Chapter 82: The Shock of the Demi-God
According to Faye's common knowledge, a player's special abilities primarily come from their chosen class or the rewards from some extremely difficult hidden quests.
Yet, David possessed abilities that even her ancestor, Felicia, with an S-rank class, couldn't comprehend.
Either David had an SS-rank class, or he had completed an insanely difficult hidden quest—something practically inaccessible to a second-class player.
No matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense! Faye's mind was spinning!
Regarding David's other teleportation ability, which Felicia referred to as a god-given skill, Faye found that somewhat more acceptable.
Given David's potential, it wasn't unreasonable to think he could receive a skill as a divine blessing if he offered complete faith to a deity.
What puzzled Faye was that Earth humans seemed to lack any deities to worship...
Nonetheless, as she watched the calm figure still standing in the arena, her emotions remained turbulent.
With a complex expression, she reflected on her life. Since birth, she had been hailed as the most talented genius within her clan for the past century. After a fortunate event allowed her ancestor's remaining soul to attach to her, Faye had become invincible within her realm.
This was her first failure in life.
"I had no choice. The opponent was too strong." the young maiden could only console herself.
While her competitive spirit was crushed, her mindset remained steadfast.
Felicia, the remnant soul of a demigod, was even more astonished. With her broader knowledge and experience, she felt an inexplicable fear towards "David."
Felicia had ascended from an ordinary player in the Water Blue Clan to a demigod. Not only had she traveled extensively across the Divine Mountain Empire, but she had also toured surrounding nations and even visited other dimensions.
Yet a second-class player with such combat prowess...
"David" was truly one of a kind!
Felicia couldn't believe the information she had detected. "David's" talents, skill set, and profession were all remarkably ordinary. It was impossible for him to have unleashed the meteor strike just now.
She knew this prodigious youth was hiding his true strength. The only question was...
"What level of talent does David possess? S-rank? Or perhaps the legendary SS-rank?"
"What rank is his class? Could it be an S-rank class??? Or even higher..."
She couldn't see through him! Absolutely couldn't see through him!
The more Felicia thought about it, the more she felt she might have witnessed an extraordinary individual. She recalled her earlier, instinctual decision to help David train his skills...
The soul fragment floating in Felicia's sea of consciousness couldn't help but flicker with excitement!
This David might just be a significant opportunity for her dear pupil!
Felicia even had a premonition that despite being of a second-class status, David might have a chance to step into the demigod realm. "If that's the case," she thought, "then this fragment of my soul could also have a chance to be resurrected through him."
At this moment, Felicia had completely abandoned any supposed demi-god dignity. She urgently transmitted to Faye, "When David returns to the spectator seats, make sure to get to know him well."
"He owes us a small favor from earlier. Seize the opportunity! If he's still single, try to win him over!"
"What? Lady Felicia, what are you saying?" Faye, who had been sitting in the spectator seats with a composed and graceful expression, suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed by Felicia's words echoing in her mind. Her face flushed.
Faye was still just a kid who had never even been in a relationship...
"I'm not going! No way, I'm not going!"
"I just got defeated by him. I don't want to talk to him until I win next time." Unbeknownst to outsiders, the girl was speaking in a completely pouty tone, a stark contrast to her usual gentle demeanor. "What is this? I'm just asking you to say a few nice words. You don't even have to do anything extra, and you're scared?"
"You're embarrassing me!"
"When I was your age, I wasn't afraid to seduce players from enemy races for a piece of equipment!"
"How did I end up with a socially anxious disciple like you!"
Felicia sounded like she had weathered many storms.
In reality, her face was slightly flushed and hot within her sea of consciousness. Despite her confident tone, Felicia was mostly making up stories.
But no worries! A disciple should undergo the master's rigorous training.
...
Meanwhile, as the battle concluded, the NPCs finally reacted. The princes, one by one, enthusiastically rushed down from the spectator stands, and the Fourth Prince was the first to warmly grasp Sterl's hands.
