Just call me Thor

541  You’re going to learn this today

Shadow Three fell into a deep silence.

Even for someone like Shadow Three, it was hard to fathom just how powerful Maxen's father had been.

"Let's keep going," Maxen said, pulling himself together.

They resumed their work, but despite the Supreme Abyssal being within sight, the actual distance between them in space was still vast.

According to Shadow Three's calculations, it would take at least two more months to break through the passage.

And their goal wasn't just to reach the Supreme Abyssal—they were aiming for its peak.

From what Shadow Three understood of the plan, by the time Shadow Nine, Calderon, and Afterskin reached Nathan's location and Shadow Nine reclaimed his talent, the passage would be complete. Shadow Nine and the others could then escape through the passage, with Shadow Three and Maxen providing support from the outside.

As for whether the plan would succeed...

Shadow Three glanced back in the direction of the Tower of Truth.

Only God knews.

... n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Meanwhile, in the classroom.

Mike had spent the entire day trying to Transmute, and every attempt had failed!

Feeling dejected, Mike's mood was clearly sour.

Joseph noticed Mike's low spirits and nodded to himself.

"Mike has passed all the tests, and given his current strength, that's already quite impressive! But... it's clear that Mike isn't satisfied with his performance. I knew I wasn't wrong about him—Mike holds himself to very high standards!"

This was a beautiful misunderstanding.

To lift everyone's spirits, the ever-generous Joseph announced,

"Tonight, I'm treating everyone to barbecue! Let's go!"

Mike: ???

Barbecue again?

Mike raised an eyebrow, wanting to say something but holding back.

Seeing Mike's reaction, Joseph was pleased.

10:43

...

After the barbecue, Mike returned to his quarters and, following his usual routine, made his way to the Forest of Truth.

At the same time, the information on the Void Maelstrom that Professor Gregory had promised finally arrived.

Despite Professor Gregory spending an entire day compiling the data, the actual amount of information Mike received was minimal!

There was no helping it—very few powerful beings from the human race had ever ventured into the Void Maelstrom, and even fewer had returned!

And those who did return refused to speak about what had happened inside.

After skimming through the documents, Mike found little useful information.

But he had other options.

"Third Bro!"

Standing at the base of the Tower of Truth, Mike called out.

"Supreme Being Apollo, are you there?"

A white cloud slowly descended.

Apollo's voice echoed from within the tower.

"What is it?"

"Yes," Mike nodded, getting straight to the point.

"I want to get stronger faster. Professor Gregory suggested I consider the Void Maelstrom..."

Mike recounted his earlier conversation with Gregory in full.

After listening patiently, Apollo was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"If you go now, your chances of survival are slim."

With a 17% survival rate, it was indeed a risky venture.

Mike nodded, following up on Apollo's words.

"I know that, which is why I plan to get stronger before I go..."

Mike went on to explain his plan for leveling up and increasing his strength.

After listening to Mike's detailed explanation, Apollo remained silent for a few more moments before asking,

"You want to get stronger?"

Mike nodded. "Yes."

Apollo continued.

Mike froze.

No one had ever asked him that question before.

Mike had been chosen by the Supreme Source. The SSS-grade talent had chosen him.

With an SSS-grade talent, he was the human race's potential Supreme Being, destined to become a Supreme Being in the future.

Everything had seemed so natural, so inevitable.

No one had ever asked Mike if he wanted to become a Supreme Being.

In everyone's mind, it was a one-way choice, not a mutual one.

But Apollo didn't see it that way.

Of course, Shadow Nine hadn't asked because he had other plans:

Once he reclaimed his talent, Shadow Nine intended to "borrow" the Supreme Mark and take Mike's place as the Supreme Being.

Apollo's question left Mike speechless.

Over the past few months, Mike had been an excellent potential Supreme Being.

Even Apollo couldn't find fault with the way Mike had handled things.

But that didn't necessarily mean Mike would grow into a Supreme Being who could pass the ultimate test.

The burden carried by each human Supreme Being was beyond anyone's imagination.

Faced with Apollo's question, Mike's eyes reflected a mix of confusion and uncertainty.

He spoke slowly, "I want Shadow Nine to come back safely. I want fewer people in the human race to die. I want to wake up every day and make money..."

Mike's desires were all perfectly human.

But even if he became a Supreme Being one day, there was no guarantee he would achieve those goals.

When fortune smiles, the world seems to work in your favor. But when luck runs out, even heroes are powerless.

After rambling for a while, Mike took a deep breath, shook his head, and exhaled heavily.

Finally, he admitted, "I don't know."

Mike knew he could puff out his chest and boldly declare that he wanted to become a Supreme Being, making grand promises and boasting about his ambitions.

He could even make a show of eagerness, claiming he was ready to become the human race's Supreme Being and face the Supreme Demon God in a final battle.

But that would be fake, hypocritical, like a clown putting on a performance.

Besides, Apollo would see right through it.

"I didn't want to be one either."

Apollo's voice echoed from within the Tower of Truth once again.

This was something very few people knew.

Apollo sounded almost resigned as he continued, "I tried, but even at my worst, I could only draw an SSS-grade talent."

...

Mike fell silent, listening to Apollo's words.

Apollo had been blunt.

