"ARGHHHHHH—!"
Tang Ping's scream echoed through the forest once more. Without a second thought, he bolted. He ran and ran, finally collapsing in front of a massive tree over two meters in diameter.
Leaning against the trunk, he panted heavily, sweat pouring down his face like rain. He looked as if he were on the verge of a total physical collapse. Fortunately, the tremors and roars behind him had faded. He was safe.
Suddenly, Tang Ping remembered what he had forgotten... Monica was gone!
"Oh no, I left Monica behind!"
*I have to go back for her!* Just as Tang Ping took a step, a voice drifted down from above.
"The Olympics owe you a gold medal. You certainly run fast, Tang Ping."
Tang Ping looked up to see a drone slowly descending from the sky—one of Monica's sub-units.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" Tang Ping patted his chest, looking immensely relieved.
"I can fly. How could that thing possibly hit me?"
"Haha, good point..." Tang Ping blushed, realizing he had been worrying over nothing.
"By the way, I thought you'd use magic to attack it. A monster of that level should have been easy for you to take down, right?" The drone hovered before him, Monica's icy voice emanating from the speaker.
"Magic? I don't know magic! I only know a few Divine Arts Lady Tanosi taught me."
Tang Ping slid down the tree trunk and slumped onto the ground. The side effects of the intense exercise were beginning to gnaw at his body; his lungs felt like they were on fire.
"Divine Arts *are* magic. Did you not know that?"
"...I really didn't."
"It's the same as the difference between mana and divine power. Divine Arts are simply magic used by gods. Magic used by humans or demons is still just called magic." Seeing Tang Ping's confusion, Monica continued, "It seems Lady Tanosi doesn't want to tell you too much yet. Perhaps she is waiting for you to upgrade your contract before giving you further information."
"Haha, I'll... give it some thought..." Tang Ping laughed nervously, trying to dodge the subject.
After catching his breath and feeling his heart rate stabilize, Tang Ping asked, "Monica... do you think I can learn magic?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"Then could you..." Tang Ping ventured a cautious probe.
Monica crushed his hopes instantly. "I cannot teach you."
"...Eh?" Tang Ping felt a bit hurt. He had seen Monica use magic several times with his own eyes; was she lying to him?
Sensing his disappointment, Monica explained: "You probably want to learn things like Fireball or Wind Blade—the kind of spells that appear in manga, right?"
"Yes, exactly!" Tang Ping nodded vigorously.
"But what I use is data calculation, object decomposition, body splitting... mechanical-type magic, along with a little bit of healing Divine Art. In other words..."
"...The direction and category are different? So even if I wanted to learn, I couldn't?"
"Correct."
"Sigh..." Tang Ping felt a wave of regret as his hopes were dashed.
"If you truly want to use moves like a manga character, I suggest you go directly to Lady Tanosi. She is a combat-type deity; she likely possesses a vast knowledge of those kinds of Divine Arts."
"Alright, I'll ask her when I have the chance." Tang Ping didn't hold much hope. He felt that asking would lead to being pressured into a contract upgrade and a return to "corporate slave" status. He preferred the status quo.
"Actually... there is one other way. I've never tried it before, but if you don't mind potential side effects, you might consider it." Monica hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him. If it worked, it would be a massive help to their nation-building plan. However, Tang Ping would be the first test subject.
"What way? Tell me!" Tang Ping asked excitedly.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I've already sent someone to deliver it."
"?"
Suddenly, the sound of rotors hummed overhead. Another drone appeared, carrying a box beneath its chassis. It descended slowly, dropped the box in front of Tang Ping, and then ascended again, vanishing into the sky.
Tang Ping tore open the cardboard box and saw the contents.
"Isn't this the gift you were going to give me? You finished it already."
It was a pair of AR smart glasses—sleek, silver-gray, and aerodynamic. They exuded a sense of futuristic technology.
"Its formal name is **Aetheris**, Tactical AR Smart Glasses. They assist your visual senses, allowing you to have a game-like HUD experience in real life. I've already set them up; you should be able to operate them intuitively," Monica explained as she helped him fit the glasses onto his head.
