Caught between a bombardment of spells released by the mages from the high walls of the Lower City and the relentless frontal onslaught from the warriors of Team Shield, the beasts of the Beast Tide had no choice but to converge on Val, Oliver, and Alex who were in the middle of the chaos.
“The situation has taken a turn for the worst for us,” Val said.
“Indeed, it has.” Alex smirked, “I guess it’s time I got serious.”
Hearing his words, Oliver’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re telling me you weren’t serious until now?”
At Oliver’s words, Alex nodded.
“I’ve grown a lot since the last time we met, younger cousin. I’m no longer the same person I was 4 years ago. Compared to now, my past self is like an ant I could trample under my feet.”
“Exactly how strong have you become?” Oliver asked him.
“See for yourself,” Alex replied before he bent his waist and pressed his hands against the ground.
“Soul Domain: Thousand Hands of Death!”
Tendrils of darkness rose from his body and seeped into the ground beneath.
The earth began to tremble, cracks appearing all over the surface.
Suddenly, gigantic black hands, each about 6 meters long and 2 meters wide, burst forth from the cracks.
Like phantoms, these enormous hands passed through the bodies of the beasts, who fell dead almost instantly!
Val’s Heavenly Eye allowed him to see what had actually transpired.
The beasts’ souls were shattered as the hands moved through them.
‘Alex’s Thousand Hands of Death… It doesn’t deal physical harm, but directly attacks the souls!’
Val felt shocked as he realized this.
‘And it is more dangerous than my Hellish Fist skill.’
‘With my current ability, I can’t survive it unless… I run away to the Other Side.’
Val noticed that Oliver’s jaw had gone slack. His mouth had formed a perfect ‘O’ of astonishment. Seeing his reaction, Val realized that the unveiling of a Soul Domain was a significant matter, even to someone as experienced as Oliver.
“Alex has already grown this strong,” Oliver muttered to himself, “Even though I was taught by the best wizard of this century, a man likely to become the community leader, he has left me in his dust.”
Oliver felt that he was totally outclassed by Alex.
“Just like that, my years of training have been eclipsed. Can hard work really not beat talent?”
His voice was as quiet as a whisper. Any other person wouldn’t have been able to hear him, even if they were standing right next to him. However, Val was a level 2 warrior with stats rivaling those of beasts. He had enhanced senses. Although he didn’t mean to, he picked up on Oliver’s self-doubt.
“I don’t think what you said is entirely wrong, but you missed the most important point, and that’s where you are wrong,” Val said.
Oliver’s eyes turned to him and asked, “What point?”
Seeing Oliver’s curious gaze, Val continued, “I believe the ultimate goal in life is to become the best version of yourself. If you lack talent, your only option is to work harder. Yes, your hard work won’t help you improve at the same rate as those with natural talent. But if you don’t make an effort, you won’t improve at all. So rather than feeling inferior to the gifted and giving up on yourself, focusing on self-improvement should be your ultimate goal.”
“Much like a baby learns to walk step by step, you need to train every day, be consistent about it, push yourself to your limits, and you’ll see improvement. It will take time, but it will happen,” Val stated profoundly.
His words had a profound effect on Oliver.
The doubt that had been lingering in his mind evaporated.
His eyes gleamed with enlightenment.
He found himself traveling down the memory lane.
He had been born a ‘normie,’ and as such, was shunned by his entire family.
A child was naturally dependent on his parents, but his parents had turned their back on him, feeling disgusted that they have given birth to such a failure of a person.
Following his parents’ example, his siblings treated him in the same way like he was empty air.
As a result, he was haunted by suicidal thoughts since young.
No one wanted him.
No one understood him.
And no one had ever loved him.
Besides, as long as he remained alive, the perfect family they always wanted would never be complete.
Thus, he wondered if dying was a better choice than living.
However, as he thought about committing suicide, a ray of sunshine entered his bleak life.
It was his master.
His master saved him from not only his tormentors but also his own twisted self, taking him under his wing and teaching him wizardry.
As a result, even though his lack of natural talent was so profound that every wizard had written him off, he had still managed to become a low-level wizard before he turned 20.
Wasn’t this all because of his perseverance? Because he’d continued to train despite his family and outsiders telling him he would never amount to anything?
…
Seven years ago.
“You have the power to attract the most gifted wizards to be your students, yet you chose to become the master of an unremarkable boy like me. Why? I am like the worst choice! Was it done out of pity?” Oliver asked his master who had golden hair and emerald eyes.
His master answered, “Why are you throwing a tantrum again? Did someone say something to you?” He rolled up his sleeves and continued his speech, “Just tell me their names. I will go out and beat them up! They’ll never trouble you again.”
“No,” Oliver said.
“Then why?” His master asked.
“I just think I am not worthy of being taught by you,” Oliver said.
His master sighed, “You think too little of yourself. Maybe it is because you were neglected and it led you to develop an inferiority complex. Anyway, you are more special than geniuses!”
Sometimes Oliver couldn’t understand if his master was raising him or making fun of him!
“Do you really think so?” he asked.
The golden-haired man nodded, “You lack what they have, but they are also lacking in more ways than one.”
Oliver was left confused by these words.
“It seems unlikely.” He asked, “They have everything – friends, parents’ love, siblings’ obedience. What could they possibly lack?”
