With a flash of white, Leon found himself standing on a large, marble white balcony. His empty eye sockets took in the majestic scenery that spread out before him, but before he could take in any more details, Michael cleared his throat.
“Follow me.” Michael instructed and turned around to lead the way. Leon had no choice but to follow. He was led through a wide hall that was mostly empty, save for the three meter tall humanoid marble figures that stood at fixed intervals. Leon would have thought that they were just figurines, but after seeing what Michael was capable of, he was more inclined to believe they were powerful creations brought to life by this God.
,m They soon entered a large hall that resembled the one where Michael’s statue was back in the God Temple in the newly rebuilt town that had been left behind.
There, Michael sat upon a raised throne and looked down at Leon. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, however, the large doors that led into the hall swung open and a red haired woman with a voluptuous figure came swaying in. There was something about her that instantly clued Leon in to the fact that he was merely an ant before her. It was the same air that hung around Michael, he realized.
‘She is a God…’ He thought to himself, and her blue eyes that were as deep as the sea turned to him. A smirk tugged on the corners of her lips and she turned away from him as she walked over to Michael’s throne, standing beside it with a hand on her hip.
“Leon,” Michael paused. “Truth be told, although you have grown quickly, I am still a bit disappointed in some areas that you have been neglecting. One of such is your spell casting. You have a Skill called <Spell Weaver>, yes? Why do you not use it?” The God asked curiously.
“Erm… I do not know how…” Leon mumbled. Ever since he had gotten that skill after his first Race Advancement, he had not actively used it. Instead, it had passively leveled up as he learned how to use his fire magic in various ways. Because of that, he was able to ascertain that it had to do with innovation in the magic field.
After Leon spoke, a silence that grated on his nerves stretched on for a few seconds before being broken by the sonorous laughter that erupted from Asteria.
“Seriously? How did you even get the skill?” The red haired woman asked.
“I-I don’t know. It just appeared after my first Race Advancement.” Leon shrugged.
“Hmm, alright then. Whatever you say.” Asteria hummed and turned to Michael, letting him take over.
“It does not matter how you managed to get it. Do you know the importance of this skill?” The silver haired man asked, looking at Leon with an inquisitive look.
“I have an idea from the name, but I am not sure.” Leon replied.
“Go on. I want to hear your thoughts.” Michael pressed.
“Well, I think it has to do with spell creation. The few times that it has leveled up, it only did so when I managed to think of a new way to use my fire magic. Even then, it has only happened very few times, which probably means that I am not using it properly.” Leon explained what he understood so far. He was no dumb rock, and to him, it was easy enough to come to this conclusion.
“Good, good. I am happy to see that I did not pick a dumb person.” Michael nodded his head seriously. He had been observing Leon for a long time and already knew that Leon was a reasonable person with a respectable amount of common sense. There were times he behaved dumbly, like when he left the Beast-kin girl on her own without supervision, but overall, he was sensible.
“Since you understand what the skill is meant for, that makes things easier for me. I will hand you a few books to read that can help you with creating new spells and learning existing spells before sending you off.” He said and waved his hand. A satchel filled with half a dozen leather bound books appeared out of thin air in front of Leon, startling him. He hesitantly took hold of it and looked up at Michael.
“Where are you planning on taking me?” After a few moments, he asked. Michael tilted his head in thought for a few moments before speaking.
“Every two hundred years, a worldwide event known as Divinity’s Bout is held. In this event, countless people of all races from around the world gather on a single chosen continent, where they will be subjected to all kinds of obstacles and disasters. They will also have to compete amongst themselves in order to gain the favor of the Gods. At the end of this event, ten people will be chosen, and those ten can make whatever wish they want from the Gods.” Michael calmly explained.
“…And how long will this Divinity’s Bout last?” Leon asked.
“Six months.”
‘Six whole months… I’ve only been here for a bit over a month, and this…’ Leon spoke bitterly in his mind.
“Anyway, that is all. I will be sending you off now.” Michael suddenly said, snapping Leon out of his thoughts.
“W-wait!” Leon hastily raised up his arms.
“What is it?” Michael had a slightly irritated look on his face.
“I am an undead skeleton. Won’t the people reject me?” Leon asked, worried.
“Oh.” Michael realized this point too before waving his hand. In a flash of white, Leon was teleported away from his temple, nowhere to be found.