anna said.
They practiced.
Only Morrigan, Arthur, Lucas, Harrison, and Mars, could create an Aura Blade among the sixty students.
The students felt the gap between geniuses and themselves.
While their eyes wandered around, someone spoke.
"Hey, look at him."
The student pointed at Neo.
He was enveloped in a pale blue aura.
His aura was weak and it flickered like a candle flame soon to be extinguished.
The level of one's elemental mastery determined one's aura strength.
Neo's control over Water element, even as a Secondary affinity, was far below average.
Harrison laughed.
"Look at our Ruler. The fraud can't do anything if he isn't cheating."
Harrison's words broke Neo's focus.
Disturbed, Neo's aura shattered.
It only made Harrison laugh more.
"I can't believe someone could lose to a fraud like him."
Morrigan ignored the jab.
Neo was about to do the same when suddenly Anna opened her mouth.
"Student Harrison, every person has their own speciality and weakness.
"There is no need to put someone down because they cannot measure up to you in your speciality."
Her words made Harrison crease his brows.
"What? I didn't say anything wrong. You can ask anyone in this class.
"That weakling became the Ruler because he cheated. That's his only speciality,
"Oh wait, he has a loud mouth too."
A few students snickered.
Their mocking gazes were aimed at Neo.
Neo pursed his lips.
He was about to ignore them when his eyes met Anna.
"Both of you come up on the stage," she said.
"…?"
Neo didn't understand her intentions, but he followed her words.
He stood next to the podium alongside Harrison.
Anna turned to the class.
"They will now demonstrate the usage of Aura Blade."
She turned to Harrison.
"You first."
"Okay."
Harrison smirked at Neo before he took the stage.
He picked a ruler from the professor's table and held it like a sword.
A grunt escaped his lips and lightning manifested around his body.
It wasn't a Spell, just plain lightning elemental manifestation.
Suddenly, the lightning sparks crackled.
They twisted and collapsed into themselves.
The air tingled with an electrifying dizziness and the room was basked into a golden glow,
When the berserk lightning returned to control, the ruler in the Harrison's hand underwent massive changes.
It was wrapped in small, solid golden lightning.
The lightning moved slowly and in a conspicuous pattern.
Harrison slashed.
A small lightning arc shot out of the ruler and split the professor's table into two halves.
The attack continued to move forward.
It left a deep burrow in the wall before it disappeared.
The students broke out of the trance when Harrison coughed to grab their attention.
They clapped enthusiastically.
Harrison gave the ruler to Neo and let out a victorious smirk.
"This is what an actual genius can do. It's not something the likes of you frauds can ever hope to achieve."
Neo agreed with Harrison. Partially at least.
Aura Blade was a dividing line between talent and mediocrity.
The only way for a talentless person like him to use Aura Blade was to familiarize himself with the element to the point it became a second nature to him.
"Neo, your turn," Anna said.
He exhaled.
Why was the professor doing this?
There was no way he could use Aura Blade.
The students stared at Neo.
Their gazes revealed their expectations of him.
They were waiting for him to fail.
"You can use it. Your mastery over your element is good enough," Anna whispered. "Just follow my words."
Neo knew his limits.
He could not use an Aura Blade.
Maybe she just wanted to make fun of him.
He was wrong to think of her as a diligent teacher.
She might've replaced the previous homeroom teacher, but she was just as bad.
"Unleash your Aura," she said.
Neo followed her words.
A heavy aura of death descended.
The students stopped smiling.
Their expressions contorted and a few of them frothed from their mouth.
They groaned, unable to handle the pressure.
"That's wrong. Compress your Divine Energy inside your core to the limit before releasing it," she advised.
Suddenly, the aura pressing over the room was sucked into Neo's body.
A thin line of sweat formed on his forehead.
He never tried to limit his Death Aura before and it was hard to control.
Still, Neo was familiar with Death.
He survived in Underworld where 'Death' was rampant and he experienced death multiple times.