"Incredible! It really looks like a game screen!"
Tang Ping was mesmerized. In the upper left were red and blue bars—*HP and MP?* At the bottom was his name, **Tang Ping**, and a field next to it that read **LV 59**. *Does that mean I'm level 59?*
Tang Ping looked into the distance. A blue fox with two tails was passing under a large tree. Tang Ping thought it would be great if he could see it closer. Instantly, the view changed; a frame appeared around the fox, and that specific area was magnified. It was like using a high-powered telescope; he could see every individual strand of fur. A yellow marker appeared above its head: **Two-Tailed Fox, LV 25**.
"This... this is amazing!!!!!" If these glasses were sold on the market, he'd become the world's richest man in minutes!
"Alright, we should head back to the hunt. Are you ready?" Monica interrupted his thoughts, flying right in front of him.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"Through the display, you should be able to see the mana flowing across the surface of your body. Then, you do this, and that..."
Tang Ping listened intently to the combat strategy, but then suddenly asked Monica: "By the way, if I run away again... will you look down on me?"
Monica paused for a moment before speaking. "Until recently, you were just an ordinary human who had never seen a god or a magic beast. If you ran away, I would completely understand. However..."
"?"
"A video file of this hunting mission will be sent to Lady Tanosi. If she sees you running away, she will probably mock you for the rest of your life."
"....Well, that's certainly inspiring enough!"
During their brief exchange, the strawberry monster had arrived. A red marker appeared above its head, noting: **Mutant Strawberry Monster King, LV 57**. It stood with its massive maw agape, panting heavily as drool cascaded down like a waterfall. It was clearly exhausted from the chase.
"Then... I'll be counting on your support!"
With the monster right in front of him, Tang Ping took a deep breath, settled into a combat stance, and charged...
***
A long while later, the battle finally drew to a close.
The ground was a scarred mess, drenched in bright red juice, and the air was thick with the sweet scent of strawberry jam.
"Ha... ha... finally... won!"
Tang Ping lay spread-eagle on the ground, gasping for breath. His once-intact blue tracksuit was now a collection of rags. His body was in no better shape; his cheeks, wrists, abdomen, inner thighs, and ankles were covered in gashes. It was a testament to just how fierce the struggle had been.
"Total combat duration: 35 minutes. Strictly speaking, based on the level difference, failing to end this within 10 minutes is an absolute failure."
"However, considering this was your first real battle, your first time using mana for an extended period, and your first encounter with a magic beast... you actually performed quite remarkably."
"You can be proud of yourself, Tang Ping."
Monica summarized the battle while casting healing arts on his wounds.
"Well... thanks... for the compliment!" Tang Ping could only roll his eyes at her "slap-then-stroke" feedback. He closed his eyes, leaning into the comfort of her treatment.
What he didn't realize was that Monica was transmitting the data gathered from the fight back to her main server for a more detailed analysis.
> Assuming human strength levels are ranked from **1 to 100**:
> * **LV 30:** Average healthy adult.
> * **LV 50:** Olympic athletes or special forces soldiers.
> * **LV 60-80:** Humans with divine blood (e.g., Heracles or Gilgamesh).
> * **LV 100:** The legendary threshold where one sheds mortality to become a god.
Tang Ping had been a NEET living on poor nutrition; his physical level was estimated to be around **LV 24**. However, since meeting Tanosi, his veins had been constantly bathed in divine power via the Water God's Seal. Furthermore, during his time with Qinglan, he had been fed vast amounts of **Dragon Saliva**, strengthening his internal constitution to unprecedented levels.
In just one month, through a single battle, he had jumped from **LV 24** to **LV 70**. This could no longer be described as "rapid progress" or "genius." There were clearly secrets hidden within Tang Ping that even he didn't know.
*Perhaps Tanosi and Qinglan made the right choice...* Monica thought privately as she finished the treatment.
