𝑂𝚟𝐋xt.𝐂𝑂𝐦

FWOOSH

My jaw dropped as I looked at the clouds blotting out the shining rays of sunshine, parting at the will of the man who had just swung his halberd, completely splitting them in half.

“This was the level I managed to reach upon being blessed by a deity named Zeus. In exchange for becoming his servant, I was granted power beyond the comprehension of man. I am now able to split the sky, granting me the title of Heavenly General,”

As my eyes began to bake in the shining rays, I quickly diverted them away and took a quick glance at the man’s presence who shimmered before me.

“Why tell all of this to me? I thought you would kill me?”

His expressionless face turned towards me, the two golden strands dangling from the front of his head, shimmering even brighter than ever before.

“Show me proof that you are the same as me. That you can use skills, magic, or just something that shows proof that you have a status,”

I knew it… he’s the same… way before the earth was awakened with mana…

But first, I had to test out something, as before I used a regular old skill, I activated

[Miasma Infused Presence], which the man in front of me could not see in the slightest.

His head twitched to the side ever so slightly, but that was it, leaving me with one final conclusion.

The people of the overworld cannot see any demonic-related skills, but if I activate this… then… [Empower].

A golden-orangish glow encapsulated my entire body, causing my veins to practically burst out of my skin and allow an overwhelming amount of strength to flow through me.

It bubbled like a strange potion as it didn’t move like air but a thick liquid that I could slowly manipulate to swirl around me, still creating the same effect.

“Is this [Empower]?” Lu Bu asked, slowly walking towards me and reaching out his hand, feeling the tangible buff begin to push his hand back from my body.

“Yes, it is. Do you also have this skill?”

“I do… would you like to see it, or would you like to see my status instead?” He smiled, and as he spoke those words, a chill shot down my spine before a system message appeared in front of me.

[The eyes of a thunderous god glare down on you]

“Seems the old man isn’t happy,” Lu Bu lightly chuckled, and seeing him smile was a bit weird since his face was so stern that it looked unnatural for it to look like anything else. “I guess it’s decided….”

“Wait, you shouldn’t show me your status. I’m not tryna get smited down,”

“Oh, not about that. I don’t know how to show my status anyway… that was just to see if the old man was listening in to our conversation. But I want to make you my student as then I can teach you what you have to learn. You have a fiery passion deep in your heart for the art of war, so allow me to teach you,”

“Really? THE Great Heavenly General wants to teach me? What do you get out of it? Did Zeus tell you to do this, or-“

“No, don’t worry. This is my own selfish decision since, eventually, you might find somebody else willing to teach you. Somebody who wants to take you under their wing, but I feel like I should steal you before any of that happens, right?” The man chuckled, his stern face slowly softening, and before I knew it, he had walked right in front of me.

His rough hand placed itself on my shoulder, slightly gripping it before he shoved the soft leather handle of his halberd into my chest.

“Take it. Let’s start now, as we have tons of free time,”

The image of this heavenly general that I had conjured up in my mind from the countless stories I had read of him, countless articles discussing his brutal and almost metallic nature, and the legends that had been passed down from this ancient time… but he was different.

He was more human than I ever was.

“I’ve been meaning to ask….” I muttered, taking the halberd from him and feeling just how light it was. “When I first saw you, you were trampling through your own men, right? Was that some kind of intimidation tactic, or was it something else?”

“You could call it an intimidation tactic, but in reality, those people who I trampled over were already dying, stricken with a deadly sickness. It’s a new one that has slowly begun to flood this world, and from what I’ve observed, the main cause is mana. Mana is slowly leaking into this world. Humans struggle to adapt to it, but I believe over generations, it will become something normal, and the status will be free for everyone to use,”

“Hmmm… I see. So, the conversion has already begun,”

“Indeed. The gods want to inhabit this world, and their process has begun. Slowly but surely, people will begin to use magic and skills. It makes my blood boil with excitement… Now! Let’s get right to it!” The man shouted before pushing me back ever so slightly.

He took a deep stance as I prepared myself with the halberd which the blade was much bigger than I would have liked it to be.

It didn’t feel as nimble, but as soon as I swung it, seeing the man shoot towards me like a bolt of lightning, I just barely scraped his cheek.

“Oh~ you’re fast,” Lu Bu smiled, hopping back just a few steps while licking the blood dripping from his left cheek.

A chilling sensation shot through my body as the man took a taller stance, signaling he was going to kick me, so I prepared myself for a big flash of power.

“You’ve already lost your cool. If you can’t see your opponent, still try to look for hints as to where they are… don’t just stupidly brace for an attack,” The man chuckled, flicking the back of my head as I opened up my squinted eyes.

“You’re gonna kill me if you hit me with full power,”

“Then don’t die,” The heavenly general smiled.