Child of Destiny

...

Shin and the others accompanying him went back to their temporary hideout after achieving their initial goal. They seemed to be quite exhausted due to them using the Reality Manifestation for an extended period of time.

Being in that State was very satisfying which made them want to be in it permanently. Unfortunately, it was not possible on their current strength as staying in that state exhausted their willpower and consumed a lot of concentration.

But it didn't mean that it was impossible to achieve. All they needed right now was to get used to that state and gain more stats for their virtual body to support their minds. The stronger their physical ability was, the better they could withstand the burden of being in that state.

There were a couple of wolves who chased after them, but the group was able to finish them off without putting much effort into it even if they were not in Reality Manifestation. They felt that their sense became much sharper than before. Another hidden benefit that boosted their urge to be in that state.

When the group arrived in their hideout, the others were still busy doing their respective jobs. Some were refining the ores that had been mined while others were busy concocting potions with the rare herbs collected.

Shin swept his eyes at the cave and decided to wait for all of them to finish their jobs before discussing their next course of action.

Moreover, he and the other four also needed to take some rest, so it would be fine not to do anything for now.

While resting, Shin secretly opened a chat channel and created a private group in it. He first invited Leonard and Arthur in it, followed by Faker, then decided to also add Zero after a brief moment of hesitation.

The first two didn't mind since they were already used to them having a private chat channel, though, they were a little confused since the three of them already had one. But it didn't take long for them to immediately understand the meaning of that group, especially when they saw Faker and Zero added to the group.

"What's up?" asked Arthur right after the channel was created.

"Is this about the state that you showed us earlier?" Faker had a different response since he already got an idea why they were invited to this group.

Zero didn't say anything but he slightly nodded his head as he had the same idea as Faker.

Shin didn't wait much and immediately responded. "Yes, it is about that. That state is a little special and a hidden mechanic of the game.  It is called Reality Manifestation."

"Reality Manifestation." The group repeated those words in their heads as they fell into deep thought.

"What's with the secrecy?" asked Leonard after a few moments.

Shin didn't reply and turned his head towards S.Tigris and Black Hand who seemed to be also talking through a private channel just like them.

He didn't explicitly say it but through his actions, the others instantly understood what he wanted to say.

They might be working together right now but it still remained that those two were a part of a large guild, and those guys would surely look for things that could benefit their guild.

They were still rivals.

Even if Arthur was not that bright, he could also read the meaning of Shin's actions. Even an idiot would know that he wanted them to keep the information about Reality Manifestation a secret.

It was not an issue for Faker, since he could already be one with others, especially when they were living together in the real world. But Zero was not an original member of their group, so he was not obligated to follow him.

Shin clearly understood it, so he prepared a proposition for the swordsman. "I know that you are free to do whatever you have in mind, and I am not going and have no right to prevent you from them doing them. So, how about making a deal?"

Zero smiled briefly before telling Shin to continue. "Let me hear it."

Shin immediately nodded and spoke. "I know quite a few things about that state and this information that I have can help you become more familiar with it."

It was indeed not a bad deal. In fact, Shin was losing much from it instead of gaining anything. But he didn't have a choice since it was more important to keep the information about Reality Manifestation for themselves so that they could create more gap between them and the powerhouse guilds.

He was not part of an Adventurer Team, and one of the most elite ones at that, so he needed to think about the benefits and advantages that they could get from here on out.

Zero thought for a moment before briefly shaking his head. "I will agree to it but I will not take advantage of you. I will give you something in return and with a similar value."

Shin was a little surprised about it but didn't refuse the offer. Then they discussed more details about it before summoning a virtual contract and signing it.

After that, Shin shared some information that he got from Professor Henry about Reality Manifestation and also told them that he would provide more information in the future.

After that, they went back to doing their own thing. Though, the four of them started assessing their previous performance and the sensation they felt at that time.

…

Shin got the most benefit in this since he experienced the real strength of Ultra Instincts. This innate talent was the evolution of his 'Immediate Response' talent. And now that he could experience its powers inside the game and learn more about it.

With the help of the Reality Manifestation, Shin might be able to get himself more familiar with its sensation. This would help him reach another level of mastery in his 'Immediately Response' talent, and eventually give him the inspiration on how to also promote that talent in reality.

Having that thought, Shin couldn't help but turn to Arthur. If he experienced the sensation of having the Ultra Instincts, then he was sure that Arthur also had a similar experience with his own evolved talent, the Pinnacle Omniscience.

These two talents were said to be one of the peak talents that ever existed in history and neither of them was better than the other. Aside from 'Godly Intuition' which was supposedly the combination of the two and 'Clairvoyance' which had the ability to foresee the future, these two were undoubtedly the best talents that anyone could ask for.

Shin was now very curious about the result if those two talents clashed against each other. And when he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel an urge of wanting to fight Arthur right now. Their earlier sparring matches would undoubtedly pale in comparison if they fight with their current strength.

Moreover, they were not standing on an equal footing. They had the same level, possessed a set of high-quality equipment, similarly strong skills, and most importantly, they had evolved innate talent.

One possessed a Battle Genius Talent with Ultra Instincts while the other was a Martial Art Prodigy wielding the Pinnacle Omniscience.

His Battle Genius Talent was always making him hungry for battle and this urge seemed to be awakened the moment when he thought about fighting the current Arthur within the game.

His fighting spirit was fully stirred up. He was very excited!

Unfortunately, he could do nothing but suppress that urge since they were currently in the middle of an Empire Quest, so this battle could only wait until everything was over.

After calming himself down, he closed his eyes and started to meditate.

Everyone inside the game was an expert, so no matter how brief it was, they could sense that burst of fighting spirit from Shin. Especially the most sensitive ones.

Leonard with his Bestial Instincts scent it, Faker and Lawless who were top-notch assassins were able to sense it, Zero who was keeping an eye on Shin saw it, and most importantly, Arthur who was the receiver of that indirect challenge naturally knew about it.

Arthur shot a glance at Shin and smiled. Just like Shin, he also wanted to know who would emerge victorious between the two of them given the current strength that they had.

They had been treating each other as rivals since they were young, so his competitive spirit would naturally not less than Shin's.

He couldn't wait for all of this to be over so that they could fight to their heart's content.

After that brief episode, Arthur also calmed himself down. And when he was about to take a quick nap, the corner of his eyes suddenly got a glimpse of a blinking bell. This indicated that he received a notification from the system.

He knitted his brows since he couldn't remember when he got it, but he still opened it regardless. There were two notifications in total, one was about his Battle Physique while the other was an update to his quest.historical

After skimming through them, Arthur couldn't help but laugh as he felt that his wheel of fortune was finally spinning in a positive direction.

He then turned to Leonard who was sitting beside him. He nudged the latter and whispered. "Hey! Do you want to do something fun?"

...…