He hadn't wanted to be a potential Supreme Being, nor had he wanted to be a Supreme Being.

At least, that's how he had felt at the time.

Apollo had waited until he was on the verge of death, nearly drained of life, before finally awakening his talent.

And the Truth Core Crystal had responded by giving him an SSS-grade talent!

Mike could understand Apollo's mindset.

From Apollo's perspective, he had only wanted to live long enough to figure things out. That was all.

And being a Supreme Being was clearly a high-risk occupation.

After hearing Apollo's story, Mike quickly regained his composure and said seriously,

"I need to think about it."

Apollo's question wasn't something Mike could answer on the spot. He needed time to reflect and carefully consider his response.

Apollo didn't find this surprising. In fact, this was the expected reaction.

"Good."

After nodding, Apollo added,

"Thinking is good."

Mike swallowed nervously.

Apollo had always been a proponent of deep thought.

His daily life revolved around thinking.

Having asked all his questions, Mike was about to take his leave.

But before he could go, Apollo spoke again.

"When you've figured it out, tell me your answer. In return, I'll give you a prophecy."

Mike nodded. "Alright, thank you."

Apollo's perform divination wasn't something just anyone could enjoy!

From what Mike knew, Apollo had only performed divination three times for the Tower Spirit and once for Nathan.

As the white cloud descended, Mike's mood visibly improved.

On one hand, Apollo hadn't outright rejected the idea of Mike going to the Void Maelstrom. He had simply warned that going now would be dangerous.

Mike hadn't planned on going right away anyway.

On the other hand, once Mike figured out his answer, he could trade it for a prophecy from Apollo!

Feeling good, Mike returned to his private space.

After taking a quick look around, Mike resumed his attempts to Transmute.

His progress in the Tower of Truth had just reached the 39th floor.

On the 40th floor, a 999-level ghost race potential Supreme Being was waiting for him!

At his current strength, going up against that opponent would be no different from walking into a death trap.

So, he needed the Greed Source to give him a boost!

The problem was...

"Change already, damn it! Why won't you change?!"

Staring at the brass Force of Nature, Mike was on the verge of tears.

Is something wrong?

Could Afterskin's bad luck be affecting me?

Determined to change his luck, Mike made a trip to the Heaven Pavilion and brought down Lilith.

"Time for a late-night snack?"

Lilith held a bowl in one hoof and a fork in the other, drooling in anticipation.

Mike was surprised to see how dexterous her hooves were!

He tried to ruffle her fur, but no hair came loose.

Instead, Lilith started thrashing around, squealing like a pig being slaughtered.

In the past 300 years, no one had ever dared treat her like this!

No one!

After all, she was Supreme Being Morpheus's pet!!

"Sorry, force of habit," Mike said, feeling a bit awkward as he looked at the red mark on Lilith's head.

After soaking up some of Lilith's good luck, Mike used the Eye of Truth to check the success rate of Transmute.

It hadn't changed.

Mike: ...

Is it possible that it's not just Afterskin's life-saving tree that's unlucky?

Could the Transmute skill I created under that tree also be cursed with bad luck?

No! That's impossible!

Mike refused to accept that possibility!

After trying a dozen more times, Mike stared at the unchanging Force of Nature and decided it was time to give up.

"How much does that hunk of brass weigh? I'll give you 2,000 gold coins for it. You can use the extra to buy yourself a late-night snack."

Passing by, Fool Master couldn't resist throwing in a jab.

Mike had only one response:

"Up yours!"

After chasing Fool Master away, Mike gritted his teeth and continued trying to Transmute.

An hour later, with bloodshot eyes, Mike realized he needed to change his approach.

He had tried switching to studying the Ghost Source, but he couldn't stop thinking about the Greed Source!

Mike adjusted his strategy once again.

Only Vladimir, watching from a distance, sighed helplessly.

10:44

Since his own luck was too terrible to succeed at Transmute, he needed someone with good luck to do it for him!

Putting on a friendly face, Mike approached the golden pig and said kindly,

"Lilith, would you like to learn a new skill?"

Lilith: "Can I say no?"

Mike smiled, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course you can!"

Today, Thor was in an unusually good mood!

After Lilith refused, Mike turned and left without any hesitation.

"Yay!"

Lilith swung back and forth in the Heaven Pavilion, overjoyed, feeling like she had just won a great victory.

Only Vladimir, watching from a distance, sighed helplessly.

She's still too young.

Humming a little tune, Lilith was in high spirits, thinking to herself,

"That Vladimir is always exaggerating, always trying to scare me with Thor. But I think Thor's pretty easygoing. He's not as bad as Vladimir says!"

For a brief moment, Lilith even felt like her life was pretty good, like she was genuinely happy.

That childish thought lasted less than 30 seconds.

Soon, she paid the price for her naivety.

Half a minute later, a figure that filled Lilith with fear appeared before her.

It was none other than:

The forbidden prince, guardian of the Blood Ancestor, the first under the Blood Ancestor, and Lilith's nemesis—Dracula!

Dracula slammed a Transmute skill book into Lilith's face.

The skill book floated in the air, repeatedly smacking Lilith as she swung back and forth.

Dracula's voice was cold as ice.

"You're going to learn this today!"