If mastery over the element was a condition of using Aura Blade….
"What!?" Harrison gasped.
Faint sparks of red lightning flickered around Neo's palm.
"Red lightning…?"
The students couldn't believe their eyes.
Not after seeing Neo's poor mastery over Water element.
They thought his primary element's aura would be no different.
But.
"A-aura blade?"
The red lightning crackled silently.
It twisted like a snake; vicious, poisonous, and—
—Like Death itself.
The ruler in Neo's hand crumbled into dust.
Neo was left gasping for breath after the red lightning disappeared.
His hands shivered uncontrollably.
He almost fell from exhaustion.
However, no one laughed at him anymore.
They couldn't.
"I hope now you know why you shouldn't make fun of others," Anna told Harrison before she turned to the class.
"Most of the students can't use Aura Blade but it isn't because they have no talent.
"You all lacked the resources and teaching of the God Clans. It's a given you are lacking in comparison to the 'geniuses' of your generation.
"Don't put yourself down.
"With sufficient time and training at the academy, your results will be able to catch up to your peers quickly."
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC60: Information About Missions
Harrison's expression twisted into an ugly grimace.
He glared at Neo.
The students from outside of God Clans looked at Neo in a different light.
They didn't see him as a fraud anymore.
Their gazes carried respect towards him.
"That's it for today's 'Aura Manipulation' class.
"We'll go to the Mission Hall now," Anna said.
The students followed her out of the classroom.
Felix and Arthur approached Neo.
"That was amazing!" Felix smiled.
"Yeah, your Aura is strong. It makes me shiver every time I feel it," Arthur said.
Neo nodded with a pale face.
He was breathing heavily and drenched in sweat.
Creating an Aura Blade exhausted him greatly.
'I should be able to create water if I train now,' he thought.
The trio reached the Mission Hall with the class.
It was a huge pavilion with countless students going to and fro.
"That's the Mission Board. You can see the available missions on it."
Anna pointed at giant hologram floating in the air.
There were thousands of Missions on it.
Dozens of missions were being taken every second and new missions continued to replace them.
"For the first semester, you are only allowed to take Missions inside the Academy.
"The Missions are divided into F~A ranks on the basis of difficulties."
Anna explained the reward system.
A rank mission = 6 Credits
B rank mission = 5 Credits
C rank mission = 4 Credits
D rank mission = 3 Credits
E rank mission = 2 Credits
F rank mission = 1 Credits
The credits were awarded by the Academy on the mission's successful completion.
That was not all.
The person who posted the mission would give separate rewards.
"C rank and higher missions can be accepted by teams with 5 members minimum.
"The team leader will get twice the Credits for mission completion.
"You all have a week to headhunt your team members.
"The team members can't be changed until the next semester. Think carefully before choosing your teams."
Anna suddenly stopped speaking.
She looked the students in their eyes.
Her gaze made them shiver.
"Forcing others to join your team or prohibiting others from joining a team is strictly banned.
"If it's revealed anyone blackmailed the students, be ready for severe punishments."
Some of the students did not understand why Anna was confident in catching the rule breakers.
Their friends explained the reason to them.
After knowing the academy principal could observe the academy grounds at all times, they trembled with disgust and fear.
"Speak up if anyone has a doubt," Anna said.
Lucas raised his hands.
"What about S rank missions and higher?"
"…"
Anna stared at him silently.
"We can't choose them?" He asked again.
"You can choose an S-rank mission if three of your team members are Top 100 students.
"But I won't recommend them due to their difficulty."
"What about SS-rank and SSS-rank missions?" Lucas ignored Anna's warning and asked.
"You need to meet special requirements for them. The requirements will be released after you complete an S-rank mission."
Neo, on the side, frowned.
He wondered if he should reveal the requirements to Arthur and Felix.
Arthur might not be hit by the requirement but Felix would.
"Don't take too many credits from others," Neo said to the two.
In the end, he decided to give an ambiguous advice.
"…?"
Arthur didn't understand the underlying meaning behind Neo's words.
