While Greg had been excited when the ga gave him back his mangled eye, the last thing he had expected was his coach’s notorious ’protein’ shake would once again desecrate what was left of his tastebuds.
Greg gagged slightly as he forced the potion down, his jaw tightening with each swallow. The second it hit his stomach, the familiar revulsion twisted through him.
He stood still for a long mont, bottle still in hand, eyes distant.
Of course it tasted like that.
Back during his rookie days, the Coach had taken pride in breaking them down and building them back up. Morning runs before dawn. Sled pushes until your legs gave out. Sandbag carries through the rain. Passing out wasn’t a risk. It was a guarantee.
But none of that compared to the sludge.
Coach’s so-called "protein shake" was a war cri disguised as nutrition. It was warm, thick, and always sohow separated by the ti it reached your lips. The ingredients were a mystery, but Greg had his theories. Chicken. Broccoli. Raw oats. Water from a gym towel bucket. Maybe so old chalk for texture.
Coach used to grin every ti he handed it over.
"Fuel, not flavor," he’d say, slapping Greg on the back hard enough to rattle his bones.
Greg had gotten used to the pain. The drills. Even the yelling.
But the taste? That haunted him.
He stared down at the empty bottle for another beat, then dropped it to the grass.
"Coach would’ve loved this place," he said to no one in particular. "No food. No breaks. Just pain."
He almost smiled. Almost.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Penny glancing at him as if she had found a comrade in arms. Though in his opinion, he would have taken drinking dirt over the Concotion the coach made.
Turning his head back to his pedestal, he frowned in slight confusion.
Unlike the others, he wasn’t greeted with a fancy weapon or a glowing book. Instead, there was a rough clump of tal resting quietly on the stone surface. It looked heavy and unrefined, almost like a chunk torn straight from so ancient machine.
He reached out with his left hand and touched the tal.
Almost imdiately, the clump began to lt. Not like liquid, but more like thick, molten ice cream on a scorching day. The tal lost its shape and slowly dripped, but instead of falling to the ground, it crept up his fingers and wrapped around his hand.
Greg’s breath caught as the molten tal clung to his skin and began to seep inward, disappearing beneath the surface.
His heart beat faster, but he didn’t pull away.
He already knew this feeling.
His right arm could already shift and coat itself in tal that turned flesh into armor with a touch. Now that power was spreading.
He flexed his left hand and watched in awe as the tal surged outward, spreading up his forearm and locking into place just like his right.
His body felt heavier, stronger. The weight of iron and ancient strength settled in his bones.
Then it hit him.
If this was what one clump could do for just his left arm, what if he found more?
He could coat his entire body in tal and fight like a living fortress.
But that ant searching.
Finding more Titan tal. Gathering it. Mastering it.
The thought ignited sothing in him.
Greg clenched both fists, now glinting with the cold sheen of tal armor.
He could now see a path forward for himself. If he beca a fortress of tal, he would be able to attack without end, forgoing defence for an all out offence.
That was the very style that had ended his career once. But this ti, he would have a way to compensate for its weakness. Never again would he be broken like he once was.
Seryn was quietly shocked as she watched Greg shadow box with his tallic limbs. She had no idea how Leo had gotten such companions of such unique and powerful lineages.
However, she noticed Rachel’s expression becoming darker as Leo raised his potion to his lips.
"Shit! I thought it was going to be soon....but now?!"
No sooner had the words left her mouth a loud system notification rang out.
[World Announcent: 8 individuals have been detected to have reached Level 20. As a Result, Ascension of Souls Online shall enter its 2nd Phase]
The mont they heard that, everybody knew that sothing wasn’t right. Leo, not knowing what was about to happen grabbed the skillbook and item before stuffing them inside his bag.
[As part of the 2nd Phase, All Player Abilities shall beco available for use in Reality. Events shall also begin to take place in Reality. Unique and Powerful rewards can be obtained.]
A tense silence fell over the clearing.
No one moved. No one breathed.
The system ssage had struck like a lightning bolt. Not just because of what it said, but because of what it ant.
Reality was no longer safe.
Greg stared down at his tal-coated arms. He clenched his fists once, and for the first ti, it didn’t feel like power. It felt like responsibility. A burden waiting to spiral out of control.
Penny’s mouth was slightly open, eyes darting to the others as if expecting soone to tell her it was all a mistake. That it wasn’t real. That maybe the system had glitched.
It hadn’t.
Crystal gritted her teeth and turned toward Leo, who was frozen with the potion bottle halfway back to his lips.
He slowly lowered it. His hand trembled as he looked between them all.
"So what does this an?"
Rachel didn’t answer right away. Her fists clenched at her sides. Then, for once, her voice ca out steady and serious.
"It ans the whole world just got turned upside down. Anyone who ever logged in, even once, now has access to their powers. Do you know how many people hate the rules of the real world? How many of them would rather burn everything down and rebuild it in their image?"
Greg grimaced. "A lot."
Rachel nodded once. "If even one of them decides to treat the real world like a dungeon, there’s going to be chaos. People will panic. People will die."
Adam grit his teeth as he glanced around at everybody. While he too felt the urgency of which Rachel spike of, he couldn’t help himself from playing Devils advocate.
"Does it have to be us? Im sure there are gonna be players who will wanna do the right thing. No?"
Rachel looked at him without flinching. "Yes it has to be us. We are the strongest on the server. We have the power to help society and we have the obligation to do so when people’s lives are on the line. We may not like society but we still live in it. And if it collapses, the ones who suffer first won’t be the ones in power. It’ll be everyone else."
Penny’s voice ca out small. "You really think it’s that bad?"
Rachel didn’t hesitate. "Worse."
No one spoke after that. They didn’t need to.
They all quickly bade forwell to a confused Seryn as they raced back to the nearest inn, logging out as soon as they entered their room.
They had no idea what to expect when they returned.
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