Chapter 257

Neo nodded at Black Hand.

The battle had already pushed his body close to its limit, yet he kept his eyes fixed on the strange man standing several steps away. There was something different about Black Hand. It was not only his strength. It was the way he moved, the way he controlled his power, and most of all, the calm confidence behind every attack.

Neo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Who was my father’s friend?" he asked.

Black Hand paused.

For the first time since the battle began, his expression changed slightly.

"your father’s friend?" he repeated.

"Yes."

Neo watched him carefully.

Black Hand’s lips slowly curled into a grin.

"His name is..."

He deliberately stopped.

Neo’s eyes narrowed.

Black Hand had noticed something.

A gap.

For only a fraction of a second, Neo’s attention had shifted.

That was all Black Hand needed.

His arm moved.

Two completely different energies suddenly gathered around his hand. One carried a violent, destructive force, while the other moved with an entirely opposite nature. Yet instead of clashing, the two energies formed a strange half-and-half spear.

Neo’s eyes widened.

"So that’s your trick."

The spear shot forward.

Neo immediately reached out and grabbed it.

The instant his fingers closed around the weapon, the force behind it exploded.

BOOM!

Neo was launched backward.

The ground disappeared beneath him as he flew through the air at terrifying speed. Wind tore against his face. He tried to stabilize himself, but the attack had been too powerful.

He crashed into the ground.

CRASH!

The earth broke beneath his body, leaving a large dent in the battlefield.

Neo coughed and slowly lifted his head.

Black Hand was already coming.

He was flying toward Neo with another half-and-half spear in his hand.

Neo’s eyes widened.

"How can he control both energies like that?"

It looked as if Black Hand was combining the two opposite powers at the exact same moment.

But then Neo noticed something.

His eyes sharpened.

"No..."

Black Hand wasn’t actually using them at the same time.

There was a delay.

An incredibly small delay.

The first energy appeared.

Then the second followed almost immediately.

The interval was so short that ordinary eyes could never notice it.

To anyone watching, it looked as though the two energies were being controlled simultaneously.

Neo grinned despite the pain.

"I see it."

He immediately changed his approach.

Instead of trying to counter both energies separately, Neo released his own power from his body at the exact same time.

The battlefield erupted again.

BOOM!

Black Hand’s spear collided with Neo’s attack.

The shockwave spread in every direction.

Neither man backed down.

They rushed at each other again.

Their figures became streaks across the battlefield.

Punch.

Kick.

Energy blast.

Counter.

The fight moved so quickly that even the surrounding landscape seemed unable to keep up.

Neo ducked beneath a strike and answered with a punch.

Black Hand twisted aside.

Neo followed with a kick.

Black Hand blocked it.

The two separated for less than a second before rushing toward each other again.

Neo’s breathing became heavier.

He had fought powerful enemies before.

But Black Hand was different.

Experience.

That was what made him dangerous.

Black Hand did not waste movement. Every attack had a purpose. Every dodge placed him in a better position. Every counter seemed to come before Neo had completely finished his previous attack.

And his control over the two opposite energies was frightening.

Neo gritted his teeth.

"Can I really reach this level someday?"

For the first time in a while, Neo felt genuine doubt.

Not fear.

Doubt.

Black Hand had spent years mastering his abilities. Neo knew that much from the way he fought.

Could Neo ever reach that level of control?

Before he could think about it further, Black Hand suddenly grabbed Neo by the hair.

"What—?"

Black Hand snapped his wings open.

The two shot upward.

Higher.

Higher.

The battlefield became smaller beneath them.

The air grew thinner.

Black Hand continued climbing until they reached the highest point he could manage.

Neo struggled.

"Let go!"

Black Hand said nothing.

Instead, he pulled his arm backward.

Neo immediately understood what was coming.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Black Hand threw him.

He threw Neo toward the ground with everything he had.

WHOOSH!

Neo became a blur.

The ground rushed toward him.

His body spun through the air as the wind screamed around him.

Then—

BOOM!

Neo struck the ground like a falling rocket.

The impact created a huge crater.

For several seconds, Neo could not move.

He tried to raise himself.

His arm shook.

"Come on..."

He pushed against the ground.

Nothing.

Black Hand landed behind him.

Neo’s eyes widened.

"You’re still coming?"

Black Hand stepped forward.

Neo forced himself to stand.

The next attack came.

Black Hand struck him with everything he had.

Neo barely managed to remain conscious.

His body was exhausted.

His muscles screamed.

But then something inside him changed.

Neo clenched both fists.

Natural Embrace emerged around them.

The power spread across his arms.

His eyes hardened.

"No more."

He rushed forward.

His fist struck Black Hand.

BAM!

Black Hand staggered.

Neo followed.

Another punch.

Then another.

Black Hand tried to counter, but Neo refused to give him the opening.

Their bodies collided again and again.

Neo poured everything he had into the fight.

Finally, one last attack connected.

Black Hand’s body fell.

Silence followed.

Neo stood there, breathing heavily.

For several seconds, he simply stared at the fallen man.

Then he sighed.

"At least that’s one less problem."

Neo stored Black Hand’s corpse.

He had been chasing Neo for the entire week.

Now it was over.

Or at least, Neo hoped it was.

He immediately teleported toward the Nyx Tribe’s territory.

When he arrived, he looked toward the area where the barrier was supposed to be built.

His eyebrows rose.

"The barrier still isn’t finished?"

Neo shook his head.

He had expected it to be completed by now.

Still, there was no time to worry about it.

He rushed toward Nyx Castle.

The moment he entered the backyard, Neo moved straight toward his throne.