Felix, on the other hand, had an epiphany.
'Smart bastard,' Neo thought as he stared at Felix.
"How did you know?" Felix asked.
"Know what? I don't understand what you mean by that."
Felix didn't ask further questions when Neo made it clear he wouldn't reveal the source of information.
The class was dismissed for the day.
"Let's go and search for two other teammates," Felix said to Neo and Arthur.
She expected it to be a given for them to form a team.
But…
"Sorry, I don't want to be in Neo's team."
"Wait, why? Isn't it good for friends to stick together? Neo's rank might be low but—"
"That's not the reason."
Arthur faced Neo with an apologetic face.
"Sorry, Neo. I want to be the Ruler. It's the reason I came to the academy.
"I've confirmed it from Student Council President that I can buy the first rank with Credits.
"It costs an exorbitant price.
"I need to be the team leader if I want to earn enough Credits for the first rank."
"I see. Guess we have to form different teams."
Neo made it clear he had no intentions of giving up the position of team leader.
Just like Arthur, he had his own reasons.
"Felix, whose team will you join?" Neo questioned.
Felix frowned.
She tried to soothe them but Neo and Arthur were adamant about forming different teams.
'Dammit!'
'Arthur is the obvious choice, but I don't want to take sides.
'The moment I choose one of them I will fall out of the favor with the other one!'
Felix tried to think of a solution.
She opened her mouth.
"Then I will form my own too."
"What!?"
Arthur's reaction was just as Felix predicted.
Felix sneaked a peek at Neo to look at his expression.
'This guy is always maintaining that cold face. I can't even understand what goes through his mind,' Felix thought.
It was a risky move to say she would form a team.
Despite the risk of actually being left alone, she decided to move forward with the plan.
"If you two think it's better to be alone, I should leave too."
"What are you saying Felix? You are wea—"
Arthur stopped speaking before he said anything inappropriate.
However, it was clear what he was about to say.
"I'm weak?" Felix smiled bitterly. "Yeah, that's right. I need to be protected by you two.
"But that's why I'm trying to leave.
"You won't be able to give your best on missions if you have to worry about protecting me."
"That's not true!"
"Don't lie. Both of us know you were about to call me weak, and there is no need to feel bad, because it's the truth."
Arthur bit his lips.
He turned to Neo for help.
"Stop being annoying Felix."
"…!?"
Arthur's eyes shot wide open when he heard Neo.
Neo continued to speak before Arthur could stop him.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC61: Headhunting Teammates For S-rank Missions
"Yes, you are weak. And what's wrong with that?
"We are at the academy, we joined this place to become stronger.
"Being weak just means you can only climb higher from your current position.
"And stop misunderstanding us.
"We aren't protecting you because you are weak, but because you are our friend."
Neo's sharp words surprised Felix.
Felix planned to have them make her forcefully stay in their teams to protect her.
She thought Arthur would stop her not Neo.
Maybe he was more compassionate than she thought?
"Just stay in Arthur's team.
"I'm the main target of the Zeus Clan members. It's safer for you if you are with Arthur."
"I—"
"Stop refusing. It's annoying."
"Y-yeah, I mean, no, you aren't annoying. Anyway, Felix join my team.
"I'm not teaming up with Neo because I want to be the Ruler. I have no grudge against him and we aren't fighting."
Felix's expression contorted as if she had to make a difficult decision.
'Got them good!' she thought internally.
After a long time, Felix sighed.
"Okay."
Arthur was relived after hearing her answer.
Neo, on the other hand, didn't know if he should laugh or cry.
There was no way he would hold a grudge because Felix chose to team with up Arthur.
Her actions were the creation of her needless over caution.
The trio chatted.
Felix and Arthur left after a bit of time passed to find teammates.
"I'm alone now."
Neo's time was running out.
He had to train quickly and reach sufficient mastery in Water element before he entered Underworld tomorrow.
However, he couldn't leave the mission hall.
