Previously...
"...So, I want to send you to hunt it for me before it's too late," Artemis said.
Keith choked on his drink at her last sentence and stood up.
"Are you kidding me? I'm one of those despised by the ancient super meteor. I'm no summoner, not an elemental, not an enhanced human—not even a cultivator! Why choose me?"
Artemis leaned back in her throne, one hand holding her wine, and smiled again.
A smile that only confused him more.
"Wait—am I dreaming?" Keith asked, slapping his forehead several times.
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Artemis placed her wine glass on the table, looked into his eyes, and said,
"I chose you because... you're special in my eyes."
Then she grinned. Keith blinked—and found himself back in his seat, sipping the addictive pink wine.
'What's wrong with my blinks lately?' he wondered.
"What do you mean I'm special to you?" he asked.
"Never mind, Keith. Look," she said, leaning in. "I want to do you a favor. I want to give you superpowers. Real ones. Powers worthy of a teenage boy like you."
Keith's eyes twinkled with excitement.
"Really?"
"Yes. I mean it," she confirmed.
Her wine glass vanished, and in her right hand appeared a glowing pearl. Keith didn't even put his glass down—just gave the glowing object a lazy glance.
The pearl grew to the size of a tennis ball, now crackling with lightning—tiny bolts dancing across its surface.
"I'm pleased to offer you this gift, my apprentice," Artemis said, releasing it. The sphere floated forward, pulsing with raw magic, and hovered in front of Keith.
Keith stared at it, but casually took another sip of his wine.
"What is this ball-thingy?"
"It's an energized magic orb. It contains your gift. Isn't it cool?"
"Kind of..."
"Glad you like it. Take the power in it—and hunt down that wicked creature for me."
Keith paused. "Wait. Before that—what exactly have I been drinking?"
He eyed his half-empty glass... which magically refilled itself.
Artemis chuckled.
"It's nothing."
"Nothing?" Keith repeated, narrowing his eyes.
"Just an illusion," she replied.
The glass vanished.
He blinked. "Dang."
The floating orb began to vibrate. Keith reached out slowly with his right hand. Electric arcs danced across his fingers.
"Looks like you're afraid of your own gift," Artemis teased.
Keith clenched his fist and mustered some courage. He grasped the orb. It was warm and buzzing with power. He brought it closer—its glow lighting up his face.
The currents sizzled around it like a live wire.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.
"You have to crush it," she replied.
"Crush it?" Keith glanced at the orb—wait… it had changed.
The once crackling energy ball was now a glowing egg.
Artemis crossed her arms.
"What are you waiting for?"
"O-okay..."
He hesitated… then, with both hands, smashed it.
The orb shattered—no, the egg—and its glow vanished instantly. A powerful surge of energy raced through his right arm, surged through his chest, and—
"Why is it—NOOOOOOOOOO!" Keith screamed as raw power coursed through him. His vision blurred. The world around him faded.
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Was Keith given superpowers, a divine blessing… or just a glowing egg? Anyway, hope it's a Harem System.
We'll find out about that.
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Meanwhile....
Deep in Kora Forest...
Deep—really deep—in the heart of Kora Forest, a peaceful herd of antelopes grazed quietly beneath the evening sky.
Suddenly, their ears twitched.
As one, they lifted their heads, their eyes fixed on a single direction. Silence rippled through the air like a whisper of dread.
Then—they appeared.
A pack of grey wolves slinked out from the shadows, their fur ragged, their eyes glowing faintly. The leader stepped forward—larger than the rest. His lips curled, and he released a deep, chilling howl that echoed through the trees.
The antelopes panicked and broke into a desperate run.
But just ahead of them, a thick, shadowy smoke materialized—summoned from the very breaths of the wolves. It curled like mist across the forest floor.
The herd ran straight through it... and halted.
Their eyes turned empty. Their hooves stopped moving.
Then—without hesitation—they turned around. Slowly. Blindly.
They walked back toward the waiting pack of wolves.
Some even lay down, submissive and unmoving—offering themselves for slaughter.
The ravenous wolves bared their teeth, leaping into the flock with gleaming fangs—
But the pack leader... did not move.
Instead, he stepped past the helpless antelopes and surveyed the horizon ahead.
Through his dark, enhanced vision, he spotted a flock of sheep, calmly moving through a clearing. They were guided by two shepherd dogs. No human in sight.
The leader growled—low, deep, and hungry.
To Be Continued...
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