"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you hurt" Nico ran toward them in panic. His breath became heavy and he almost couldn't breathe because of a panic attack.
"Nico, we are fine." Medeia knocked on the shield, trying to get the boy's attention. "Take a deep breath, kiddo."
She didn't want him to die from a panic attack because the villagers would definitely blame his death on her and Lucian.
Luckily, Nico was able to breathe again after he saw Lucian and Medeia standing before him without any scratch. Du
"How did you do it, Nico?" Lucian hit the shield with the signage board. The shield glitched for a second, but there was no scratch at all on its surface.
"What?"
Medeia explained, "You control your shield, so it didn't pass through us."
Nico looked at them in disbelief. "Really? I did that?" He touched the shield and whispered. "I'm not sure about that. Maybe it's just a coincidence."
Lucian, "Maybe. But this kind of power can't be stopped because of coincidence. It's hard for you to control it because you are too afraid to acknowledge your own ability."
"You have to embrace it, Nico." His tone sounded serious. "Or this enormous power will eat you someday and turn you into the Lost."
He didn't sugarcoat his words at all, making Medeia certain Nico's situation was that serious and couldn't be taken lightly.
"Have you figured out his grade?" asked Medeia.
"Wait a minute."
The only way to know the grade of a shield ability was to test its durability.
Someone with a low grade might be able to create a shield that could cover the entire city, but it didn't mean the shield could last long.
Hence, Lucian hit the same spot of the shield over and over again to test its endurance.
'Too bad the system can't give me other people's information if they are not my potential husband.'
[The system can provide other people's information to Host]
Medeia almost cursed out loud because of its words. 'Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?'
[Because Host has never asked]
Medeia gritted her teeth, trying her best not to let out a curse word. 'Then, tell me his grade.'
[Name: Nico Blake
Age: 13
Ability: Infinite Solid Shield (Grade-SSS+)]
"It's beyond Grade-S." Lucian guessed, "Nico hasn't let out all of his power, so I can't detect it precisely yet."
The system and Lucian talked almost at the same time. It made Medeia impressed by how accurately Lucian could guess without the system's help.
Medeia agreed with him, "You're right. He is at least a Grade-S mutant, maybe he can be categorized as Grade-SSS+ in the future."
Nico gasped because he couldn't believe their words. "Impossible! How can someone like me have that kind of strong power?!"
Medeia groaned in her heart. She was so tired of hearing his whining. The boy really needed to pull himself together before Medeia threw him into a hot cauldron.
Unfortunately, she couldn't express her frustration because the system would see her as the bad guy and reduce her points.
"The world is so messed up right now, so I don't think impossible is the right word anymore." Medeia encouraged him, "I know you think of this power as something bad or malicious, but you have to remember that power is just a tool."
"As long as you can operate it well, then you can use it to protect others instead of harming them."
Medeia was very bad at pep talks because she didn't understand people's emotions very well. The only thing she could do to calm Nico down was to state a fact.
His past was awful and he couldn't do anything about it. Therefore, instead of asking him to forget the past, it was better to let him use the past as a warning.
He had to work harder to control his power before he hurt someone else again.
"I'm just scared to let everyone down," said Nico in a soft voice.
Lucian replied in a calm voice. "The future is something we cannot predict, so let's not assume the worst before we see it."
He knocked on the shield. "Now try to take the shield off. I'm starting to feel like a prisoner when we talk between a wall like this."
"I-I don't know how …," mumbled Nico.
The last time he did that, he accidently killed his sister.
"Just like when you blasted the shield, you just have to think about that." Lucian said, "Calm down and imagine the shield shrinking in your mind."
Nico took deep breaths several times. "Okay … okay … I got it."
However, the reality didn't align with his imagination. Before Nico realized it, the shield exploded outward, barreling straight toward Lucian and Medeia.
"No!!" Nico's voice rang out in shock.
'Oh, shit. Am I gonna be killed by a kid now?'
[Foul language detected! Penalty -20 C-Point]
'Just shut up.'
However, before the shield could hit her body, Lucian stepped forward. He lifted his hand and touched the shield, transforming the solid wall into delicate rose petals that floated gently around them.
Medeia widened her eyes as the petals danced around her. She didn't understand what was going on, but she was sure Lucian had turned the shield into roses!
A fucking roses?! How could Medeia explain that shit?!
[The system has detected one of Lucian's abilities]
[Name: Lucian Charon
Age: 34
Ability:
- Atomic Manipulation (Grade-SSS+++)
- Unknown (Grade-???)
Handsome Value: 100+/100
Kind-Hearted Value: 99/100]
Wait … what did it mean by one of his abilities? He had more than one ability?
Was that even possible?
Moreover, how did his grade have triple plus symbols?
He was too bizarre—an anomaly in the midst of a catastrophic world.
"Are you all right?" Lucian approached her, brushing the rose petals from Medeia's hair and clothes. "I'm sorry. It can get messy sometimes."
Medeia held her breath for a second when Lucian touched her hair. His fingers barely touched her skin, but she had a tingly sensation in her stomach.
Oh, dear. She even forgot about his strange ability for a moment.
"I'm fine, but what was that?"
"Yes, what was that?!" Nico was also as stunned as Medeia.
Before Lucian could answer her question, Medeia saw Bear running toward them, howling loudly as if to warn them of something bad.
"What happened, boy?"
Lucian had asked Bear to wait somewhere far from the field, so he immediately became aware of his surroundings when the wolf ran to him like a scaredy cat.
Bear faced the ground and barked loudly. Medeia followed its gaze, realizing the pebbles on the ground moved slightly.
"There is something under the ground," said Medeia.
"Nico, come here." Lucian brought Nico and Medeia closer to him. "I think they are Tunnel Crawlers."
Medeia frowned. "They?"
[WARNING: 27 Tunnel Crawlers detected (Grade-C): Mutated Mole]