"We should take him to a doctor now."
"Let's wait for some time, then let's see what to do."
Listening to these voices, I woke up. My mind was groggy from all the things that had happened earlier.
"Ahhh… ouch," I grunted as I started to lay awake.
"Looks like someone got a nice sleep," Sammy said to me with a smirk.
"Fuck off, man," I grunted.
"How are you feeling, Rudra?" The question came from a voice I had grown quite fond of.
"Yes, Amanda, I am feeling great," I replied with a smile.
"That's good. And one more thing — these guys also know about Lord Vishnu," she said with confidence.
"So did you guys also meet him?" I asked, still refusing to acknowledge him.
"Yes… it was surreal. Everything seemed so fake, but at the same time it was real. The demon who is behind all the brainwash… ufff," Talia exhaled while narrating the scene that had unfolded before her.
"So what did you guys get?" I asked.
"We both got manuals for our elemental power, which can improve our strength significantly," Sammy said, pointing towards himself and Talia.
"Now that our mission is a success, we can finally go to our academy," Amanda said with a smile.
"Yeah, let's get this done. And don't forget that we have to prepare a detailed report on the mission. So after resting for a while, let's meet in the cafeteria near the auditorium," I said as we packed our things and began our journey back to the academy. Sammy carried me on his back while the others flew so we could reach faster. It took us about seven hours to arrive at the academy gates.
"Stop! Where do you think you're going?" one of the guards demanded as we tried to enter.
"We were doing important work for the headmaster. We are returning after completing it. Now let us inside," Amanda said flatly.
"No. Without further instructions I can't let you in. I'll need permission from the headmaster—"
Before he could finish, Alex appeared out of thin air. "No need for that. All of you, to my office," he ordered sternly.
We obeyed. Inside, Madam Augusta was waiting. She offered us food, which I accepted gratefully and devoured like a man tasting food for the first time. The others simply watched me eat like an animal, while the headmaster sat in his chair and spoke in a businesslike tone.
"So… is the mission accomplished? Did you find the hidden temple? Was the revelation true?" He fired off questions.
I raised my hand while still eating. Sammy muttered, "Like a monkey…" but I ignored him.
"So, for starters — yes, the revelation is true. Yes, we found the hidden temple. And yes, the mission for now is finished."
Hearing this, both the headmaster and Madam Augusta exhaled in relief for the first time in a while. But after a moment, Augusta leaned toward me, her voice serious yet hesitant.
"What do you mean the mission is finished for now?"
I straightened, my voice edged with steel. "The thing is, in the upcoming years the demon's power will increase a hundredfold. And to top it off, there will be an incursion of a demon so strong it matches the one Lord Shiva faced in his time on earth. Trust me — if we don't stop him, humanity will be wiped off the face of the earth."
The room fell silent. No one knew what to say, because they all knew my words were true.
I stood and moved closer to the headmaster, sitting directly in front of him.
"So, Headmaster, how are you going to stop 'it' from coming to earth? There's no way. The current generation is too weak. We can't even kill an A-rank demon completely on our own — and that's for adults."
I continued, my voice rising. "In the hidden temple, we were able to glimpse Lord Vishnu. He gave us manuals so we can train our elemental powers to the maximum. We are going to be the key to killing the demon. For that, each and every one of us must give 100% in training. No slacking. Because there is a far more dangerous entity waiting for us to make a mistake — so it can pounce at any time."
With that, I stood and walked toward the door. Everyone watched me in silence. I was not one to speak much, so when I did, they knew it meant something important.
---
Amanda's POV
As I watched Rudra walk away, I stood silently, replaying his words. Fear gnawed at me.
Snapping out of my thoughts, the headmaster looked at me. "Rudra… he is hosting something, isn't he?"
"Yes," I admitted honestly.
"I hope he isn't keeping too much inside. It could affect him negatively."
He paused, then asked, "Did Lord Vishnu give him something?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I was teleported before I could hear their conversation," I said truthfully.
The headmaster studied me for a moment, then sighed. "You can go now. You must be exhausted from your mission."
I nodded, left the office, and returned to my room to rest before meeting at the cafeteria for the mission report.
---
Rudra's POV
Arriving at my room, I lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind replayed everything from the last two or three days — inheriting Lord Vishnu's power, the looming demon incursion. A demon as strong as the one Lord Shiva faced. I didn't know who Vishnu had fought, but I understood one thing: defeating this demon would be nearly impossible.
I sighed, calming myself, then spoke stiffly. "Wakey wakey, System."
A transparent screen appeared before me, describing everything about me.
`
[System Initialization Complete]
Name: Rudra
Age: 16
Level: 1
Rank: G (Lowest Tier)
— Core Attributes —
Strength: G
Agility: G
Endurance: G
Intelligence: G
Wisdom: G
Vitality: G
Luck: G
— Status —
HP: 50 / 50
MP: 20 / 20
Stamina: 30 / 30
— Inventory —
• Worn-out Shirt
• Wooden Stick
• Old Shoes
• 2 Copper Coins
— Traits —
Hidden Potential: Unlocked
Talent Awakening: Unlocked
Special Skills: Locked
`
I was fascinated. My hidden potential and talent had awakened. The thing I loved most was the ability to store objects inside the system's inventory.
After fiddling with it for fifteen minutes, I gave up and lay back down. Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Opening it, I found the golden trio.
It seemed I was popular.
"No, you're not. And hurry up — we have to submit the report tomorrow morning," Sammy said, as if reading my mind.
"Fine," I replied, closing the door. I changed clothes and walked out, ready to face the important things that were coming.