Lily, who had been keeping her eyes tightly shut, slowly opened them. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She had imagined this possibility countless times, yet when it became reality, it was far harder to accept than she had thought. Fear gripped her heart so tightly that she couldn't even lift her head. No sobs escaped her mouth—she simply froze, as if sound itself had abandoned her.
Rudra's reply stunned her completely. She didn't even notice the subtle change in his expression.
Unaware of Lily's silent breakdown, Rudra continued,
"You should already know this… my dream is to give my mother a peaceful life. And to do that, I have to become a warrior. Not just any warrior, but a high-level one—like you said, a God of War."
"But is it really easy to become one? No." Rudra smiled faintly, determination burning clearly in his eyes. "That's why I want to give my full focus to becoming a God of War."
Then, as if suddenly realizing what he had said, his face turned red with embarrassment. Scratching the back of his head, he added,
"So… before becoming a God of War, I won't be able to accept your feelings. It would become a huge hindrance—both to my cultivation and to our life together."
Those were Rudra's true feelings—his conflict between Lily's confession and the weight of his responsibility.
Yet there was one thing he had lied about, and he knew it all too well.
He said his goal was to become a God of War first. But in the face of the coming crisis, even reaching the planetary level would only guarantee his own survival—not the safety of those he loved.
What he truly wanted… was not just to become a God of War, but to reach the planetary realm as quickly as possible.
But those lies could never be discovered—at least, not by Lily. Because at this moment, after hearing everything Rudra had to say, she finally came back to her senses. And then, her heart filled with pure happiness.
She suddenly stood up from her seat and lifted her head, startling Rudra. Yet what startled him even more was the tear-stained smile on her face.
"Lily, are you okay?" Rudra stood up as well, worry clearly written on his face.
Lily looked at Rudra's anxious expression and smiled even wider.
"Hehe, I'm okay."
She was smiling because she realized that Rudra did have feelings for her. He simply needed time—and what was wrong with that? She had her own goals to achieve too, and those would also take time. If that was the case, then he could take as much time as he needed.
"Then… why are you crying?" Rudra asked, utterly puzzled.
Crying alone would have made sense. Laughing alone would have made sense. But crying and laughing at the same time—especially in this situation? How could he not be confused?
"Oh, these?" Lily touched her tear-stained cheeks, smiling softly as she wiped them clean. "They're just tears of joy."
After saying that, she sat back down and gestured for Rudra to do the same.
"So what you're saying is… after you become a God of War, we can be together?" she asked with a mischievous smile. Beneath it, however, was a trace of shyness—one she hid well.
"Uh… something like that," Rudra replied awkwardly, his face heating up.
Truth be told, Rudra had no experience with romance. In this life, his circumstances never allowed it. And in his previous life… he had died before ever getting the chance.
So this situation was genuinely overwhelming for him.
"Hmm, fine by me," Lily said after pretending to think for a moment.
"Hehe, I have my own life goals too—things I want to achieve." She stood up from her chair, giggling lightly. "So it doesn't matter whether you accept me now or later."
She then turned and walked toward the exit.
As she passed by Rudra, she leaned closer and whispered softly,
"I'll wait for you… until you achieve your true dreams."
Rudra was momentarily stunned by Lily's words. But soon, he understood what she truly meant.
She wasn't asking him to promise her anything. She was simply telling him to move forward without hesitation—to pursue his goals with everything he had.
In a way, that was in line with what Rudra had already planned… though not entirely.
...
...
...
After their brief conversation, Lily left first with her brother.
Rudra, meanwhile, headed home together with Instructor Hameed.
Midway through their journey, Instructor Hameed suddenly spoke up.
"So… how was the talk?"
"What?" Rudra replied, confused.
"I mean, how was your discussion with the Chief Instructor?" Hameed clarified. "Did he offer you a spot in the Extreme Martial Hall?"
"Ah… that." Rudra hesitated slightly before answering. "The conversation went well, but he didn't offer me a place."
"Hm." Hameed nodded thoughtfully. "Don't worry. Just because he didn't offer it now doesn't mean he won't in the future. Everything depends on one thing—whether you can cultivate Genetic Energy."
Hameed slowed his steps slightly, his tone turning serious.
"You may have already heard about the difficulty from the Chief Instructor, but let me explain it in detail. The hardest part of cultivating Genetic Energy is sensing the Energy of the Cosmos."
"Think of it this way," he continued. "If you're extremely lucky, you might sense it within a day—or even less. But if luck isn't on your side, it could take a month. In extreme cases, even a year isn't impossible."
Rudra listened carefully, yet a trace of confusion lingered in his mind.
Shouldn't talent play the decisive role here? If one's body was highly sensitive to the Energy of the Cosmos, shouldn't sensing it take mere hours? And if not… shouldn't it be impossible altogether?
Then, he recalled the experience of the protagonist.
Luo Feng had struggled immensely at the beginning as well. He had failed repeatedly before finally managing to cultivate Genetic Energy.
Why?
Because no one on Earth truly understood how to sense the Energy of the Cosmos.
They only knew that it existed—and that once a person reached the Quasi-Warrior stage, they might be able to sense it. That was all.
What exactly was this energy?
How did it operate within the human body?
No one knew.
Everyone relied solely on vague perception and blind exploration to grasp it, stumbling their way onto the path of cultivation. Perhaps that was why this method remained so difficult—and why so many people failed to cultivate it even after years of effort.
But Rudra wasn't worried about any of this.
He had already begun sensing it—though not completely. It felt like a faint wisp of energy trying to enter his body, only to be repelled each time his focus wavered. The problem wasn't talent… it was distraction.
"Thank you, Instructor, for explaining all this," Rudra said sincerely. "Also, the Chief Instructor didn't invite me to join the Extreme Martial Hall—because he invited me to another organization instead."
"Another organization?" Hameed's eyes widened in surprise, though he quickly regained his composure. "Which one? The HR Alliance?"
He asked that because, in India, the HR Alliance held far more influence and ties than most other organizations—even the Extreme Martial Hall.
"No," Rudra replied calmly. "The name of the organization is the Indian Group of Martial Artists."