The Top 100 students would form teams today itself.
If he delayed searching for team members, he would not be able to take on S-rank missions.
"Who will be willing to join my team?" Neo thought.
He looked around and realized…
"Am I overthinking it or is everyone trying to stay away from me?"
The students kept away from Neo.
They turned away when he made eye contact with them.
…It was going to be hard to find teammates.
"I guess I'll go to people I know and try my luck with them."
Neo looked around for Morrigan.
It was easy to locate her.
She was being ostracized like him.
"Looks like your friends didn't like you lost to me."
Neo approached her.
She noticed his presence and frowned.
"What do you want?"
"I want you in my team. It's not like you have a choice if you want to take on S-rank missions.
"The Zeus Clan members won't let other students join you."
Morrigan pursed her lips.
After she fell out of favor with her family, the attitude of the Zeus Clan students took a turn.
They were trying to put her down.
Neo's offer was a god send.
There was just one problem.
"I don't want to join the team of someone weaker than me.
"Besides, I don't care about credits or ranks."
She turned around and left.
Neo was left stunned.
'What the fuck is wrong with her? Why is she so different from the Morrigan of the novel?'
Massaging his temples, he was about to look for other teammates until he noticed Leonora.
She stood in a secluded corner of the mission hall.
Her face was hidden under the hoodie.
She was playing a game on the switch and used earphones to drown the noise of the mission hall.
'Should I try it?'
'The chances of making a team with her are low, but if I play my card right, I should be able to do it.'
He was about to meet her when a boy, buffed and giant, with dark blue hair stopped him.
"Where do you think you are going?" the boy, Christian, questioned.
"…"
"Go away. Even if you are a Ruler, there are some things you shouldn't do."
Christian continued.
"Miss is the leader of the Poseidon Clan's faction. You are insulting us if you try to recruit her."
Zeus Clan was already an enemy with Neo.
If Poseidon Clan joined the fray, he would be facing two Great God Clans alone.
But.
When did he care about such things?
Neo was about to forcefully remove Christian from his path when suddenly he heard a voice.
"Ch-Christian, let him come here."
Leonora, the girl who disliked any and every person, was looking straight at Neo.
…
Five Minutes Ago
'This sucks.'
Leonora wore the earphones and took out the switch from her pocket.
She started the game after she leaned against the wall.
'Ugh, why do I have to attend classes? I wish I could stay in my room all day.'
Leonora saw students moving around to find teammates.
She clicked her tongue.
The top 100 students were almost all from God Clans.
Their families decided their teammates before they entered the academy.
'Noisy.'
She increased the volume and focused on the game.
Suddenly, a flying whale, otherworldly in appearance, came out of the wall and covered half of the mission hall's roof.
Nobody could see or sense the whale.
'Leonora, shouldn't you try to talk to others now that you are outside?'
The whale's voice, sweet and lyrical, sounded inside Leonora's head.
'I don't want to. All of them look like idiots,' Leonora answered.
The whale, Ruby, sighed.
She worried Leonora's introverted nature was taking a turn for worse with each day.
She was about to reprimand her lightly when suddenly she stopped.
Her gaze focused on the black haired, red eyed boy.
Ruby flew down and circled Neo.
'What are you doing?' Leonora questioned.
'I'm trying to find out if he can see me. He made eye contact with me during the entrance ceremony.'
'That must've been a coincidence. Stop worrying about it, and go rest.'
'Haiz, you've really become not so sweet anymore, Leonora.'
'Really? That's a good thing if it stops others from approaching me.'
Ruby continued to monitor Neo.
When he was rejected by Morrigan and tried to approach Leonora, she spoke,
'Join his team. We need to keep an eye on him'
'No. It sounds like work, and dad will throw a fit if I join a team other than with my Clanmates.'
Leonora did not even bother to ask for reason behind Ruby's suggestion.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC62: Invisible Bloodlust
Her laziness exasperated Ruby.
'You will regret it if you let the boy move on his own.'
Ruby explained in simpler words.
