Apocalypse Cheater

[: Daniel POV :]

The air was filled with a warmth that mirrored the emotions swirling within us.

As we hugged, I felt a rush of comfort and familiarity, a feeling that's hard to put into words.

It was as if time paused for those brief moments.

"Thank you, dear, for helping out,"

My mom said, her voice soft yet resonating with gratitude.

As we separated, her eyes sparkled with love.

"There's no need to thank me, Mom. After all, you're my priority,"

I replied, smiling warmly, wanting her to know that her well-being was at the core of my world.

A gentle breeze swirled around us, carrying with it a sense of contentment.

At the same time, my mother's smile widened, expressing a mixture of pride and love.

"You're such a thoughtful soul, my dear,"

She said, her voice tinged with tenderness.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Always,"

I responded with an overflow of affection for the woman who'd always been my rock.

She reached out and cupped my face in her hands, her touch filled with a mother's love and understanding.

"You're my blessing, my child,"

She said, her eyes conveying a depth of emotion that resonated with love beyond measure.

The air hummed with a sense of fulfilment and shared accomplishment.

Her gratitude, though unnecessary, felt like a warm embrace to my soul.

It painted a smile on my face that mirrored the joy dancing in her eyes.

"Now that we've accomplished what we planned, let's spend some time in the city,"

I suggested, eager to extend our day beyond mere achievements.

Our initial plan for a small date in Modern Fantasia had reached its conclusion, opening up an opportunity to relish our time together.

Her face lit up with an anticipation that mirrored mine.

"Yeah, let's go, dear,"

She replied, her smile brimming with excitement and her eyes alight with the promise of shared adventures.

As the embrace of the moment lingered, amidst the warmth and joy, a flicker of concern clouded my thoughts.

I couldn't help but recall the temporary nature of the stats allocated to her for just one day.

It was a bittersweet notion, a gift of strength that seemed almost like a fleeting future of what she could have achieved.

The statistics, a brief surge in power equivalent to a staggering 100 million monsters, flashed through my mind.

While the moment was filled with shared happiness, a part of me couldn't shake off the feeling of pity for the temporary boost.

The thought couldn't help but stir a subtle envy, a wish that she could have retained those stats permanently.

It would have been an incredible enhancement, potentially placing her on a level of strength surpassing even my own capabilities.

Imagining the possibilities of her growing stronger and evolving beyond imagination was both a source of pride and happiness.

I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind, not wanting them to overshadow our beautiful moments

The fleeting thought of her retaining those incredible stats introduced a world of possibilities, a future unbound by limitations.

If she could have held onto those stats, her potential would have seemed limitless.

It felt like staring at an open horizon, where she could potentially grow to become an equal or even surpass my own capabilities.

Moreover, considering the numerous drops she's amassed, the opportunity to gain hundreds of thousands worth of skills was a huge bonus.

The potential of acquiring such an extensive array of skills that could enhance her overall capabilities was staggering.

It was as if she held the key to an arsenal that could mould her into an unstoppable force.

In this scenario, she would become a formidable figure, someone not to be trifled with.

The boost stats and an arsenal of skills would shape her into a force to be reckoned with, a powerhouse capable of achieving feats beyond imagination.

The image of her becoming a dominant force in her own right sparked a mixture of awe and a touch of anticipation.

It portrayed a future where she'd evolve into a formidable contender, ready to face any challenge head-on and stand tall among the elite.

"What's wrong, dear?"

My mom's concerned voice sliced through my thoughts, bringing me back from my contemplation.

It felt as though I had been lost in a reverie, fixated on her, the passage of time slipping by unnoticed.

"Nothing, Mom,"

I replied softly, my gaze lingering on her for a moment longer.

"I was just thinking... it could've been incredible if you could have kept those stats"

"You would have been a force to be reckoned with, Mom,"

I remarked, my words tinged with a mixture of admiration and a touch of wistfulness.

"You think so, dear?"

My mom chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with a glint of amusement as she looked at me, eagerly waiting for my response.

"That's right, Mom," I affirmed, returning a smile, completely engrossed in the conversation and the upcoming plans for our time together.

However, as I spoke, lost in our exchange, I didn't notice the shift in her smile.

It held a peculiar quality, a strange curve that didn't sit quite right with the familiar warmth of her usual expressions.

It was an oddity, a deviation from her usual demeanour that I couldn't quite place, but at that moment, it didn't disturb me, just seemed a touch peculiar.

Unbeknownst to me, a subtle unease lingered within the depths of that peculiar smile, a nuance that I failed to discern in the midst of our conversation.

Despite the slight anomaly, I brushed it aside and focused on the excitement of our impending date.

Oblivious to the undercurrent, I continued leading the way, eager to make the most of our time together, unaware of the subtle shift in her usual mannerisms.

[: Leila POV :]

I felt conflicted about withholding the truth from my son.

It wasn't my desire to keep secrets from him, but at the same time, the complexity of this particular 'thing' had left me grappling with its existence.

Until I could grasp a full understanding of its nature, its origin, and the potential impact it might have, I couldn't bring myself to reveal it.

I understood the importance of being transparent with my son.

But the mysteries and uncertainties surrounding this undisclosed matter demanded careful consideration before I could share it with him.

[: Blessing of Goddess Parvati :]

- Able to absorb stats, abilities, bloodline, and skills of any beings that have been killed by you -

- The amount of skills or abilities absorbed would be random depending on luck -

The blessing was an unexpected turn of events, arriving around a year ago following the completion of a mission deeply tied to my Class.

Upon successfully advancing it to the Superior Rank, a shift occurred, bestowing upon me this unforeseen blessing.

The specifics of how or why this blessing came to me remained a puzzle.

Its timing, right after achieving that significant milestone in evolving my Class, left me contemplating the possibilities of cause and effect.

The process of evolution seemed to have triggered this unanticipated gift, altering my path in ways I hadn't foreseen.

My son often spoke about the nature of Blessings within the realm of Modern Fantasia, sharing intriguing insights he had.

He described them as gifts bestowed by entities beyond our conventional senses.

According to his understanding, acquiring even a single Blessing was a difficult task, akin to a quest of immense difficulty and rarity.

It required undertaking tasks, quests, or feats that tested one's abilities, and often, a touch of fate and luck.

The rarity of these Blessings, as per his descriptions, implied that obtaining even one was an accomplishment worthy of great respect and admiration.

Thus, the mystery deepened within me when I found myself in possession of not just one, but three Blessings without actively pursuing or undertaking any particular endeavor.

[: Blessings of Mother Gaia :]

- All Life is under your command equivalent to your overall stars and able to Manipulate Life -

[: Blessings of Queen Mother of the West, Xiwangmu :]

- Possesses infinite regeneration of HP and once a month could neglect death and possess an overwhelming amount of Mana -

I never thought that those Entities from Mythologies figures exist and knowing that they do exist had changed my perspective.

But right now this wasn't the main event.

What I had been looking forward to was the date with my son and eventually, as I followed his lead, we ended up in a City that was beautiful.

It was nothing like I had ever seen and I couldn't take my eyes away from it.

"You like this place mom?" My son questioned with a mom.

Without a doubt, I liked the place and I never thought that such a place could ever exist and it makes me wonder whether we're there any more places similar to this.

"I liked it and it's beautiful" I replied while gazing around the beauty of the city.

If I had to explain in words, the city was mixed between crystals and lights, and this city was called Crystals of Light.