Child of Destiny

...…

Shin and Arthur chatted for quite a while, although it was the latter who mostly did the talking while the other listened attentively.

Arthur poured out everything that was stuck inside his chest, which made him feel at ease. It was as if a huge rock had taken off from his shoulders and chest.

Not long after, the two felt that it was now time to go back. Arthur sat up as he said. "Let's go. It still has a few things that I need to do inside the game."

"Speaking of which, I heard that your character is in the middle of the ocean. How are you going back to such a place?" he added as he remembered what Alice had told them inside the game.

Hearing that, the corner of Shin's mouth suddenly twitched as he suddenly whipped his head to the side. "Say what?!"

Arthur shrugged his shoulders as he started narrating all the events that happened inside the game while Shin was away.

Shin did not have any issue with most of the parts that he had heard since most of them aligned with what he was planning to do anyway. The problem was Uno jumping off the airship and falling in the middle of an endless ocean.

"What is this nutjob thinking about?" cursed Shin as he was about to confront Uno.

But Arthur suddenly stopped him with his next words. "Another thing. You should talk to Cloe and Leo later. Especially Cloe since she has been dying to talk to you since the time you fell 'asleep'."

"You also should prepare for some scolding from the others later," he added as he stood up and offered his hand to Shin.

Shin sighed before taking Arthur's hand to stand. He then asked after recovering himself. "How is your progress in the Awakened Continent then? Is it as hard as what we have suspected?"

Arthur groaned as if an unpleasant memory flashed through his eyes. "It is much worse than that. Our calculations about the monsters are about right, but the mana density there is much worse."

"By worse, I mean it is so dense that it felt like we are stuck in the deep abyss of the ocean. Even a simple breeze is more than enough to cause serious damage to us if we are not careful."

Hearing that, Shin could not help but raise his brows as he looked at Arthur with full doubt. "Are you for real?"

Arthur shrugged his shoulders as he said. "I will not blame you if you don't believe what I just said, but it is the truth. Everything in that place is out of the world."

"You will feel like drowning just by standing in that place. We almost collapsed when we first arrived in that place. Fortunately, some places inside the city help people like us who are still not used to such a place filled with the densest mana."

"We are still trying to get used to the mana density of that place before heading out. Trying to hunt in such a condition is no different from committing suicide."

Shin slightly knitted his brow as he asked. "So, you guys are doing nothing but training within the city that you are in?"

"Yeah. But the good thing about this is we are the pioneers of the continent, so we are given the privilege to have more advantages among the others," nodded Arthur before continuing. "The training grounds that are prepared for us are perfect for each of our classes."

"The set of training equipment and series of training tasks that are prepared for us to complete are also making us adapt to the place quickly. It will not take that long before we get used to that place."

Shin nodded before asking. "Which city are you guys in? It is a starting city meant for 'beginners' or something like that?"

Arthur paused as he was trying to recall which city was in before saying. "I think there is not such a city in the Awakened Continent. We are dropped by the airship on the capital of the Divine Empire, which was at the center of the continent."

"It is the Divinity City, which is an Imperial Rank City," he paused as he showed his amazement when he first saw the massive city that seemed to be as large as ten to fifteen Capital Rank City altogether.

Arthur described how amazing and advanced an Imperial Rank City looked while also sharing his brief experience when strolling on its streets.

The more Shin listened, the more he found this city interesting, especially when he heard that the city had a lot of advanced facilities and places that could not be found in the Aurora Continent.

"I'm sure Big Sis will like that place," commented Shin.

"Tsk! She will treat it as a paradise without a doubt since the place is filled with opportunities that can give her profits," nodded Arthur as he agreed.

'Just where have you brought my avatar when you are playing the game?' asked Shin in his mind, communicating with Uno.

[My priority right now is different from them. You will like that place more than that fancy city.]

As Shin and Arthur continued to chat while walking back to the mansion, Old Samuel was watching them through his Divine Sense.

The old general smiled as he saw that Arthur had finally become somewhat bright once again. Even if there was still this gloominess surrounding him, it was no longer corrupting Arthur's mind but instead became his dedication and encouragement to continue walking toward his goal.

Old Samuel could not thank Shin enough for being a brother to his grandson.

Leaning his back on his chair, the old general looked outside his window and looked at the sky. "It seems like our family is fated to be sworn brothers with yours."

Old Samuel went through the memory lane as he recalled his younger days along with the earlier years of his sons and their friends.

…

When Shin reached his room once again, he found that the other three rooms were still in the same state. "It seems like they are still not done."

He then turned his head toward another direction and sighed. David was still napping right beside the door of his room.

Shin was planning to ignore him when David opened his mouth all of a sudden. "Are you not planning to see your mother? She is worried about you and misses you so much."

Shin paused his steps and thought for a moment before sighing. "Maybe not now. I still need some time to…"

He did not complete his words as he entered his room and closed the door behind him.

David was silent for a moment before leaning his head on the wall behind him and staring at the ceiling. "What are we going to do now, master?"

Not long after, a voice suddenly sounded inside his head. "Hmph! I will beat his father later for making my baby mad at me! He is the cause of all of this!"

David could not help but smile when he heard those words before adding. "It doesn't look like he hates you yet, master. He just needs to organize himself before facing you."

"At least, that is how his face is telling me," he added.

"Hmph! I will still beat that useless husband of mine regardless!"

…

Inside the room, Shin did not hear the conversation between the two as David was using a mini-silencing array to isolate his voice and prevent others from hearing him.

Shin walked toward the center of his room and found an empty space before sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. He regulated his breathing before entering a meditative state.

He was planning to do a short meditation for now and looked at his *Mind Realm since it had been a while since he had seen it. He also wanted to stabilize his current realm now that he had awakened another innate attribute after digesting the inheritance that he had gotten from the previous incident.

(A part of his Sea of Consciousness where his Niwan Palace/ Spirit Pagoda was located.)

He was planning to increase his realm a little. He had already met the conditions to promote a stage higher in his current realm.

But before he could even start, Uno's voice suddenly sounded inside his head. [Are you planning to increase your minor realm?]

"Why bother asking when you already know the answer?" said Shin as he frowned. It was rare for Uno to bother him like this, so there must be a reason why he was trying to him. "What do you want?"

[I suggest delaying it a little longer. At least until you see what I have prepared for you inside that game.]

"Heh! Have you become so addicted to it that you want me to play now rather than train?" sneered Shin as he recalled something. "I remember you telling me to get stronger as soon as possible from our most recent 'encounter' inside the game."

Uno did not bother to explain as he urged Shin to enter the game as soon as possible. [You will know why once you enter. You will also proceed faster and further once you receive my gift.]

"A gift? That's very unlike you," exclaimed Shin as he could not believe what he just heard. He then squinted his eyes as he 'looked' at Uno suspiciously. "Tell me honestly, what happened when I was gone for you to change this much?"

[F*ck off!]

Shin chuckled as he found something interesting. He then exited his meditation and headed to his gaming cabin.

He fully trusted Uno, so he did not need to ask any more questions.

Uno always meant good for him, so Shin wanted to see what this 'gift' this guy was talking about.

"It has been a while since I have gotten online. I wonder about the current events."

...