"Dammit," Neo muttered under his breath.
He left the building, not waiting to see how Henry would interact with George.
The sight of George’s pain only made his heart ache.
No child wanted to see their parents suffering, especially like this.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
He ran without direction.
The city lights blurred past him, casting fleeting shadows.
When he came to his senses, it was already night.
The air was crisp and heavy with the faint scent of rain that lingered after a recent drizzle.
He found himself walking alone on a deserted street.The dark sky stretched above him like an endless void.
There was no moon—there hadn’t been one for centuries—and the place was plunged into a suffocating darkness, broken only by the distant flicker of streetlights.
Neo spread his Intent senses, letting them unfurl like a web across the city.
The taste of dumplings from a small stall on the other side of the city. The sight of vehicles moving along the highway. The hushed whispers of a half-asleep, half-awake person murmuring from their bed.
Neo could sense everything that was happening within the city, down to the smallest detail.
This was the power of a two-trait Empyrean Demigod.
If he tried, he could stretch his senses even farther, spanning hundreds of miles.
That was how strong he was.
And yet, it wasn’t enough.
His strength was never enough when he needed it.
"Sob, sob…"
Neo flinched when the soft cries reached his ears.
He froze, and his chest tightened painfully.
They belonged to Mira.
He didn’t close his Intent senses.
He couldn’t bring himself to.
Instead, he listened.
Each sob that escaped his mother’s lips felt like a dagger plunging into his heart, twisting deeper with every second.
"Fuck," Neo muttered under his breath.
His shoulders slumped, and his expression darkened.
He sat down on a roadside bench.
The cold metal pressed against him as he leaned backward.
He stared at the dark, empty sky with a hollow and distant gaze.
The flickering streetlight above him buzzed faintly, casting a pale, uneven glow that did little to brighten the gloom around him.
"Primogenitor," his lips moved almost mechanically.
"Tell me."
He knew what he was about to do.
He knew the answer he would receive would lock his Primogenitor skill’s slot for the any foreseeable future.
The logical choice would’ve been to focus on smaller goals, to level up the skill.
He should’ve tried to free other slots or evolve Primogenitor before doing anything reckless—like locking all his progress with an impossible-to-complete task.
But…
He wanted an answer.
He needed confirmation.
That he could save his parents.
"How strong do I need to be to remove the curse that is the cause of Mom and Dad’s reincarnations?"
[Question detected]
[One slot of Primogenitor skill is free.]
[The modification request has been inserted into the slot.]
[Please wait while we confirm the modification’s feasibility.]
The pale light of the floating system screen flickered across Neo’s face.
This was the only way Neo knew to find an answer.
His fingers twitched slightly, betraying his inner turmoil.
If the skill couldn’t find an answer, he didn’t know what he would do.
’Please.’
’Give me an answer.’
’Work, please.’
’Help me for once.’
Each moment felt like an hour to Neo.
He waited with baited breath.
[Ding! Answer found!]
[You need to surpass the Death element Stage-9 God rank and become a Nirvana-stage God to remove the curse of your bloodline.]
The words on the screen brought intense emotions along with them.
Neo’s heart clenched.
A Paragon was as strong as a Stage-1 God.
An Exalted was as strong as a Stage-2 God.
The rank after Exalted would correspond to a Stage-3 God.
And so on.
Until finally, Stage-9 God.
Henry had been right.
Neo’s goal was far, far beyond what he could currently reach.
But even so…
Neo didn’t despair.
His hands balled into fists.
The light from the screen reflected a newfound determination in his eyes.
He was no longer weighed down by despair.
Hope.
He finally found it.
"There is a way to save them."
That was all Neo needed to know.
He would do it—no matter how long it took, no matter what stood in his way.
As if sensing Neo’s emotions, the system screen blinked to life again.
[Quest ’Family’ completed.]
[Reward: Nightmare element, Level up {Emphatic Control} x2.]
"What?" Neo’s eyes widened in surprise.
The system’s notification disappeared, but Neo’s senses sharpened instinctively.
He spread his Intent across the city, his awareness stretching far and wide.
The cold night air carried the faint chatter of people and the aroma of street food. Enjoy new tales from
His focus zeroed in on Henry, who was leading their parents home.
Henry seemed to have cleared the misunderstanding.
"How much time passed while I was lost in thought?" Neo muttered to himself.
Time had long lost its meaning for Neo.
A year for others felt like a day to Neo.
His perception of time had shifted drastically after living a long life.
What he had thought was ’a few moments’ lost in thoughts, had been hours in reality.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
He didn’t know how to feel about this realization.
"Well, I should look at this," he muttered, bringing up his system screen once more.
[Emphatic Bond, Grade 1 Empyrean.]
﹂Progress: 98%
"It’s about to rank up," Neo said.
The skill was only a bit away from evolving again.
Neo could finally reach Paragon rank.
He stood up from the cold metal bench.
He walked to the main streets.
People bustled through, their faces illuminated by the neon lights of shops and advertisements. Vehicles zipped past, their headlights creating fleeting beams of light in the darkness.
Neo’s gaze swept over the crowd.
He knew what he had to do.
"Since I can use this skill, unlike Primogenitor, it shouldn’t take more than a few days to reach 100% progress.
"This is a lot better."
He gaze grew determined.
"If Emphatic Bond surpasses Primogenitor, the link lock will activate, and Primogenitor’s progress will go up too."
Neo observed the bustling cityscape.
The streets were crowded, filled with people going about their lives.
"There’s no lack of targets to use my skill upon."
He entered the crowd and used his skill on the nearest unsuspecting person.
Emotions surged.
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