Mastery over elements was done by experiencing the element and getting as close to them as possible.
Death element was the same.
Neo's high mastery over it signified he killed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people.
His murders were probably being hidden by his brother.
Letting someone as dangerous as Neo roam unsupervised was asking for a disaster to occur.
'That's what you are worried about?'
'I don't need to monitor him.'
'The principal and teachers probably are keeping an eye on him at all times.'
'Haiz, is this the naivety of childhood or the complacent of the strong?'
The Spirit's sighs irked Leonora.
Ruby spoke before Leonora could complain.
'You of all people should know one can bend the rules.'
'It's easy for that boy to harm others without breaking rules.
'Moreover, his brother is not to be trifled with.'
'The boy is moving around as if nothing happened even after the commotion in the country of Mermaids.'
'If he wants he can act as he wished in the Academy too.'
Leonora doubted Neo could do anything on the academy ground.
However, Ruby's words planted the seed of doubt in her heart.
What if Neo's brother could really save him from consequences?
Wouldn't that mean he would go berserk in the academy whenever he felt like it?
'Oh, it feels like trouble is soon to arrive.'
Leonora spoke as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
'Leonora, the boy antagonized the lightning clan already. There is no guarantee he will not target your Clan next.'
'If he starts a storm, the responsibility to deal with the aftermath will fall over you.'
Leonora stiffened.
As the de facto leader of Poseidon Clan circle, all problems inside the academy were to be solved by her.
She didn't like work and ignored everything.
But, if Neo was actually a mass murder, and he aimed for her Clanmates, she would have no choice but to intervene.
Her hands trembled at the thought of soon to arrive workload.
'N-no. What should I do? I don't want to work.'
'Join his team. If you keep an eye on him at all times, you can stop him before he does anything.'
Leonora thought about it.
Ruby's words made sense.
However, unbeknown to her, Ruby's words were a lie to trick her.
Her intentions were to stick close to Neo so as to…
'His sword… what is it? It's a Spirit, but not a Spirit at the same time.'
'I need to find out and eliminate them both if it's something dangerous.'
…
"Ch-Christian, let him come here."
Hearing her words, Christian frowned.
He let Neo pass.
But Neo didn't move.
'What was that? I definitely sensed bloodlust aimed at me.'
Neo scanned the area with his senses.
He couldn't find the source of the Bloodlust.
Suddenly, a voice appeared inside his head.
Spirit…. aiming…. for us…. both… dangerous…
Obitus' presence became strong when it spoke.
However, it returned to sleep soon after.
The few words were enough for Neo to know Ruby, Leonora's Spirit, was the source of the bloodlust.
Spirits were born from the elemental seeds.
They were autonomous beings and could support their masters in day-to-day life as well as combat.
The only weakness of a Spirit was it could not stray too far from its master.
"W-what is it? Why did you st-stop?
"…"
Neo didn't know why Ruby's bloodlust leaked.
There was a chance she wanted to kill him.
Why?
He didn't know.
Was it okay to recruit Leonora if it meant being in close proximity to Ruby?
Neo weighed both options before he made the decision.
"I think it should be clear, but I'll say it for the sake of it."
He approached her.
"I want to recruit you."
"Okay."
He felt a bit surprised at her quick answer.
It confirmed his suspicions.
'Ruby must've advised Leonora to team up with me. It feels like that Spirit is up to no good.'
"Wait, Miss! You can't do that!"
Christian reacted.
"The patriarch would kill me if you go against patriarch's words again! Please just team up with us!"
"Noisy. Shut up."
Christian closed his mouth when she stared at him in the eye.
Stuck between a hard place and a rock, he really wanted to cry.
Neo looked at him with a sympathetic gaze.
'Poor guy. It's not like he can force Leonora since he is weaker than her.'
After receiving the confirmation, Neo sent the Team Form to Leonora.
She had to sign it with her name.
The verification process would take a day.
She would officially become his teammate after that.
"Right, give me your number too."
