"Wonder what this one's gonna be..."
Len muttered with a smile.
He couldn't help but frown when he heard the goddess let out a chuckle.
Not paying much attention to her, he finally touched it.
The orb exuded a violent purple glow, which pulsed outward, and sent Len flying backwards!
"Seven hells! What the hell is wrong with that one!"
[Hehehe~ You don't expect me to spoon-feed you, right?]
"Damn bitch. What are you talking about?"
[The remaining ones are locked. You need to reach a certain threshold before you can claim them...]
[Like that one... You need to become ranked first]
"Thanks for telling me now." Len muttered with a sarcastic tone.
[Welcome, dearie...]
"What? It didn't register in your divine brain? That was fucking sarcasm!"
Tsk!
Hearing he was unable to claim the rest of the gifts without reaching the threshold first soiled his mood greatly.
[Whine all you want... You should already know... Nothing comes free in this world... Nothing.]
"Yeah, yeah. Don't tell me I'm stuck with your annoying voice in my head also."
"Maybe," came the reply.
"Great! Fucking great."
[Rest your balls... this is the last time we'll make contact until our supposed meeting... About that, I don't have to remind you... Don't fail me...]
[Rise to a level that shatters every limit this world has to offer... till we meet again]
Tsk.
Len watched as the expanse crumpled into light motes with his senses slowly coming back to his body.
"Hmmmm... You're a strange one."
A voice flowed into his ears.
"The hell–"
Before his body could register anything, he felt his world spin with his body slamming hard into the cold ground.
One moment he was sitting, the next he was outside the pagoda, lying on the ground, with the bright sky before him.
"Damn it! She said not to leave the pagoda.
I didn't leave... so how the hell am I getting attacked!"
"N-no way! She didn't fucking set me up! That two faced sonofabitch! I'll fucking k–"
He didn't have time to complete his thoughts before a foot expanded in his vision.
BAAAMMM!
Len felt a small crater form beneath his head. The force was greater this time around.
"Urghhh..." Quickly leaping back to his feet, he leapt a few steps back before staring at the area.
He appeared to be in a forest filled with tall trees.
Spitting out a blob of blood, he finally got a good look at his assailant.
Shock of white hair, deep dark eyes that seemed to devour the light around him with a menacing expression etched on his face.
"Not good." He muttered quickly, taking a stance.
His gaze finally hardened, becoming the expressionless Red. The once acclaimed god of the arena.
"His presence... its fucking suffocating." Len muttered, struggling to remain standing.
Blinking his eyes to allow a drop of blood pass through, he realised he made a huge mistake.
This wasn't the normal mundane fight he was used to.
Within a blink, the man appeared beside him fist clenched tightly.
BAAMMMM!
Len felt his organs groan madly within his body. Just before he could skyrocket backwards, the man held him down and slammed him to the ground.
Bouncing upwards, he was just in time to cross his hands before his face to block another blow.
BOOOOM!
The sound of bones breaking echoed over the area.
In one smooth motion, the man kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying backwards.
"You've got to be kidding me," Len managed to mutter out with a groan.
What kind of world was this?
Hell! He couldn't even react to the old man's attacks. And his punches hurt as fuck.
Len struggled to his feet with a dark expression. As much as he hated it, a part of him was yearning for the devil to take control and whop the man's ass but such a thing wasn't going to happen.
He could feel it. He was alone in this battle. And his next course of action would decide his fate.
His cold, calculating mind finally kicked in.
Picking a stone, he quickly threw it forward with full force.
The man caught the stone with a puzzled look. "You've got strong hands, boy." The man finally spoke, his voice deep and gruff.
"Play time's over. Time to die."
Stretching his hand forward, he pulled it backwards.
Len felt a force seize control of his body, pulling him towards the old man.
Unable to break through, he allowed the force to carry him forward.
As soon as the man was within range, his fist flashed forward, taking the man by surprise for a moment.
BAAMMMM!
"You pack quite the punch, boy." The white-haired man said, holding Len's fist in place within his palm. "I thought those hands were broken?"
"I'm not fucking done!" Twisting his body, Len released and threw another punch with his free hand.
Alas! It was all for nought. The man easily caught his fist and retaliated with a fierce slap across his face.
Len felt the world spin as he collapsed to the ground, defeated.
The last thing he saw was a blonde- haired lady rushing towards their direction... with fumes surging from her head?
"Grandpa! I told you to go easy on him."
"And I did." The man replied, his once cold voice now replaced with a warm, amused voice.
"Damn... bastards." Len barely muttered before passing out.
..
..
Len woke up to the anxious expression of a blonde haired lady hovering over his face.
"Seven hells." He groaned slowly rising from the bed.
"What's up with powerful beings after his life?"
"Dammit!"
"Thank goodness."
He heard Maya mutter beside him as she shifted backwards causing a frown to form across his face.
Before he could speak, he heard a familiar voice that sent shivers down his spine along with a spark of rage.
Of course, he didn't let his anger get the better of him. Not after just recovering from the devious man beating.
But he didn't hesitate in glaring daggers at him.
If eyes were bullets, he would have riddled the damn old man with bullets by now.
"So you're Adam's son. Not bad." The man said, biting into a fruit that looked like an apple.
Len suddenly felt his muscle tensed as he heard that name. A brief silence occurred as both men stared down at each other.
"Hmmm," Maya cleared her throat softly, bringing back the two from whatever dimension they were and then stared intently at the white-haired man.
"Ahhhh. Sorry for the... beating, boy." He said with a forced smile.
"Sorry, my foot." Len muttered under his breath. Staring at Maya, he raised an eyebrow.
"So? Are you gonna explain or what?"
"Ahhh... Sorry about grandfather. He can get a bit excited at times."
Len nodded, though he couldn't help but go through what she just said.
If that man was her grandpa... meaning he was the previous partriach of the Everhart family and father to the present Partriach.!
"Seven hells!" He felt his legs turn to jelly.
"Did... did he just fight with an SSS+ ranked human?"
"Sorry about your dad, boy. He was a fine man." The man said with a serious expression this time.
"I believe Maya already briefed you on what's currently ongoing within your family.
You should know by now... in this world, nothing really matters except for true strength." He paused.
"My granddaughter told me how you saved her life. So... as repayment for your good deed. I'll be offering you a chance...
A chance to work the path as a ranked human and get the privilege to be trained by me or remain a filth who others will forever trample upon.
The call's on you..."
"I'll do it." Len reply came instantly.
He didn't really have a choice. To become a divine being, he would have to walk the path of a Ranked. Also, he hated the fact that he was weak. That his life could be snuff out easily.
Just the few moments he had been in this world, he'd realised it was a terrifying world filled with harrowing beings. A world much worse than his previous one.
Although it was quite the risk of trusting the man before him. But this was a chance for him to grow strong.
After all, his past encounters had rung it clearly in his head. Without strength, he was better off dead.
Stepping forward, he bowed deeply.
"I'm willing to train under your tutelage and become a Ranked human."
Maya eyes widened for a moment. This wasn't the Len she knew. The soft boy who preferred spending his time lost in the wonders of books. Just what led to this sudden change?
Maya's grandpa, oblivious of Maya's thoughts, let out a bright smile.
"Good. It's best you get some rest then.
Training begins tomorrow..."