When Ragnarok woke up, he noticed that others had also been teleported outside the barrier with him. Some looked thrilled, while others not so much. Curious, Ragnarok turned to Jason to see his reaction.
Jason's face was lit with joy, and his excitement made Ragnarok feel at ease. It was clear Jason had received an incredible power.
But Ragnarok was still in the dark about his own. The pamphlet said I would experience a revelation of our powers, but I didn't feel anything, he thought. Then he remembered the watch they had been given, which displayed their ranking number and abilities."
With a mix of hope and nervousness, he checked his watch. The screen displayed his ranking number: 982,566,281. But when he looked at the section for abilities, his heart sank—because it was blank.
At that moment, the natives who had been waiting to guide them back stepped forward. "Stay calm, everyone," one of them said firmly. "No matter what you've gained—whether it's a remarkable ability or one that seems weak—it won't change. Learn to make the most of it–because there's no turning back.
The reassurance felt like both a comfort and a challenge. With that, the natives instructed the group to follow them back to the hotel.
On the way back, Jason walked over to Ragnarok, his voice eager. "Hey, Ragnarok! What did you get? I'm sure it's something awesome!" Kelvin, who had been walking ahead, slowed down and joined the conversation. "Yeah, I'm excited too! I want to know what you guys got."
Ragnarok felt a lump in his throat. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to lie, but he couldn't bring himself to do that—not to Jason. Taking a deep breath, he admitted, "I... I didn't get anything. My watch just showed a blank screen."
Jason stopped in his tracks, visibly surprised. "What? That's never happened before. If you were under seventeen, the watch wouldn't even appear on your wrist in the first place. Are you sure? Did you check your watch properly?"
Ragnarok nodded. "Yeah, I checked. There's nothing there."
Ragnarok hesitated, then quickly shifted the topic "Enough about that—what did you get, Jason?"
Jason, who had been excited a moment ago, suddenly looked conflicted. He couldn't bring himself to celebrate his new power when his best friend seemingly didn't have one. After a pause, he said, "Let's forget about it for now. Let's just get back to the hotel. My body's itching all over from being in this forest."
___
They finally made it to the hotel, and Jason and Ragnarok bid farewell to Kelvin as they headed to their room. Once inside, an awkward silence filled the room. After a moment, Jason approached Ragnarok, who was sitting on the bed.
"No matter if you don't have powers or if yours are weak—it doesn't matter." Jason said, his voice filled with determination. "We'll become the duo gods of the universe. And that's a promise." He grinned widely.
Ragnarok smiled back. "Okay, future god of the universe. Let's do this."
Jason's grin widened. "So, what's your rank number?"
Ragnarok replied, "Mine's two numbers ahead of yours."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is it?"
Ragnarok told him his rank number, then shifted the topic. "So, what's your power? What's the next plan?"
Jason paused, taking a deep breath. "My power is... Weapon Mastery Cluster. I can create and control weapons with precision—blades, bows, anything. I also have flight and insane speed, but they're limited right now. The vision said I'll unlock the full potential once I leave Earth. But for now, I can fully use my weapon abilities."
Ragnarok's eyes widened. "That's insane! You're practically unstoppable."
Jason grinned. "Maybe, but don't worry. I'll make sure you're just as strong. I can craft weapons for you, and together, we'll take on anyone who stands in our way."
Ragnarok asked again, "What's our next move?"
Jason replied, "We'll join the Ranker preliminary to test our strength against low-ranking competitors like us. If we're strong enough, we can start challenging rankers above us, take their spots, and keep climbing higher until we leave Earth."
He paused, then added with a grin, "At least thanks to the power of the Stone Tablet, even if you don't have any power, your body is physically stronger than before."
Jason told Ragnarok, "Why don't you go take a bath first? I'll head downstairs and see what we can eat."
After a while, Jason returned to find that Ragnarok had finished bathing. He entered the bathroom to take his turn, and once he was done, they ate together before deciding to rest for the remainder of the day. They wanted to be well-rested and up early to catch the ship back.