"Wh-why?"
She looked at him suspiciously.
"I need to contact you for missions. Why else would I want your number?"
"O-oh."
She was about to give him her number when she remembered something.
"I have a condition if you want me to j-join your team.
"I won't do any w-work. You need to handle everything yourself."
Neo more or less expected it from her.
Her original plan was to join the Poseidon Clan members' team and let them do all the work.
He nodded.
"I'm fine with it. I just want your name for S-rank missions. You can join them if you want or not."
"Wait, let me join your team too!" Christian interrupted.
He looked at Neo with a desperate gaze.
"The patriarch will behead me if he found out I let Miss join your team.
"I might be able to survive if I tell him I joined the team with Miss and I will protect her on the missions.
"Don't worry. I will do all my duties as a team member.
"I... I'm Rank 25, and I'm pretty strong. Please, let me be your teammate."
It was weird to see someone with a big body like Christian almost on the verge of tears.
Besides, Christian's actual strength was in Top 10.
He took 25th rank as Leonora originally planned to take 24th rank and he couldn't rank higher than the leader of his circle.
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC63: Coffin of Darkness
Neo sent the Team Form to Christian.
He filled it immediately and shook Neo's hand.
"Thanks you. You just saved my neck."
"It's no problem. I'm happy to have a strong teammate."
While Christian didn't show it, Neo's amicable attitude surprised him.
He thought Neo would be a stuck up kid who was drunk on his strength.
'His personality will take him far. I guess it's a good choice to let Miss join his team.'
'Sigh, it's not like Miss will listen to me if I tell her to not team up with him.'
Neo's team became qualified for S-rank mission.
Now he just had to wait for the Team Form to be verified.
"We still have two spots left. Should I bring some people from my Clan to join us?" Christian asked.
Neo shook his head.
If four out of five people belonged to Poseidon Clan, his team would be branded as a member of their faction, and he would become their underling in others' eyes.
"I will find the other two members by myself."
Neo exchanged contacts with Christian and left.
He could fill the remaining spots with random team members.
'I need to train. I don't have much time left.'
Just as he was about to step out of the mission hall, a boy with red flaming hair blocked his path.
"Let me join your team." Mars grinned.
He continued with fervor.
"I have decided you will be my rival—"
"Okay."
Neo exchanged contact with Mars, sent him the Team Form, and left before Mars could react.
'There is no way I'm waiting for that battle fanatic to talk. I bet he would ask for a spar.'
Mars chose the 100th rank since his Clan ordered him to.
His actual combat ability was way higher.
Even if Mars had a few screws loose, he was worth teaming up with.
Neo entered his dorm room and locked it from inside.
He stepped into the training hall.
"Finally, I can train."
Neo used the Essence Breath Spell to recover his Divine Energy.
There was something Neo had to check before he trained his Water Element.
"Darkness…"
He formed the necessary hand sign.
"Come."
The Divine Energy rushed into his Core.
After being infused with Darkness element, it spread throughout his body.
The hand sign blocked the Magic Circuits on Neo's hands.
It acted like a valve, and the Divine Energy, with nowhere to go, rushed towards his feet.
His Magic Circuits on the sole of the feet were the most developed after the Magic Circuits on the palms.
The darkness spread out and formed a domain beneath his feet.
Neo opened his eyes.
He stared at the Darkness.
"So this is why I had to use the hand signs."
Spells were fascinating.
Neo had been using them without understanding how they worked.
Repeated usage of Necrotic Touch developed the Magic Circuits on his palms.
Ocean's Embrace did the same for all of his Magic Circuits.
It was why he could use Darkness in one go when he tried.
Because the Magic Circuits on his feet grew after he used Ocean's Embrace over and over again.
"I failed to trigger Necrotic Touch when I tried it for the first time as my Magic Circuits were completely dormant."
It was all interconnected.
Everything happened for a reason.
Neo couldn't contain his excitement.
He started training to grow stronger.
He didn't want to be mediocre.
