This time, the change in appearance was much more significant than before. Even someone familiar with him would likely need a moment to recognize him. His blood had almost completely turned gold, infused with strange energy. Even his cellular structure had undergone some changes.
It could be said that his body was now very close to that of an Asgardian deity.
At this moment, Syd's face shifted slightly as he felt some discomfort. He could clearly sense that his body was struggling against something, which was causing his unease.
In an instant, he deduced the truth.
"Is it because of the cancer cells..." Syd frowned.
Only the cancer cells in his body could cause him such discomfort. Clearly, the divine physique was trying to eliminate these cancer cells and restore them to normal.
If that was all, it would be fine. However, he could distinctly feel a bizarre, twisted force wreaking havoc within the cancer cells, resisting their return to normalcy.
"Ancient Gods..." Syd's expression darkened.
Once his body settled, he glanced at the remaining lifespan section.
Age: 16 (Remaining Lifespan: 131 days)
Clearly, the cancer had not been fully eradicated. Otherwise, with his divine physique, he shouldn't have such a short lifespan.
"I wonder if the cancer cells will still be around when the divine physique reaches Level Five..." Syd sneered slightly.
He was confident that reaching Level Five of the divine physique would bring a significant change to his body, and it might be the key to completely overcoming the cancer. He was curious if the hidden Ancient Gods would be enraged or furious in response.
With a wry smile, Syd picked up a gray stone about the size of a walnut from the ground. He then squeezed it lightly with his right hand.
With a crack, Syd felt the stone break apart. Opening his hand, he saw that the stone had shattered into several pieces. He could even feel that with a little more force, he could crush these fragments into powder.
Aside from the bothersome cancer, Syd had to marvel at the strength of his current body. The divine physique was truly impressive. Even at Level Four, he could easily crush a stone with his bare hands, without any injury to himself—a testament to its formidable defensive power.
To test his body's strength, Syd thought for a moment and then went to an unfamiliar zoo. He found a tiger and deliberately provoked it.
Roar!
The tiger roared angrily, swiping at him and even biting him.
To the tiger's confusion, the unpleasant intruder showed no signs of injury and didn't even flinch.
It was as if it had clawed and bitten a rock...
This bizarre scene left the tiger bewildered. It raised its paw, pawed at Syd with a silly expression, as if it were trying to figure out what was going on.
Syd chuckled, shook his head, and left, not continuing to tease the tiger.
"A Level Four divine physique can't even be harmed by a tiger, huh..." Syd mused.
"My strength has increased quite a bit. I wonder how it would fare against that Captain Marvel."
Time flew by quickly, and soon, several days had passed. Sunlight streamed in through the window as Syd stretched and looked at his status panel, feeling quite satisfied.
In the past few days, due to his obsessive tendencies, he had also upgraded the soul-extracting abilities on the Serpent panel to Level Four, leaving only one ability, Spatial Transfer, which he hadn't upgraded yet. Considering the low consumption of a Level Two Spatial Transfer with his levitation ability, he hadn't chosen to upgrade it for now.
Additionally, his Light Divine Power was about to reach Level Four.
Ability: Light Divine Power (806/1000) Level Three
Syd eagerly anticipated reaching Level Four for the Light Divine Power.
Light Divine Power Experience +1
Divine Physique Experience +1
Just as he was preparing to elevate the Light Divine Power to Level Four, in a distant forest, a group of mages in yellow robes were conversing.
"Master Kaecilius, there have been no unusual activities from S.H.I.E.L.D. recently," said a burly middle-aged man named Pellis respectfully.
The core figure, Kaecilius, who was being watched by a dozen mages, frowned and muttered, "Still no change...?"
Upon hearing his murmur, a recently joined mage looked puzzled.
"Kaecilius, why are you so fixated on this mundane organization? Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. has significant power and interesting elements within, it shouldn't warrant such constant attention."
"Are you hoping to obtain something from S.H.I.E.L.D.? If so, we could simply seize it directly instead of all this trouble..."
As a new member of the group, Ulysses didn't understand why Kaecilius was so focused on this organization.
Hearing this, Kaecilius glanced at him and, after some thought, explained in front of the watching eyes, "The great demon has foretold that S.H.I.E.L.D. will undergo changes."
Ulysses hesitated, his doubts evident. He had never seen the great demon Kaecilius spoke of. Kaecilius hadn't even performed any rituals to communicate with the demon, dismissing it with "the time hasn't come," which only fueled Ulysses' skepticism.
"Can Kaecilius really contact such a transcendent being, a dimensional demon?"
Not only Ulysses, but also the other ten or so newly joined mages shared the same doubts.
They had seen the book detailing the great being Kaecilius spoke of, but it recorded that no one had successfully communicated with it. Such entities were known to be mysterious, elusive, and beyond comprehension.
Had Kaecilius truly made contact?
Moreover, they questioned the accuracy of the prophecy. Could the mysterious demon really predict the future?
Noticing the skeptical expressions, Kaecilius began to waver, unsure if the great demon's prophecy would come to pass.
As they continued their discussion, an unusual ringtone broke the silence in the small forest.
All eyes turned in its direction.
Pellis, looking embarrassed, awkwardly pulled a phone from his clothing.
As he answered the call, he was met with surprising words.
(End of Chapter)