"True…. Especially since I've been busy slacking…."
Vulcan said, slightly flustered.
It wasn't an embarrassing past, but he heard it as a way of saying Vulcan had been living lazily while his junior had matured all this time.
Vulcan wasn't too bothered, though.
There was a lot of time.
He just had to work hard as well if he ever went up to Act 3.
Vulcan thought of the monsters in Act 3, which he was expecting to be on a completely different level than Act 3, and quickly spoke up.
"Well then, should we catch up when we've moved on to Act 3?"
"Hmm, well. I don't think there's much for us to talk about. I think Honus would want to talk to you more than I do."
"Ah… the thing is…"
"Haha, anyways, let's get going. I was just about to head there anyways."
Hoculus made a portal as he had done before, and steeped in casually.
"Follow me."
Unlike Hoculus who was moving along quickly, Vulcan was a little hesitant.
He had been preparing himself for this ever since he had been raising a successor, but he was feeling nervous right before moving on to the next level.
On top of that, this was a little different from going on to Act 2.
Back then, he had no choice but to move on to Act 2, just so he could save the world.
Now, his decision to move up to Act 3 was to satisfy his own desire.
Of course he would be feeling different about this.
"Well… I suppose it won't be too different. I'll be a Newbie again, and become a Max Level from here if I work hard enough."
Vulcan let out a short breath and summoned his magic to get rid of his anxiety.
He then jumped into the portal.
He felt dizzy. Then, there was a light so bright it was hard to open his eyes.
Just as he was about to lift his hand to hide his face from the light that seemed to be cutting into his eyes, Vulcan realized his surroundings had changed and slowly opened his eyes.
And, just as expected, a loud alarm sound rang in his ears.
DING!
[You have a quest!] [Main Quest - Impress the High God.] [Level of Difficulty - Level X (Asgard standards)] [Award - Meet the High God, and tell him one wish of yours]*Get approval from the High God, who rules over Asgard and all the human worlds.
This was a very abstract condition.
Vulcan wasn't too bothered about this, though.
Act 2 had a abstract mission has well.
Besides, if he weren't to be the best in hunting and training in all of Act 3, there was no way this High God wouldn't approve of him in the first place.
After Vulcan was done pondering on this, he looked up around at his surroundings.
"Whoa…" he couldn't help exclaiming.
It was a beautiful sight that he had never seen before.
There was a well-kept forest full of flowers and trees, and there were mysterious and cute animals roaming around the forest.
Even he, who didn't have the slightest bit of knowledge in the arts, couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful fountain and sculpture all around him.
It was as if he had walked into the 'paradise' that is mentioned in the holy books.
Vulcan roamed around the paradise, distracted by its beauty. He then turned his attention to a god who was eating a delicious-looking fruit plucked from a tree.
[God Romeus] [1435 LV] [Physical Level : 1145 LV] [Godly Strength : 290 LV] [Character : Kind-Hearted, Gentle] [Potential : Max Level]*The god ruling over the Romero Dimension. Has great amount of knowledge of the winds.
It was a level much higher than his.
Vulcan came back to his senses.
'Right… this was Act 3…'
Vulcan had almost let his guard down, distracted by the beautiful scenery around him.
However, this was not a time for him to enjoy the view.
He was a martial arts master, a magician who was desperate to reach the next level like the 6 zones that were always striving to become stronger.
Vulcan had already tasted the sweet victory of battling a being stronger than him after getting stronger, so a paradise like him was meaningless to him.
He looked at Hoculus, who had been standing next to him without a word the entire time.
"The beginning of Act 3 is very impressive. But it's not a place for me."
Vulcan took a deep breath and added, "Now, which way is the hunting grounds?"
"Hmm?"
Hoculus looked at Vulcan as if he didn't understand what he was going on about.
Thinking Hoculus hadn't understood him, Vulcan repeated his question.
"I'm going to try and start hunting the monsters now. Which way do I need to go?"
"There is no such thing in Act 3."
"… Excuse me?"
"I said, there was no such thing."
Vulcan's jaw dropped at such an unexpected response. Seeing he was flustered, Hoculus added, "Oh, right. You're originally a human. That's why you didn't know…"
Vulcan nodded twice and still looked bewildered and Hoculus continued to explain.
"This whole place… I mean.. all of Act 3, is like this - an endless paradise. It's like a resting place for the gods. So there is no such thing as a hunting ground."
"Huh? How can that be..? Wasn't Asgard the place that had everything to prepare you to be stronger?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then… shouldn't Act 3 be the same? Maybe monsters, that will help with real life experience, or potions… anyways, shouldn't there be such things?"
"That's not so."
Vulcan grew silent at Hoculus' stern answer and looked at him.
Hoculus understood his silent request for explanation, so he continued to speak clearly.
"Throughout Act 1 and Act 2, there's room for physical improvement. In other words, you're like an incomplete vessel… but, once you are skilled enough to reach Act 3 in any way, it's almost impossible for you to develop physically. Of course, you may develop a little, but that is your limit. Ah, you're a player, so things would be different for you…"
"Anyways, it will be a stretch, trying to get more strength with hardcore training or battles. Also, it's impossible to summon gods, demons or monsters to fight you. Unless you invade the demon world yourself, of course…"
"Then how can I grow stronger?"
Hoculus grew silent under his stern stare.
After a few seconds that were frustrating for Vulcan, Hoculus clapped his hands together and let his hands slowly fall to his sides.
Then, what Vulcan saw next was a new wonderous surrounding, as if they had entered a new world.
Vulcan stared blankly at Hoculus, the god who ruled over five worlds that functioned separately in his hands. Vulcan then heard a voice ringing in his ears.
"These are the five worlds under my rule in the Myers Dimension. They are the human worlds I reign over."
"Reign over a world of your own. Then, if you earn their trust… you will then grow stronger."