But now he wanted to learn about Spells and Elemental affinities too.
The feeling of becoming stronger and the knowledge he gained along the way was intoxicating.
He couldn't get enough of it.
"Focus, I'm getting sidetracked."
Neo switched his hand sign and boosted the infusion inside his Core.
The Darkness spread out endlessly.
It reached the walls, climbed and continued to cover the roof.
The entire room was shrouded in Darkness by the end.
Neo's expression twisted when he tried to maintain the Coffin of Darkness.
The technique could be used to trap enemies.
He used it against Morrigan in the ranking competition.
Unfortunately, she shattered his Coffin of Darkness effortlessly.
He had to increase the mastery of the technique if he did not want the situation to repeat.
After training for hours, he got the gist of it.
"This much should be enough for Darkness."
He let go of the hand signs and switched the infusion inside his Core.
From Darkness to Water.
The output of his Divine Energy shrunk instantly.
He had trouble maintaining a steady pace of conversion and the process was slow.
His brows creased.
Hours passed.
And finally…
Water droplets dripped from his palms.
The success broke Neo's focus and the conversion stopped.
He fell to his back, drained physically and out of Divine Energy.
A smile blossomed on his face.
"I did it!"
He stared at the Status Window to know the time.
[8 hours: 26 minutes left until the Quest is terminated.]
Eight hours…
It was enough time to brush up his Water creating skill to a usable level.
…
[0 hours: 10 minutes left until the Quest is terminated.]
Neo sat on the sofa.
The time was nearly up.
He would soon go to the Underworld and face enemies who could possibly kill him.
"I've done everything I can."
Neo trained using his Darkness and Water.
He practiced his Spells and refilled his Divine Energy reserves.
There was just one thing he didn't do.
Practice Aura Blade.
It was a high-level technique and too draining on his Divine Energy pool.
He would've practiced it if he had a week.
A day was too short.
Neo stared at the pen and paper on the table.
He picked them up to write his will.
"What should I leave?
"It needs to be something useful, since this time I might just die.
"But I don't feel it would be right for me to leave a heartfelt letter behind while posing as Neo Hargraves."
Despite his calm words, his arms were trembling.
He couldn't forget the brutal death.
The feeling of his flesh being torn apart as the Gremlins ate him alive was etched into his brain.
The only reason he could sleep was because he exhausted himself to the limit every day.
Otherwise, he would remember the scene of his death when he closed his eyes.
Neo took a deep breath.
He picked the pen and wrote...
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EXTRA'S DEATH: I AM THE SON OF HADESC64: Hellish Battle
"To the dearest brother in the world."
"Sorry for leaving before you."
"Please don't be reckless and do anything that would make me sad."
"I wish you would live a peaceful life, get married, and spend your life happily in my place."
He chuckled at his words.
Why was the letter so sorrowful?
It was almost as if Neo believed he couldn't return.
He shook his head.
His preparations were complete.
There was a high chance he would win against the Gremlins.
Still.
It never hurt to be prepared.
"Should I leave a letter for Elizabeth and Amelia?"
Nothing came to his mind after he wrote their names on the paper.
While he was thinking hard, the timer reached ten seconds.
There was no time left.
Neo crossed out their names and activated Death skill.
He felt a shift.
Cold air stung his skin and—
…!?
Immense pain shot through his body.
He appeared in the middle of the Gremlin camp and fell to his knees.
The injuries - the broken fingers, cleaved ear, shattered shoulder - he sustained last time he was in Underworld healed…
At the cost of his Divine Energy.
Neo's blood was wrung dry.
He vision spun and he heaved his empty stomach.
Nauseous, fatigued, distressed.
It was the worst possible way to begin the mission.
The Gremlins noticed him.
Those little critters circled him.
Neo had no choice.
He had to fight in his current condition.
Taking a deep breath, he activated Essence Breath Spell.
The Divine Energy rich air of underworld entered his lungs and pumped his blood.
He moved slowly at first.
