Another seven years passed in the blink of an eye. Finally, even Isaac, the weakest in the group, broke through to the Mythic tier under Suri's guidance. Isaac laughed as he exchanged fist bumps with the other four.
"Damn, it was so hard!"
"I almost thought I would fail again!"
Charles chuckled at his words.
"We all failed many times as well."
"That's no big deal."
Both Charles and Isaac suddenly paused and looked at each other, and truly felt like crying. Finally, they were tall—finally! Now that jerk Skyler wouldn't call them shorty every other minute...! At last, the days of being short were over, left far, far behind.
Even their builds had filled out! They were the two who had grown the most in height over the past eight years. Austin, Zack, and Yuris couldn't understand the reason for the sudden joy reflected in their eyes, watching them with both amusement and confusion.
On the other hand, at a distance, Suri, the fallen god, watched the five with a satisfied look. Although these youths hadn't been as talented as his first disciple, Max, they were remarkable in their own way and had made his days less boring. Watching them grow each day had been an amazing experience.
Suri sipped the tea in his cup, a trace of sadness flashing through his calm, aged eyes as he heard Yuris' following words.
"Now that we are all at Mythic tier, how do we find Skyler? We agreed we would leave this realm once we all reached this level. In these eight years, we have searched almost the entire Realm of Stillness, yet aside from a few traces of fire he left behind whenever he stopped to cook, we haven't found even a single piece of discarded clothing."
Zack let out a weary chuckle.
"How could finding one person be this hard? It's as if he has left this realm."
Charles disagreed with him.
"He's still here. We just haven't found him."
Suri clapped his hands at that moment to get their attention. He smiled and spoke.
"Alright, alright. Enough talk about leaving. Are you all that eager to leave this old man, hmm? Let's have a feast today to celebrate everyone finally reaching the Mythic rank."
Five pairs of eyes immediately turned to him, thinking that this cruel old man truly knew how to make them the villains. In the past eight years, their third biggest goal—first goal was to locate Skyler and second was to one day beat Suri's first disciple—had been to escape from this old man.
Now that they were finally about to leave, they were obviously grinning deep inside.
Suri, of course, caught the gleam in their eyes. He wore an entertained expression and waved his hand—a familiar gesture to tell them to go and prepare the feast on their own. He stayed seated, watching as the youths began getting everything ready.
A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips. Over the eight years, Suri had made sure all of them had learned how to cook.
Even now, the memory of the poison they had fed him during their first attempt still made him want to rinse his mouth several times. Honestly, a few hardships here and there could teach even an idiot anything.
It's just… A trace of pity flickered through his eyes as he glanced at them, his head giving a slight shake. They were so happy, yet in truth, they all had barely taken their first step on the long path to true strength.
Mythic tier… It was a rank that sat at the very bottom of the vast ladder of power.
He could have helped them go further.
But the resources in this realm he was trapped in were not powerful enough to push them higher than the Mythic tier.
His gaze lingered on them for a moment longer, the faint smile on his lips fading.
He could only hope these kids would live another hundred years—and not become one of the countless mere casualties or… rage flashed in his eyes—livestock for the higher beings fighting in the Divine War.
A disgusted grunt escaped his lips.
Flicking his sleeves, he left the scene.
As the evening light began to set, Suri was invited to sit at the head of a newly crafted wooden table, a grand feast already laid out before him. The five youngsters sat around him on chairs in a circle, their eyes carrying joy and confidence. The warm glow of the setting light spilled across the trees around the table, casting shadows as soft chatter settled over the entire table—Suri even took out several flasks of fine old wine, thinking how these youths would be leaving soon.
However, before the wine flasks could be opened, an uninvited guest who had been watching them for a year finally decided to reveal himself. Skyler leapt down from a tree and landed softly opposite the table.
Dusting off his hands, he surveyed everyone, a smirk curling at his lips.
Suri's eyes narrowed. He was the first to notice the approaching tall figure. It was shocking—he hadn't been able to feel his presence until he was already this close.
Just what was this person?
He wasn't strong.
Yet, as if he was even more than him.
Skyler met Suri's gaze and gave a nod.
His hand rested on Isaac's shoulder as he leaned down to taste the food before him. The meat was well cooked, so he sighed. A familiar, though more refined voice echoed.
"Ah, this doesn't taste half bad. I see, everyone is enjoying themselves."
Hearing the voice, everyone stiffened.
Skyler patted Isaac's shoulder as all eyes snapped toward him, clicking his tongue.
"Go get two more chairs."
As they saw the familiar ash-brown hair, shock finally set in. Was it a coincidence that this guy they had been unable to find for so long appeared on the very day they all reached the mythic rank? No, none of them would believe such kind of bullshit!