At one point, Henry, unable to find Neo, almost went berserk.
If he had found Neo a day later, he did not know what he would've done.
"Neo has changed," Henry said.
When he met him today, he was no longer shaking in his boots.
He looked at Henry in the eyes when Henry cursed at him.
His movements and tone was filled with undeniable confidence.
Neo had, somehow, grown.
How did it happen?
What did he go throw in a few days to mature so suddenly?
"Young master, is he…. possessed by an Outer God?" the butler questioned. "It is the only way I can explain his change."
"Possessed, huh."
Henry felt a throbbing pain on his scar.
He took out another cigarette and took a puff.
The pain lessened.
"I didn't sense the presence of an Outer God on him and…"
He took a drag.
"His habits are the same. That wouldn't be possible if he is a different person."
The person was Neo.
And he was maturing.
'I guess it's time for the chick to leave the nest.'
Henry smiled.
He was happy his brother was changing.
Honestly, he didn't want Neo to enter the Demigod Academy as it was dangerous.
But.
In their world, weakness was a sin.
Henry wouldn't be always there to protect Neo.
He turned to the butler.
"What about the documents I asked?"
"I've brought them."
Henry took the pile of papers from the butler.
He flipped through them and clicked his tongue.
"That bitch left a protector for her daughter."
After the Tyrant Queen's death, there were countless demigods who wanted to snatch the Terror-ranked Spell from Amelia.
However, almost any organization who tried to make a move was suddenly destroyed.
It was an open warning.
The Tyrant Queen might be dead.
But her daughter was not defenseless.
"Master, is the protector…"
"Yeah, it's that bitch herself. She isn't dead."
After knowing Neo's skill, Henry was sure his brother saved the Queen and inherited her Spell as compensation.
"At least that dickhead has good business senses. He earned a giant profit and removed a roadblock for me."
Henry added,
"Create a fake identity for the bitch."
His words confused the butler.
"Why are you trying to help the Tyrant Queen, master?"
"I'm helping my brother."
Henry inhaled the cigarette.
"That bitch owes a favor to him, it's better for us if she isn't caught.
"Besides, no one would think I helped her. We aren't in any danger."
After discussing the important matters, the butler was about to leave when suddenly Henry called out to him.
"Did you prepare the thing I asked for Neo's ranking competition?"
"Yes," the butler bowed. "It will be completed by tomorrow morning."
…
Underworld
Neo opened his eyes.
He saw a foot coming down to stomp his head.
Swiftly rolling away, he jumped to his feet.
"What?"
One, two, three…. ten, eleven…. twenty…
Countless Gulwaks rushed at him.
There was no time to get straighten his thoughts or ask Barbatos about the training's content.
He had to fight as soon as he arrived.
A Gulwak slashed the dagger at his head.
Neo twisted his head with minimal movements.
He shattered the Gulwak's neck with Necrotic Touch and snatched the dagger from it.
Just as he was about to fight, the Gulwak, despite missing its head, grabbed his leg and clawed his feet.
…!?
Before Neo could stomp the Gulwak, another tried to pounce on his back.
He forcefully freed his right feet and, by spinning on his other feet, smashed the right foot in the Gulwak's face.
Without stopping, he used the momentum to drop a hammer kick on the Gulwak clawing his left foot.
An arrow stabbed into his back.
'They have archers?'
Neo bit his lips.
He tried to scan his surroundings when another swift spear stabbed towards his head.
'These damned bastards! They are aiming for my head!'
He barely managed to twist his neck in time, and lost his left ear and a portion of his face in exchange for his life.
All the while Neo dodged the attack, he did not move away.
Instead he closed the gap and plunged the dagger into the spear-wielding Gulwak's lower jaw.
'These fucks!'
He dodged another arrow.
Before the spear-wielding Gulwak died, Neo took away his spear.
He spun on his feet and threw the weapon like a javelin.
The attack pierced through three Gulwaks and the nailed the bow-wielding Gulwak to the ground.
'Got you—"
A war hammer struck his head.
Neo's vision spun. His ears rang loudly and he stumbled.
'W-what happened…?'
Blood poured out of his nose and eyes.
He couldn't think straight.
The Gulwak smashed the war hammer into Neo's stomach and threw him into the sand.
The attack, followed with pain, brought clarity to Neo's mind.
He rolled away before the war hammer turned his chest into a paste.
But.
He couldn't dodge the attack completely.
His fingers were crushed.
'Dammit, what's up with these guys today?'
Neo used Necrotic Touch to cauterize the wounds.
The fingers wouldn't be regenerated, his eyes watered, but he held on. It was the only way he could continue fighting.
He broke the war hammer-wielding Gulwak's knee with a kick and took a glimpse on the timer.
[Time Remaining: 11 hours: 58 minutes]
What…?
Only two minutes passed?
Finally, the Ocean's Embrace Spell activated.
His body was covered in a thin-blue film.
Suddenly, an arrow struck his nape.
The attack bounced harmlessly off his skin and Neo felt a stinging pain.
He was huffing badly.
What was happening today?
Gulwaks were fierce, but they fought systematically.
The battles with them were similar to turn-based combat normally.
They would attack, Neo would dodge, Neo would attack and, if they didn't die, they would attack again.
But today?
They fought like mad hounds.
All of them rushed at him and attacked without caring about friendly fire or self-harm.
The worst part was they were cooperating.
When Neo eliminated two Gulwaks, it turned out they were baits for the third Gulwak to use.
They were fighting chaotically, but somehow there was order in their chaos.
'I'll die at this rate. Even if I don't, I'll tire myself out.'
Neo needed to change location.
Preferably to a place where he wasn't open to attacks from all sides like he was now.