It was not easy to move while using the Spell, but this was why he had been training.
When an evolved Gremlin approached him cautiously, Neo grabbed its head and smashed it into the ground, killing it in one go.
The Gremlins became livid.
They screeched like a banshee.
Neo did not wait for them to organize their ranks and dived into their midst.
He tightened his grip around Obitus and slashed…
…?
Why was Obitus here?
There was no time to think.
Neo, surrounded, swung the sword in a wide arc to push the Gremlins back.
He was about to attack again when a noose came flying at him.
Last time, it was those noose that done him in.
Neo twisted his waist to dodge the rope.
He grabbed it when it missed him and pulled the rope with a snap.
Five Gremlins came flying.
He broke their vital organs with the sheathed sword.
Suddenly, his senses rang crazily.
He let go of the Essence Breath without thinking and activated Ocean's Embrace.
The blade failed to pierce his back.
Neo turned around to look at the confused evolved Gremlin's face.
"These bastards only know how to attack from behind."
He crippled the evolved Gremlin with a kick to its knee and bashed its face with the hilt of the sword.
The other Gremlins attacked at the same time.
But Neo was able to ignore them thanks to the Ocean's Embrace.
The monsters tried to form formations before attacking Neo.
It gave him time to compose himself.
"It's good the Essence Breath Spell is Tremor-ranked.
"I should be able to use Ocean's Embrace for twenty minutes with the Divine Energy I've recovered."
He fought like mad berserker.
Even with the Ocean's Embrace, he was losing his stamina at a rapid pace.
There was no time to hold back.
The Gremlins soon realized Neo was capable of dodging the ropes.
They changed tactics.
Dozens of evolved Gremlins rushed at him from all sides.
The monsters tried to hold him down.
Learning from the last time, Neo swiftly dodged the ones who tried to grab his limbs and killed them with the combination of Necrotic Touch and his sword's bashes.
'Fuck! These guys are infinite!'
Neo was running out of breath.
There was no end to endless wave of Gremlins.
…!
Scorching heat stung Neo's skin and his senses warned him.
He raised his head.
The giant fireball floated in the sky.
'Shit!'
Neo's eyes widened.
He tried to escape the fireball's area of impact.
The evolved Gremlins threw themselves at him.
They wouldn't let him take a step, let alone escape.
Neo clenched his fist.
He had to take the gamble.
He cancelled his Spells and fused his Divine Energy with Death affinity.
He compressed the energy within his core to the limit.
Blood trickled down his lips.
He ignored the Gremlins attacking him.
His stamina and Divine Energy rapidly decreased.
And.
Red lightning crackled around his sword silently.
Neo slashed.
There was no impact.
No attack flew out of his sword.
The Gremlins surroundings him suddenly fell like dolls with their strings cut.
Death.
It claimed them without warning.
Neo, exhausted and on the verge of fainting, bolted out of the area.
The fireball hit the ground before he could leave its area of impact completely.
He used the Ocean's Embrace.
Neo blanked out when the exploding fireball crashed against him.
"Cough! Cough!"
He woke up, smashed into the wooden wall of the camp, half of his clothes burned from the blistering heat, and his skin black and charred.
"Cough! Cough!"
Neo's throat, dry, stung when he coughed.
His nostrils burned and he couldn't breathe.
His limbs creaked when he tried to move.
"Crazy monsters. They took out their own to kill me."
Neo noticed blood and puss leaking out leaking out of his cracked skin as he stood.
He tried to ignore the pain and used Essence Breath.
His Divine Energy reserve started to recover.
He stood up and scanned the area.
Half of the camp was destroyed by the fireball.
The Gremlins were in worse condition than him.
Except the evolved Gremlins, barely any normal Gremlin survived.
The survivors didn't attack Neo.
They were busy devouring their kin to recover.
Neo ignored them.
He trudged his feet towards the source of the death affinity's warning.
The one who aimed the fireball.
The leader of the Gremlins.
It stared at Neo with a mocking gaze.
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