Chapter 218: Isn't He Supposed to Have the Lowest Aptitude?
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David had nothing to do with Gloria?
The other gods remained calm upon hearing this. However, the Demon Lord couldn\'t help but feel a sense of relief. Though Gloria wasn\'t as powerful as he was, the Dark Moon Goddess was highly skilled in social maneuvering and had excellent relationships. Offending her would be troublesome.
Now it seemed like getting rid of David... shouldn\'t be an issue!
However, Gloria\'s unusual reaction had drawn the attention of the other gods to David\'s situation. After all, anyone memorable to the Dark Moon Goddess must have something special about them, right?
So, under the casual scrutiny of many gods—
Sterl began his operation.
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Sterl, at this moment, was unaware that he was being watched. He knew very well that, since he was acting within the array of Morro, the City of Space, he should assume that all his actions were under surveillance.
A faint blue smoke in his hand slowly extinguished.
A few beast-shaped monsters nearby fell to the ground, consumed by flames, and gradually transformed into clusters of sparkling energy.
Sterl looked around and could sense the silver nodes of spatial power shining brightly like flames in the night.
He didn\'t even need the knowledge from Introductory Array Knowledge. With the bonus from his [Dimensional Heart], navigating the grand array was like a naked maiden revealing all her mysteries to him.
He quickly arrived near the roots of a giant tree in the forest. Casually, he slapped his hand to the right.
Crackling sounds echoed as a silver-white node shattered, transforming into energy that surged into Sterl\'s body.
This was the reward of the trial.
For ordinary players, the infusion of spatial power was a significant reward. The residual spatial energy in their bodies could be used later to construct arrays, increasing the success rate of such constructions.
For Sterl, however, this energy could be utilized in his Array Master initiation ceremony. It also allowed him to better grasp his location within the array, making it easier for him to cause chaos.
"That Fred, it seems, is still quite far away from me; I can\'t even sense him," Sterl muttered to himself, feeling a bit disappointed.
He then glanced around, quickly choosing the area with the most abundant silver spatial energy and headed there once more.
And then...
Once again, he landed a precise punch, shattering another array node.
Due to his high efficiency, he hadn\'t encountered any wild creatures along the way.
Sterl felt the spatial energy accumulating in his body and his mood improved slightly. He was getting closer to his Sub-Profession initiation.
"In the array space, every time a node is shattered, the positions of other nodes regenerate. What a hassle," Sterl grumbled, unsatisfied.
However, while Sterl had the leisure to complain, the five gods observing from the outside began to sense that something was amiss!
"Wait a minute? This is what you call inferior aptitude?"
"How is he finding one node after another without even stopping?" Alan questioned. If Gloria hadn\'t pointed him out, no one would have noticed that David\'s efficiency far surpassed Fred\'s.
Fred had to spend quite some time sensing and observing to find a single node and had to deal with various wild creatures along the way. He was still some time away from finding his second node.
Compared to other players, who were like headless chickens, Fred naturally displayed his strong aptitude. But in comparison to David, there was only one word that came to mind—
Trash!
At this moment, the God of Space, the Demon Lord, let out an awkward laugh, "It\'s still too early to talk about talent, isn\'t it? It\'s just two nodes, and luck plays a significant role here."
He felt a bit guilty...
Initially, he thought abandoning a player with inferior aptitude to curry favor with the God of War and Violence was well worth it.
But now, the Demon Lord realized that if David had indeed found the two spatial nodes quickly due to his aptitude, he might have an extraordinarily strong talent for arrays!
David\'s initial lack of innate spatial power was misleading.
Generally, people in this situation were not talented in array construction, but there were always exceptions!
If David was indeed an exception, the Demon Lord felt like he had made a huge mistake!
Even forming an alliance with the God of War and Violence might not guarantee obtaining the Ethereal Crystal, whereas securing David as a follower would yield significant benefits.
At this point, he could only stick to his guns.
Once you draw the bow, there\'s no turning back. The Demon Lord knew that his biased trial rules favoring Fred were obvious to anyone.
After being set up, David would never become his follower again!
The other gods, hearing the Demon Lord\'s reasoning, nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, that makes sense."
