Just be human, Please!

"It's just leveling up, what's the big deal?"

Faced with Circe's astonishment, Lorne habitually rolled his eyes and responded somewhat nonchalantly.

"What's the big deal..the big deal is that you're only sixteen years old!"

Circe couldn't help but raise her voice a few notches, counting on her fingers as she vented her frustration at her rebellious disciple.

"You reached the Gold rank at just twelve years old, and then in just four years, you've stepped into the peak of Gold rank. I've never heard of any human advancing this quickly!"

The great witch, without realizing it, began to calculate, and the more she spoke, the more alarmed she became.

At this moment, even her gaze toward her student and foster son grew increasingly strange.

"No, not just that! Even the sea monsters of Oceanus and the half-blood Titans on nearby islands haven't been this outrageous! I'm starting to wonder, are you even human?"

Under Circe's sharp scrutiny, Lorne coughed lightly and shifted his gaze away. "Maybe I just got lucky."

According to the rules of myth and magic, mystical power often follows this characteristic:

—The older it is, the more mysterious; the more mysterious, the more powerful.

When the world was still in chaos, ancient beings known as "gods" were born from the purest essence.

Absorbing magical particles and mastering natural laws were as simple as breathing for them—innate abilities.

Thus, the earliest beings possessed the highest starting points and nearly limitless growth potential.

But as the heavens and earth separated, the sun, moon, and stars rose and set, time and space were divided, and the concepts of life, death, and decay took shape, the framework of the world gradually solidified.

During this process, species on earth evolved and multiplied in waves.

Their once-pure bloodlines, capable of absorbing magic and connecting to the primal essence, were continuously diluted and degraded.

Their growth ceilings were also lowered as the world's structure stabilized.

Even across different mythologies, descriptions of the world's origins share similar commonalities.

In the beginning, the air was filled with high concentrations of etheric particles, food was abundant, and the earth flowed with milk and honey.

All things grew freely.

Moreover, high-purity energy gave birth to beings like gods, and everything was as dreamlike and beautiful as a colorful soap bubble.

However, as the world took shape and its rules solidified, this "soap bubble" gradually squeezed out the fantastical and unsustainable elements, settling into the real, tangible earth.

As mystery faded, the infinitely malleable Age of Gods shrank and degraded into the fixed, real world of humans.

Similarly, in Greek mythology, gods came first, and then, under their guidance, humans were created.

Thus, the ancient Greeks divided human civilization into five ages based on collective ability and starting points: the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, Heroic Age, and Iron Age.

Their order represents varying distances from the gods.

Later, similar concepts were introduced into the field of basic mysticism, and the ranks of Iron—Bronze—Silver—Gold became markers for early-stage individual strength.

Currently, Lorne, in just sixteen years, has rocketed to the peak of the Gold rank, a feat that was nothing short of astonishing.

This level of "cheating" would be outrageous even among half-blood Titans and god-blooded heroes, let alone in ordinary Greek city-states.

In the armies of Greek city-states, Silver rank is considered the core strength, while Gold rank individuals can essentially become generals.

Above that, the "demi-gods" are often the city-state's pillars—founders and kings.

But they usually achieve such feats only in their middle or later years, with some even reaching triple-digit ages.

So, in terms of growth speed, Lorne simply doesn't seem human.

Of course, he might not actually be a human in the normal sense.

As if thinking about something, Lorne lowered his gaze to the lines on his palm, his deep eyes seemingly piercing through his translucent skin to see the faint golden blood flowing in his veins.

—The blood of the King of Gods, the offspring of Zeus.

The extraordinary bloodline granted him unparalleled talent for cultivation.

But at the same time, it also caused him to face sudden calamities from the moment he was born, narrowly escaping death and forcing him to hide on this isolated island, living in constant fear every day.

Fortunately, sixteen years of training had finally given him some ability to protect himself.

But this meager reliance could only ensure his safety in human city-states.

To stand firm in the Oceanus Sea, teeming with monsters and half-blood Titans, he would need to at least become a demigod.

Of course, even becoming a demigod would only be the starting point for Lorne's journey.

After all, the person he had crossed was none other than Zeus, the current ruler of all Greece.

With his current level of strength, let alone encountering world-level events like the "Olympian Elegy," "Wrath of Zeus," or "War of the Gods," even stumbling into epic-level quests like the "Argonaut Expedition," "Trojan War," or "Twelve Labors" would pose a significant risk.

If he accidentally ran into the true gods walking the earth in disguise or the numerous legendary demigods hiding in the shadows, it would be an immense challenge for him.

One misstep, and he would still be doomed.

As for whether he was at the Gold rank or the peak of Gold, it would only determine whether he fell sooner or later.

The thought of that night sixteen years ago, with the sky filled with suffocating thunder and lightning, made Lorne shudder reflexively.

That feeling...that feeling of not being in control of his own fate was unbearable.

It's not enough. Far from enough!

The bone-deep sense of crisis robbed Lorne of any joy from his advancement, and he turned to look seriously at his teacher.

"I've reached the peak of Gold rank now. What do I need to do next to become a demigod?"

"You've already reached this level, and you're still not satisfied?"

Circe stared at her student in disbelief, struggling to understand his train of thoughts.

"Is studying and cultivating, these tedious and troublesome things, really that fascinating to you?"

"Fascinating isn't the right word..."

Lorne shook his head, his gaze deep and distant.

"It's just that studying might be the simplest thing in this world. You put in effort, and you get results. You work hard, and you see progress..."

—And besides, it's the only thing I can do right now.

He silently added this thought in his mind, then calmed down the emotions in his heart and turned his attention back to his seemingly dazed teacher, steering the conversation back on track.

"Alright, tell me, what should I do?"

Hearing his question, Circe shook her head, snapping out of her reverie, but instead of answering directly, she posed a thought-provoking question.

"Do you know why the first four ranks in the mystical system are labeled as [Iron], [Bronze], [Silver], and [Gold], but [Demi-God] isn't included?"

Lorne frowned, thinking for a moment before offering a tentative answer.

"Because [Demi-God] is fundamentally different from the first four stages?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Circe's eyes, though her expression remained largely unchanged.

After all, having spent so much time with this student, his overly mature mindset and extraordinary insight was something she was already used to.

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(End of Chapter)