He sat down.

Then his eyes suddenly widened.

A notification appeared before him.

Neo stared at it.

"A quest?"

He quickly read the message.

His expression changed.

At first, he had expected another troublesome mission somewhere far away.

Instead, the quest was related to another world.

Quest: Summoned to Another World

The host will be summoned as a summoning monster by a kingdom in another world.

Use this opportunity to become stronger.

Time in the host’s original world will be stopped during the quest.

Perform well and complete the mission before the time limit.

Time Remaining: 4 Weeks

Failure Punishment: Death of the host, the death of everyone the host loves, and the destruction of the entire forest.

Reward: Everything Intermediate — Allows the host to upgrade any skill below C rank to C rank.

Neo swallowed.

The punishment was brutal.

But one sentence immediately caught his attention.

Time in his original world would stop.

Neo leaned back against the throne.

"If time is stopped here..."

Then there was little reason for him to refuse.

Four weeks in another world could potentially give him a massive advantage.

And the reward was even more tempting.

The ability to upgrade any skill below C rank to C rank?

Neo could already imagine how useful that would become.

Still, there was one question.

"How exactly am I supposed to get there?"

Neo looked toward the system.

"So how am I going to be transported to another world?"

The system responded calmly.

"Do not worry, host. I will take care of it."

Neo nodded.

"All right."

A countdown appeared.

10.

Neo straightened.

9.

The air around him began to distort.

8.

A strange sensation passed through his body.

7.

His surroundings started fading.

6.

Neo looked around one final time.

5.

Everything became blurry.

4.

The system continued counting.

3.

Neo clenched his fists.

2.

The world disappeared.

1.

Then—

0.

Neo vanished.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing inside a massive castle.

He looked around.

The architecture was completely unfamiliar.

Tall pillars reached toward the ceiling.

Large banners hung from the walls.

Golden decorations covered parts of the hall.

Neo immediately understood.

This wasn’t his world.

He had actually been transported.

More importantly, he appeared to be inside a royal castle.

Neo looked around.

Then he noticed the people.

There were nobles.

Knights.

Servants.

And several members of the royal family.

But none of them looked particularly happy.

Their attention was focused on one person.

A young woman standing near Neo.

She wore princess clothing, but her expression was dark and frustrated.

Someone pointed at her.

Then another person laughed.

"Look at what the youngest princess, Sana, summoned!"

"A beggar!"

"She actually summoned a beggar!"

Laughter spread throughout the hall.

Neo raised an eyebrow.

The woman beside him clenched her fists.

Another noble laughed.

"I think we all knew this would happen after watching her attempts since the first day."

Sana suddenly turned toward Neo.

Her expression became even more irritated.

"Where did you hide my summon?"

Neo blinked.

"What?"

"My summon!" Sana shouted. "Where is it?"

Neo pointed at himself.

"I am your summon."

Sana stared at him.

There was a long silence.

Then she shook her head.

"No way."

Neo raised an eyebrow.

Sana looked him over.

"You’re just a normal beggar."

Several people laughed again.

"You’re probably weaker than the butlers working here."

Neo crossed his arms.

A cold gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Before you decide that, how about letting me demonstrate my abilities?"

Sana hesitated.

Then she nodded.

"All right."

Neo stepped forward.

He didn’t need to explain himself.

Instead, he entered Torch Man Mode.

Pyro energy spread across his body.

The atmosphere inside the castle immediately changed.

The people who had been laughing fell silent.

Neo stood calmly in the middle of the hall.

The flames of his power moved around him.

One knight’s expression changed.

Another stepped backward.

Sana stared.

Neo lifted his palm toward the ceiling.

Then he released his power.

A massive beam of intense pyro energy shot upward.

BOOM!

The ceiling shook.

The entire hall trembled.

Everyone stared upward.

The laughter had completely disappeared.

Sana’s eyes widened.

She immediately turned toward her two older sisters and the queen.

"Look!"

She pointed toward Neo.

"How strong is my summon?"

The queen’s eyes widened as well.

She had already known something was unusual about Sana’s summoning.

Sana had changed dramatically after the death of her father, the king.

She had been extremely attached to him.

His death had affected her deeply.

Although Sana was already twenty-two years old, she often behaved much younger than her actual age.

That was why many people in the kingdom underestimated her.

The queen looked at Neo again.

"This is true."

Her voice became serious.

"He possesses the strength of a high-class knight."

She paused.

"We will make good use of this summon."

Neo lowered his hand.

Then he looked toward the two older princesses.

"So, what did your summons look like?"

The eldest princess stepped forward.

"My name is Laura."

Neo nodded.

Laura continued.

"My summon was a dragon."

Neo’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"A dragon?"

Laura nodded calmly.

Then the second princess introduced herself.

"My name is Saura."

Neo looked toward her.

"My summon is a huge divine snake."

Neo nodded.

"So the other two princesses received powerful summons too."

His eyes then returned to Sana.

He noticed the way she was looking at him.

She seemed much more excited now than she had been when he first appeared.

Neo smiled.

"So, you want to become stronger?"

Sana’s eyes widened.

"You can make me stronger?"

"I have another method."

"What is it?"

Neo grinned.

"I’ll show you in your room."

Sana immediately nodded.

"Okay."

Neo couldn’t help but notice how quickly she accepted.

Before the conversation could continue, the queen clapped her hands.

The sound echoed through the hall.

Everyone turned toward her.

The queen looked at her three daughters.

"The ceremony of summoning has finished."

Everyone nodded and she to do their things ans then the queeb looked ar her 3 daughters ans said let’s have dinner ans they nodded..