Chapter 201. (Patreon)

The teenager clearly knew the origin of the voice, and he obviously wasn’t happy to hear it. Zac warily took out his axe once again, trying to figure out means to escape.

He truly wasn’t in a condition to fight with someone who made Average this afraid. However, he soon realized the folly of any thoughts of escape as a pressure that felt unlike anything he’d ever encountered before blanketed the whole town.

The next moment a man who looked to be in his forties appeared next to Average as if out of nowhere. He wore similar gear as the teenager, but comparing the two was as though comparing a matchstick fire to the sun. Zac knew the true aura of the man was restrained, but Zac was barely able to stand up just from being in his proximity.

This was a true old monster, someone far above anything he’d encountered so far, even eclipsing his understanding. The only thing that had felt similar before was when he saw the axe-man in the vision, though the man in front of him likely wasn’t quite that powerful.

But there was a big difference between seeing something in a vision and with his real eyes.

The pugilists were clearly related, as they shared the same weird hair and many facial features. It didn’t feel like a mystery to Zac, the man was clearly Average’s father. The dad’s build was quite a bit bulkier, but there wasn’t a shred of fat on his body. It was also clear that this man was no greenhouse elite like his son.

His whole body was crisscrossed with scars, much like Zac’s own body looked like by now. But more importantly he radiated a killing intent that felt strong enough to drown the whole planet they stood on, and it was on a completely different scale compared to his own.

Zac wondered just how much slaughter one had to undergo to passively emit such an aura. If someone had told him that this man had destroyed a whole planet, he honestly would believe them.

“Brat, why don’t you look happy to see your father? And you’re even calling me crazy?” the man said as he flicked Average on his forehead.

The power in that love-tap was anything but gentle, and it was enough to blast Average into a house, just like what happened to Zac when he got sneak attacked. But Average seemed fine apart from a quickly growing bump, and quickly scrambled out of the ruins of the house, albeit with some complaint on his face.

“What father, you’re just a clone,” Average muttered, brushing some dust from his vest.

“Shitty son, it’s still a wisp of my consciousness inside, no?”

Zac was shocked at that exchange. The monstrously powerful man was just a clone of the real thing. He already knew from Alyn that clones created from techniques were far weaker than the original body. To be this powerful with only a small part of the original’s body’s power, just who were these people?

“And what was that embarrassing display earlier? I trained you for almost twenty years to be fearless and indomitable, yet you gave up after only a broken nose. Next time you better lose a couple of limbs before you give in,” the man snorted, and finally turned toward Zac.

“Not bad for a little Progenitor, you show promise. I’m guessing you’re here on a quest?”

Zac was still a bit shellshocked from the aura the man emitted, but he forced himself to snap out of it. He didn’t dare to lie in front of this man. Somehow he knew Zac was a Progenitor, and who knew what else he’d gleaned. Zac wouldn’t be surprised if the man used some high tier observation skill that [Mental Barrier] didn’t even notice.

“I am Zachary Atwood, it’s nice to meet you. May I ask how you knew I was a Progenitor?” Zac tentatively said to him.

“This old man has been around for 80 000 years. If I couldn’t see through some little brat I might as well throw myself into a sun,” he laughed. “I am Greatest by the way, Average’s father. And don’t worry, your quest is probably completed. I’m simply shielding the area for a bit so we could talk without you getting whisked away.”

Zac’s mind moved a mind a minute as he tried to unpack the various things the man said. First of all, Zac understood where he got the naming sense, and he could only throw a pitiful glance at Average, who only rolled his eyes in response.

The next shocker was his age, as anyone that old had to be at least C-Grade race as far as Zac knew. That, in turn, meant that the man in front of him was at least a D-Grade powerhouse. However, Zac had a feeling he wasn’t that simple.

He had no proper frame of reference yet of the powerhouses of the multiverse, but Zac would guess that the man in front of him was actually stronger than D-Grade. This was only reinforced by the last comment. It appeared that the man was actually able to shield the area from the System.

He already knew that it was possible to manipulate the System to a certain degree, as stronger forces were somewhat able to snag the incursion slots that were supposed to be randomly awarded. But he’d never heard about this type of manipulation.

It was extremely alarming, as it meant that it was possible that the man in front of him, or people of similar power, could lock down the space around themselves. That would mean that using things as Coward’s Escape or Teleporters might be useless when fleeing from powerhouses.

“You gave my son a valuable lesson, so I help you out in return. Wear this for the time being,” the man said.

The next moment something appeared out of nowhere in front of Zac, and he hesitantly took it. It was a bracelet that looked like those the two pugilists wore. Zac didn’t hesitate, and quickly put it on. He didn’t believe there was any malice behind the move. If Greatest wanted to kill him he would already be dead.

‘The Specialty Core you’ve managed to grow is pretty interesting, and it will enable a miracle if it doesn’t kill you. Many wouldn’t even hesitate in cutting you open just to study it. This little trinket will hide it from the world, and at least no one in D-Grade will be able to sense it,’ the man’s voice sounded in Zac’s mind.