"I announce that the final victor of this match is Mr. David from the Earth Human Clan!"
"Of course, he is also my most loyal old friend."
"Haha! Mr. David, I knew from the start that you were going to win this match."
Instantly, the other princes following behind turned from enthusiastic and courteous to utterly disheartened.
Damn it!
So David was already aligned with the Fourth Prince???
They immediately beat their chests in regret, their faces darkening. They were so frustrated that they felt a tightness in their chests, and their eyes shot daggers at the Fourth Prince.
On the spectator stands, the players also finally realized...
It's over!
David was undoubtedly the strongest!
The players quickly changed their attitudes!
"I've never seen such an outrageous second-class player in my life!"
"Could it be that the Earth Human Clan is really going to rise?"
"Has anyone ever heard of David's name before? I don't recall any mention of him."
"Could he be another rapidly rising figure like Lady Felicia? That would be terrifying!"
...
For a moment, players from various clans felt a tingle in their scalps!
Those clans that didn't have a good relationship with the Earth Human Clan were looking bitter. If David remained loyal and fought for his clan's resources, they were doomed!
Having someone like David on the front lines, destined to become a legend and potentially ascend to demi-god status, could spell the end for many clans!
On the flip side, the clans that were friendly with the Earth Human Clan were overjoyed and already discussing internally how to strengthen their cooperation with Earth Humans in the future...
"Go quickly!" Felicia urged anxiously in the mind of the Water Blue Clan's saintess.
And as nearly the entire audience was lauding Sterl, Faye, though reluctant, finally approached Sterl.
"Earlier, thank you for your assistance." Sterl greeted Faye warmly. After exiting his flow state, he noticed that his proficiency panel showed that Bloodthirsty Dash had reached mastery level, largely thanks to Faye's relentless support with Frost Blade during their practice.
To go to such lengths as an opponent was indeed a favor.
"Um...ah."
"Well... it's nothing, really." Faye stammered, unable to speak coherently.
She frantically pleaded in her mind for help, "Ancestor, what should I say?!"
"Help me! I'm going to die of embarrassment!"
Unfortunately, Felicia was also at a loss. While she could easily guide Faye in the usual social niceties with the Fourth Prince, this situation was different. Felicia, being a socially anxious person herself in her past life, had no experience in initiating conversations with the opposite sex...
So, Felicia decisively chose to play dead and ignored her descendant's plea for help.
"Huh? The saintess is actually socially anxious?" Sterl was dumbfounded. He was open to Faye's attempt to make friends, so he took the initiative to speak, "You must be under the Fourth Prince's command as well."
"Let's work together to tackle the subsequent hidden quests."
"Ah… oh, okay."
"Yes! Sure!" Without Felicia acting as her external brain, Faye's speech was halting, and she eventually just clenched her fists and nodded vigorously.
"..." Sterl felt that the image of the Water Blue Clan's saintess in his mind was crumbling...
He had thought Faye was the kind of player who appeared gentle on the surface but was strong-willed inside. In [Transcendence], most female players from the Earth Human Clan were like that—no matter how delicate they appeared, they had a tough inner core forged through desperate struggles in a resource-poor environment.
But Faye was the complete opposite, appearing extremely strong on the outside but a bit...adorable on the inside?
Looking at her delicate features and the figure that even the loose robe couldn't hide, along with the earnest expression on her face as she clenched her fists, Sterl found her quite endearing.
Sterl began to fancy Faye...
Because...
"She seems to be a perfect match for being my secondary or even primary star."
Sterl's eyes sparkled. During their battle, when Faye unleashed her hidden power, he had used Star Insight to catch glimpses of some unclear entries.
[Possessed State]
[Residual Soul: Fe%¥ia]
This made Sterl realize that Faye's body was harboring another entity!
Most likely someone named Fe%¥ia.
Sterl couldn't help but think, could it be like in those novels where Faye has a mentor spirit with her? Someone who can guide her development and even possess her body to fight at critical moments?