"I also think luck played a big part."
"Someone with weak innate spatial power but strong talent is only theoretically possible."
The gods\' rational analysis led them to conclude that the stunning performance they had just witnessed was most likely just a coincidence.
Hmm?
But just as the gods were feeling confident in their conclusions, the scenes unfolding on the spatial screen left them stunned once again.
At that moment, while Fred was still searching for his second array node, David had already shattered his third node.
Moreover, he purposefully and confidently charged towards the direction of the fourth array node with unerring accuracy, without the slightest hesitation!
Instantly, the gods, who had been politely agreeing with the Demon Lord, fell silent.
Awkward!
"Uh, I still trust your judgment," Candice and Cora said understandingly. Unfortunately, before they could finish their sentences, David had already shattered the fourth array node.
Coincidentally, the fifth array node had just refreshed nearby.
The so-called \'lucky boy\' in the Demon Lord\'s words turned and kicked without hesitation.
The silver-white energy shattered and surged into David\'s body.
After a brief moment of silence, the gods began to talk again.
"Gloria, your protégé... is pretty impressive."
"Can you give me a chance?"
"Since you\'re familiar with him and haven\'t taken him as your follower, can I give it a try?" Cora asked with an innocent expression.
Instantly, Gloria\'s mood, which had been quite good while marveling at David\'s potential, darkened.
"What do you mean by that?" The Dark Moon Goddess\'s tone turned cold.
"I mean, I\'m willing to take him as my exclusive chosen one and support David with all the resources needed until he reaches the demigod level," Cora said, completely ignoring Gloria\'s displeased expression.
"Cora, you\'re going too far." The God of Healing and Protection, with a gentle tone, frowned slightly.
Gloria was stunned for a second, looking at Candice with a touched expression...
Good sister!
Standing up for me!
Everyone knows David is under my wing!
How can you just poach him?
At this point, Candice seriously said, "Such talent deserves a greater investment."
"I can provide David with opportunities to gain insights perfectly suited to his legendary path. I will cover all contribution points needed."
"Additionally, I can offer him at least three platinum-level skills."
"And, if he requires it, I can fully impart all the Law Power I possess."
What??
The other gods were dumbfounded.
Isn\'t that offer a bit too high?
Even if David possessed an extraordinary talent for spatial manipulation and might become a formidable Array Master, that was only his potential for the future. The price Candice was offering could hire some well-established Array Masters!
Gloria was dumbfounded. Wait, sister? I thought you were helping me, but you\'re stabbing me in the back even harder!
The God of Healing and Protection, smiling at the confused expressions of the others, said, "I have my reasons, related to Nature."
In the next second, one of the two male gods present, Alan, seemed to realize something and quickly spoke up, "I\'m willing to offer platinum-level skills as well!"
"Also, whatever David wants, just say the word, and I\'ll do my best to provide it!"
These gods were all extremely sharp.
Yes, David\'s talent was exceptional, but that didn\'t necessarily mean he could fully realize it. However, someone with minimal innate spatial energy but highly proficient in array construction was exceedingly rare.
David demonstrated such potential despite his initial disadvantage. If his lack of spatial energy was rectified, wouldn\'t he be... invincible?
The gods all reached the same conclusion: he was worth the gamble!
Gloria was at a loss for words...
She didn\'t know whether to be happy for David or not.
For, the conditions offered by the other gods were indeed excellent, enough to help this junior from the human race on Earth rise to prominence.
"I didn\'t know about his talent before. Whatever conditions you offer, I\'ll match them," Gloria said, her eyes flashing with determination.
After David displayed his Array Master potential, Gloria no longer had to worry about being too good to David, causing suspicion about her nurturing a player from the human race on Earth...
Well, I, the Dark Moon Goddess, have accumulated plenty over the years; I\'m not inferior to any of you!
Is it about competing for followers? Who can\'t do that?
"Wait, Gloria, that\'s not fair. You didn\'t seize the opportunity, so now it\'s our turn!"
"Exactly! If you had taken David as your follower earlier, we wouldn\'t be competing with you now."
"You had your chance, and you blew it."
...
For a moment, the gods\' words were laced with sarcasm.