Zac was truly alarmed this time. It was as though Greatest could see through everything about him. Not only that, he seemed to understand what the core was, and called it a Specialty Core. Unfortunately Zac had no idea what it meant, as he’d never heard anyone mention such a thing back in Port Atwood.

He was both relieved and a bit disappointed after hearing Greatest’s opinion. Relieved that it was something good that many would want. But at the same time it wasn’t something great to the point that Greatest himself was interested in it. Initially, Zac had believed he had created some miracle of the ages, but perhaps the reality wasn’t quite that exciting.

For the first time, Zac didn’t look at the powerhouse in front of him like he was some sort of primordial beast, but rather a treasure trove of information. This man was no doubt far more knowledgeable about pretty much anything compared to anyone on his island.

The answers to so many questions he had lied with him, and perhaps even the solution to all the predicaments on Eart. There was no doubt that this man could singlehandedly destroy all the incursions and the dominators without breaking a sweat. He likely even had a bunch of underlings who could do so.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and Zac was about to ask the man for assistance, but before he had a chance Greatest started talking again.

“Brat, let’s go. This was a valuable lesson for me as well. I’ve been to lenient with you due to your mother, seeing as you shrunk away from the face of death. You need some real battle experience, so I’ll ask The Red Emperor to accept you into the Eternal Legion for a campaign or two. If you survive I’ll allow you to change your name,” he said with a widening smile.

All color quickly drained from the face of Average, and horror even eclipsing that from earlier filled his eyes. But clearly he knew better than to fight with his battle-crazed father, and could only stare at Zac like he wanted to cry but had no tears left.

“Haha, little Progenitor, if you ever find yourself in the Red sector of the Allbright Empire, come and have a drink with this old man. If I’m in a good mood I might even let you try one of my Certain Death trials!” the man said, ignoring his son.

“Wait!” Zac shouted, but it was to no avail.

The next moment the two simply disappeared, leaving Zac alone with a slew of questions. Only a few seconds later he got a prompt telling him that his quest was complete, and a crystal spawned next to him. The quest didn’t hand out the rewards though, and Zac guessed he would get them at his own Nexus Node back on Port Atwood.

Zac sighed as he looked up at the stars. Meeting Greatest had been an eye-opener in more ways than one. He couldn’t wait for the day that Earth had braved the trials of the integration, and he didn’t have to fight tooth and nail for every advantage. More importantly, he started to crave power for power's sake. In this harsh reality he'd never be free unless he reached the top.

He also realized that it was a pipe dream to depend on others for help with his own problems. It was unreasonable to expect some random powerhouse to help out a place like Earth, making an enemy of the Undead Empire and the Cult of the Everlasting Dao in the process.

But it wasn’t all bad. He knew that the Allbright Empire was an extremely vast, and mainly human, faction that had all kinds of opportunities. It wouldn’t be a bad place to visit in the future. Having already made a sort of connection with such a powerhouse over there might open all kinds of doors.

One could even consider it the hidden reward for the quest, since meeting Greatest might be worth far more in the end compared to some Dao Treasure. But that was all for later. He needed to focus on the present, and there was a Treasure hunt to reap some benefits from in two weeks.

Zac only took one last glance around the town, before he touched the crystal and disappeared. As for the fate of the warring states of the Solvim, it had already left his mind.

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Unbeknownst to Zac, two people stood in the air, looking down at the town as Zac touched the crystal.

“So he really was a Progenitor,” Average said with interest, seeing his new rival disappear. “No wonder I didn’t recognize him. I still believe I would have been the one to win in a life-and-death battle though.”

“The only way you’d beat him is relying on treasures I gave you. Then it would have been me that defeated him, not you. Remember, items are only a crutch. Only our fists are eternal,” Greatest said with equanimity.

“Why did you give him that bracer? Didn’t you craft it for Lord Greenwood’s new personal disciple?” Average asked, knowing better than to argue with his unreasonable father.

“I’ll just say the craft failed,” the man said with a grin. “It’s more important to sow the seeds of Karma.”

“Was he really worth it? That was tens of thousands of D-Grade Nexus Coins you threw away,” Average muttered.

“We’ll find out in a few thousand years,” Greatest said with a nonchalant shrug.

“But if he was so important, why didn’t you send someone to help him out? I’ve heard how messed up the situation on those new planets are. Isn’t he almost guaranteed to die? I know you would be able to send someone with him through the Nexus Hub.” Average skeptically asked.

“If I did so then my gamble would have been truly worthless,” Greatest said with a shake of his head. “For now that brat was only a promise of greatness. But If I stepped in at this juncture he would likely never pass the second bottle-neck. A wild weed needs to be buffeted by the wind and to grow strong.”

Average only looked down again one last time, before summoning a huge vessel. There was no network in this remote pocket of the Red Sector, and it would take over a week to get back home. He briefly wondered if he’d ever see that brutal guy again.

But he soon put it out of his mind, as he had his own things to worry about.