Will of the Unyielding [LitRPG Apocalypse • Progression]

Cassidy's villa wasn't as decorated as one might imagine.

Due to her schedule, she didn't spend much time in her house, and when she did, she either slept or trained in the underground space.

Thus, she didn't have much furniture, only the essentials. This made the already spacious villa feel even more immense.

Currently, Cassidy was sitting at the table in the living room, her eyes fixed on the person in front of her.

Clink.

Nova set down his cup of tea and nodded. "Mhm, this tea is good. Where did you get it?"

He wasn't much of a tea person, but that didn't stop him from praising it.

"Adira brought it back from another civilization, along with many other foods and ingredients," Cassidy said.

Nova's lips twitched. "Did she take portals for private supermarkets?"

"It's a passion of hers… I guess," Cassidy chuckled. "I think every general picked up a hobby while they were inside. You'd be surprised."

"They aren't into some kind of strange hobbies, are they?" Nova asked.

She winked at him and said, with an air of mystery, "You'll see."

Nova shook his head slightly.

Then, curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "How's their progress?"

Darius had already surprised him, and he hoped the others would too.

"They've all worked hard." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "If I were to judge based on combat ability, Alaric would be the strongest, followed by Darius. But…"

"But?" Nova echoed.

Alaric being the strongest didn't surprise him. His talent was the highest among the generals, and he'd always worked hard.

Cassidy said seriously, "But Nox gives me a dangerous feeling. I think, if the circumstances are right, he might be comparable if not stronger than Alaric."

"Eh?" Nova exclaimed.

He had never thought of Nox as weak, but he had also never imagined Nox could be stronger than Alaric, or even Darius.

Before Nova entered the Purple portal, Nox had been ranked third in his mind, and the difference between him and Darius was visible to the naked eye.

To not only close that gap but leap past it and rival Alaric?

It was hard.

He quickly asked, "What makes you say that?"

Cassidy leaned slightly forward. "Three years ago Alaric entered a Purple portal. The mission was simple: become the strongest."

She raised two fingers. "It took him two months to complete it."

Nova nodded. It was straightforward, so much so that he wished he had a similar one.

"Nox entered a Purple one after Alaric returned, and he had to kill an Emperor…" She lowered a finger and looked at Nova.

"It took him a month?" Nova raised an eyebrow.

While one month was indeed fast, killing an Emperor didn't necessarily mean one was the strongest. One only needed to find the right opportunity, and even if they were weaker, they could still succeed.

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It was a very different gauge of strength compared to the absolute mission Alaric had received.

But Cassidy shook her head, a wry smile on her face.

"No. It took Nox a week."

Nova's eyes widened slightly.

It was fast.

So fast that even if Alaric had brought back the knowledge of the civilization he visited and Nox had learned it, it would still be considered astonishingly quick.

His surprised expression soon turned pensive.

Cassidy silently studied his face, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

So, even you can make that face. Hehe.

The room descended into silence.

Minutes passed.

Clap.

Nova was startled out of his thoughts. His head tilted toward Cassidy.

"You've thought enough about it," she said. "Now it's my turn to ask questions."

He took a deep breath to calm his racing mind.

Then he smiled at her and nodded. "Ask away."

Cassidy looked him in the eye. "What was your experience?"

The question brought Nova's mind back to the Vireah Empire. The thought that it had been less than half a day since he returned felt surreal. He had yet to fully adjust.

'By now it must be the Lotra Empire.'

He chuckled and began sharing his experience with Cassidy.

It was a tale.

The tale of the bandit who became Emperor.

Nova barely spoke of himself as the main character, only mentioning himself at the start, focusing mostly on Letto and the experiences he had shared with him.

Peals of laughter rang out in the room as Cassidy heard how Lopaz, Rey, and Kale had wanted to beat Nova on the first night at the army camp.

But soon, her expression shifted through a multitude of emotions.

When Nova mentioned Veliora, the princess of Lotra, Cassidy looked down at her.

She couldn't help but shed a few tears as Nova recounted, through Letto's eyes, the villages and towns he had destroyed.

Her tears weren't only for the people who had died.

No.

They were also for Nova.

She had long known that Nova wasn't a saint, far from it, but he also never killed without reason.

For him to take so many lives, she realized, he wasn't in the right state of mind.

Then her mood improved as the story went on.

She felt relief and happiness that Letto hadn't betrayed Nova when Arix and Rollyet found him unconscious, but had instead chosen to stay by his side.

Tears fell again when she heard about the torture Nova had endured.

Her eyes sparkled as she listened to how Letto's mind had shifted during his talks with Nova, now believing he could be more than just a bandit.

Then, pushed by Nova, Letto gave it his all in the arena.

When Nova finished telling the tale, Cassidy immediately asked for details.

She didn't know Letto, but seeing how happy Nova was to share what had happened inside the portal, she couldn't help but silently thank him again and again.

Her eyes filled with happiness.

Letto would never have imagined that the demon he had slowly come to know and understand would one day share his story with a smile on his face.

Perhaps, if he knew, he'd lift his chin to the sky and smile proudly. Though his kingly demeanor would be nowhere to be seen.

The living room, once cold and silent, was now filled with laughter and chatter.

Even the night couldn't stop them as the two shared their stories.

/////

Univara.

The Federation HQ.

It had been a day since they sent three Grade 1s and a hundred soldiers to Quarath, yet they had not received a report.

Forget a report.

They hadn't even received a word from them.

Jonathan sat at the long table.

Over the past years, his appearance had changed along with his increased Stats. His white hair was now jet black, and the signs of age on his face had slightly faded. The items in the Store had played an important role in this transformation.

If one didn't know better, they would think he was in his thirties.

And with this younger appearance, his youthful vigor had slowly reignited as well.

Now more than ever, he wanted to keep his command over the Federation.

He looked at the two people seated to his left and right.

They were Troy, a man with short black hair who had ranked 7th at the first Birth of Deities, and Daniel, the old vice-president.

It wasn't only Nemesis that had gone through great changes.

The Federation had been completely restructured as well.

Jonathan now held ultimate authority over every decision, while delegating some control to the two beside him.

Daniel oversaw general affairs and daily tasks, which Jonathan had no time for, as he was focused on growing stronger to maintain his grip on everything.

On the other side, after grueling years of training and millions of Gold coins invested, Troy had become the strongest person Jonathan had under his direct command.

He was also the leader of their elite group.

Numbers.

The group was small and largely unknown to the general population.

Only the higher-ups on Earth were aware of their existence.

It was said that, despite the members currently being Grade 0, they were stronger than Grade 1s.

As for how much stronger…only they themselves knew.

But one thing was certain.

The group had cost the Federation the equivalent of a few cities' worth of Gold coins to assemble.

What counted were the results and, up to this point, they were satisfying.

Jonathan broke the silence and slowly said, "One hundred soldiers and three Grade 1s disappeared in a matter of minutes. Can you tell me how this could happen?"