The status screen popped up in front of him.
[Killed mutated gorilla- Level 3 +50 EXP.] Leo blinked. That was… unexpected. He hadn't anticipated the system rewarding him for defeating the beast. Not like last time—when he had taken down the panther in the dungeon, nothing appeared.
He raised an eyebrow, tapping the screen as if it might reveal more. "So… it gives me experience now? Why didn't it do that before?"
Primo as reliable as always came to his aid {Ah,} he said, {that's because of the weapon you used.}
Leo's eyes narrowed. "The gun?"
{Yes,} Primo answered. {When you wield it, you wield too much power. The system sees it. Imagine a god squashing an ant—there's no challenge, no struggle. Nothing is learned, nothing is earned. So the system… doesn't bother to reward a god for trivial tasks. That's why the panther didn't give you EXP last time. You handled it like a god handling an ant.}
Leo frowned, a hint of frustration mixing with curiosity. "So you're saying if I keep using the gun like this, I won't grow at all?"
{Exactly,} Primo replied. {The gun grants you absolute power, and power like that doesn't teach. That goes against the purpose of the system. My advice? Use it and any other such weapons that give you 100% certainty of victory sparingly, only when necessary. Let yourself struggle sometimes—let yourself earn your victories. That's how you grow.}
"Alright," he said, determination in his voice. "From now on, I'll try to fight without relying on the gun or on other op weapons… unless it's absolutely necessary."
Primo sounded impressed. {Good. That's the spirit. Growth comes with challenge, not shortcuts.} Another notification sounded followed by another. Leo froze for a moment, staring at the floating text in disbelief.
[Achievement (Unique): First Kill – Be the first person to kill a mutated beast in your world]
[Title Granted (Unique): The Messiah – Your act of killing the first mutated beast serves as a sign of you being destined to save your world. Grants 100% boost when fighting in your world, 30 seconds of invulnerability if you are on the brink of defeat. The perks will increase with your level.]
Primo's voice broke the silence, {That title… it's more than a boost. It's a signal. The system is marking you as someone who can change the course of this world.}
Leo looked at the path ahead, his shadow suddenly seeming to have grown bigger. His resolve hardened. "I won't waste this," he muttered, almost to himself. "I'll grow… not just to fight, but to protect… to save this world from whatever is to come."
---------------------
Leo returned home, took a quick shower, and was seated in class the next hour. His mind still buzzed with the events on the mountain and the title he had earned. He had decided he needed to tell Chris about the mutated beast—after all, this wasn't something he could keep to himself.
" I wish we trained more together back then"
Avril said, reminiscing their time together when they were but toddlers. But Alauna's attention was caught by something else. She was looking at Leo who seemed so bothered by something. Avril noticing her friend wasn't listening traced her gaze to Leo and she also realized it seemed something bothered him. She turned to look at Alauna,
"Why don't we go and ask him what's wrong with him?" she suggested and Alauna nodded.
Leo didn't notice them approach as he was too absorbed in his thoughts. He only realized he had company when Avril gave a light cough.
"Oh, what grants me the honour of having you two goddesses here?" he said with his usual cheeky grin. The grin didn't stay on his face for long as a sharp pain short from both sides of his waist. 'Damn...It used to be only one but now I have to deal with two' {hehe...who asked you to be a player} Leo almost puked blood when he heard Primo's taunts. His pained expression made both beauties giggle which drew the attention of the rest of their companions.
Theo shook his head and clicked his tongue, "Tsk..it seems the golden boy is at it again"
Chris entered the classroom, his usual stern expression slightly weighed down with a hint of concern. But when he looked at the seven youngsters chatting and lightly laughing, his gaze softened. He gave a sigh and called out, "Listen up."
The students turned to face him, completely attentive.
"I have news," Chris began, his voice steady but serious. "Whether it is good or bad will depend on how you see it." He paused, "The world's changes have accelerated, far beyond the pace for which we had planned. Things we are not yet prepared for have begun to occur. This has forced the hands of the Leaders of the various Legacy families to take action. The elites of all the cities are going to meet—and they will be trained together to face the new threat."
He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the classroom. "We have been summoned to the base at this very moment. I'll spare you the details for now; everything will be briefed over there. Let's get moving."
Alauna, Avril, Leo, Max, Theo, Ray and Grey followed Chris into a black van which was waiting for them. Their eyes held a spectrum of emotions, from confusion, to a faint excitement as what it is to come. They spent close to an hour moving to the center of the city. The car pulled over in front of a ginormous edifice. The sheer magnificence of the building alone made them realize that they were not there to play around.
"Blu-Ray Branch?" A blond haired man in a black suit approached them as they alighted from the vehicle. "Welcome to Apex Forge. Right this way" he said as he led them into the building. Leo couldn't help but wonder if news had already reached the leaders about the mutated beasts. He hoped so and prayed that they had means to counter it. Holding on to that thread of hope, he walked into the building.