"Big Brother!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the sky. Tang Ping looked up to see Helios. The young boy dived down with open arms, slamming straight into Tang Ping's chest. Luckily, his wounds were healed, or that impact would have been agonizing.
"What are you doing here?" Tang Ping ruffled the boy's hair.
"Day off! Looking for friends to play with!" Helios chirped.
"Day off?" Tang Ping was confused, hearing such a corporate term from a child.
"Lady Qin— I mean, Lady Monica, hello!" Helios started to greet Monica but nearly slipped up. Fortunately, Tang Ping didn't catch the error.
"Where have you been? I haven't seen you for days."
Normally, as the only child in the group, Helios would be the source of constant noise. Tang Ping had begun to worry the boy was lost.
"Patrolling! The territory! Lots of bad guys! They tried to get close, so I destroyed them all!" Helios said proudly.
Behind them, Monica was speechless. *This silly child... just blurted out the classified mission...*
Among the subordinates sent to Novice City, Helios had the highest combat power. But because he kept accidentally incinerating the soldiers he was supposed to capture, Monica had reassigned him to "pest control" around the base.
Luckily, Tang Ping didn't overthink it. He assumed Helios had just been playing in the woods and acting as a makeshift guard. He felt a swell of emotion. *This kid is so thoughtful—protecting the perimeter without even bothering the adults. Incredible!*
"You're so brave! Come here! Spinny-spin!" Tang Ping picked Helios up and spun him around, making the boy laugh uncontrollably.
"Big Brother, more! Do it again!" Helios clung to Tang Ping's arm, acting spoiled. Tang Ping humored him, playing for a while longer.
Suddenly, a massive *splash* erupted from the lake. A gargantuan object breached the surface and soared into the sky.
"Wh-What is that?!"
Tang Ping stared, mouth agape, reminded of an ancient legend: *In the northern darkness, there is a fish named Kun. The Kun is so large, its size is unknown for thousands of miles. It transforms into a bird, and its name is Peng.*
"He's the friend I just made today!" Helios puffed out his chest.
Before their eyes, a deep-blue fish the size of a city bus leapt from the water. Its pectoral fins stretched outward, transforming into powerful wings; its tail fin elongated into plumage. With a resonant cry, it beat its wings and took flight, soaring freely through the heavens.
"Me too!"
Helios flapped his small wings in rapid succession and surged toward the heavens.
As if sensing the longing in Tang Ping's eyes, Monica followed suit. "Then, let us go as well!"
Monica climbed onto Tang Ping's back, her mechanical structure shifting and reconfiguring until a pair of steel wings unfurled. With a powerful stroke of those wings, the two broke free from the shackles of gravity. They soared into the azure sky, dancing through the clouds alongside Helios and the great beast.
Not far away, beneath the surface of the ocean atop an ancient pyramid, the green-haired Dragon Princess concluded her prayers, marking the end of her day's work. Suddenly, she felt a shift in the air. She lifted her head, her gaze piercing through the shimmering seawater and into the vast expanse of the sky.
She saw them. And so, she too let out a smile.
"Hahahahaha!"
Tang Ping laughed at the top of his lungs. He didn't know why, but he simply felt the urge to do so. He couldn't quite explain what was happening, but the excitement surging within him was impossible to suppress.
"Auuuunnn—!"
As if responding to Tang Ping's shout, the Kun-Peng let out a high-pitched, resonant cry.
"What did he say?" Tang Ping cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled to Helios.
"He said: 'The Great Water God has descended! My lovely friend!'" Helios shouted back, performing a playful barrel roll in mid-air.
Tang Ping laughed heartily, the image of Tanosi's little-devil-like smile immediately flashing through his mind.
This was reality. Everything that had happened until now was not a dream. From the descent of the Cthulhu Goddess to the Magic Wolves galloping across the plains, and even the Kun-Peng soaring through the sky—they were all wordlessly proclaiming one thing:
A brand-new, unprecedented era had arrived!
Myths and legends were no longer stories found in books; they were living miracles permeating daily life. In the year 2040, Earth was about to usher in the next Age of Gods.
And it all begins right here!