“They lack what you have. You are like a tortoise, and they are like rabbits. In the end, how can they win when the enemies they have to face are themselves yet you have no such enemy?” the golden-haired man said as he smiled meaningfully.
The statement had left Oliver perplexed.
But his master had always been a fan of being enigmatic.
Sometime he would speak in a cryptic manner.
Unless you have special knowledge of what he was talking about, you wouldn’t understand him.
“Master, can you be a bit clearer?” Oliver asked, hoping for a less obscure answer.
“That’s for you to find out,” his master replied.
…
Now, with Val’s words echoing in his mind, Oliver realized the true meaning behind his master’s words.
Talent without hard work would only take a person so far before they hit a bottleneck. A person who’d never faced hardship wouldn’t know how to overcome it, and it would become a wall they couldn’t climb unless they were willing to work hard. But having never worked hard in their life, it would be the hardest hurdle for them to overcome.
And the opposite was true for the untalented! 𝗈𝚟𝓵ℯxt.𝕔𝑂𝔪
However, from the beginning, Oliver had faced hardships. His life was riddled with misfortune. He was so poor a wizard that he had to learn swordsmanship to cover his weaknesses.
But there was no denying that his strong attitude was his strength. Compared to the geniuses that learn to soar high at a young age, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage in the long run.
So what if Alex had already manifested his soul domain? In a few years’ time, he would catch up to him! If that didn’t work, he would work hard for a few more years. Surely, he would succeed then, right?
Oliver curled his hands into fists, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.
“I will never think of giving up until the day I die!” he vowed.
Then he turned to Val with a grateful smile on his face. “Thank you for clearing my doubts. I will remember this, and I promise to repay the favor if an opportunity arose in the future.”
“Why wait for the future when you can repay me now?” Val said with a smile. “Something has piqued my interest and I think you can provide the answers.”
“Oh? What do you want to know?” Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I want to know about the Soul Domain,” Val replied.
Oliver let out a thoughtful hum before saying,
“That’s a complex topic. But to put it simply, it’s the strongest weapon in a wizard’s arsenal.”
Val’s eyes flickered with curiosity. He asked, “How can one learn it?”
“There are two conditions. Firstly, you need to become a mid-level wizard. Secondly, you need to form a nascent soul in your arcane heart. Once both the conditions are met, you’ll be able to form your soul domain,” Oliver explained.
“I can understand the first condition. A strong arcane heart is a must. But a nascent soul. Why is it necessary and how does one form it?” Val asked.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal extensive knowledge about the nascent soul. I’m bound by a vow that restricts me from disclosing such secrets if I value my life. But, I can guide you on the path ahead. If you join a wizard family and earn their support, you can gain the opportunity to learn it.”
“Since that’s the case, I won’t press on that matter anymore. But, I do have another question for you. Do you mind answering it?” Val asked.
“I don’t mind,” Oliver said with an amicable smile.
“How does one join a wizard family?” Val raised a question.
“You can join a wizard family by passing their tests. Different families have different tests,” Oliver explained.
“I see,” Val said, processing the new information.
“Do you remember that I mentioned a proposition for you earlier?” Oliver suddenly said.
“Yes, I do. We didn’t have a chance to discuss it because of the Beast Tide,” Val replied.
“Actually, the proposition I wanted to make was—”
Oliver’s words were stopped short as Val, with a swift, decisive action, jerked him out of the way.
“What was that-”
Oliver was taken aback by the sudden movement, but his bewilderment turned into horror when he saw a beast bursting out from the ground where he had been standing moments ago. As its colossal jaws snapped shut in the empty air, he realized that he just had a brush with death.
If not for Val, he would’ve surely lost his life there!
Seeing that the assassination have failed, the beast hurried to escape.
“Leave your life behind!”
With lightning-fast speed, Val spun towards the beast and landed a punch on it with all his might before it could disappear underground.
The moment his fist connected with it, the terrifying effect of the Hellish Fist skill proc’ed. Hellfire, indistinguishable flames that burn both body and soul, immediately engulfed the creature.
In the blink of an eye, it was reduced to ashes.
Until its death, it wailed like a banshee and writhed in pain as if suffering from intense nightmares.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Oliver said to Val.
Val flashed Oliver a smile. “No problem. We’ve only just become friends; it would be a real shame to lose you this early.”
Oliver chuckled awkwardly.
“The beast tide is at its final leg. The beasts are like cornered rabbits. They are going to fight back with all their might and try to take down as many of us as they can with them. We must stay vigilant and not drop our guard, even for a second. Let’s postpone our conversation until after we’ve dealt with the Beast Tide.”
Upon hearing this, Oliver firmly nodded, signaling his understanding and agreement.
Val and Oliver joined the two teams and Alex in mowing down the Beast Tide.
With such powerful forces at play, it didn’t take long before the entire Beast Tide was eradicated.
A series of notifications rang in Val’s ears.
[System Notification: Beast Tide Defeated. Gained 10,000 EXP.]
[System Notification: Killed 320 Level 20 to 40 beasts. Gained 50,000 EXP.]
[System Notification: The will of the world has recognized your significant contribution in dealing with the Beast Tide and has decided to reward you.]
Val’s eyes lit up.
‘I wonder what I will get.’