*Ding*
Luck woke up to the sound of his grimoire's notification. Seeing that he was on the floor, he stood up in an attempt to understand where he was.
He didn't get very far, though. Before he could even catch his bearings, a red-colored rocket slammed into him, throwing him back onto the ground.
"Why the fuck did you do that?!" Tara practically screamed at Luck, whom she was now sitting on top of.
"Ugh," Luck groaned. The force with which Tara crashed into him was enough to take his breath away and blur his vision. His ears being subjected to torture as well was too much for him to handle right now.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," Luck said, with such solemness that Tara's anger got caught off guard. She looked at him and saw that he was looking at her gently, with evident traces of remorse, which made her skip a beat and allowed her anger to subside a little. However, that was the only option that could save my life at that moment, and having a limited lease on life doesn't allow you to be picky with your choices, trust me.
"But... You should have at least told us about it. We wouldn't have to worry needlessly."
Luck smiled gently, "Well, choking on your blood doesn't really allow communication skills to flourish, but I'll try to keep that in mind."
Tara's eyes softened as she chuckled in response. "Good."
"Ara~ I never knew my sister could be so bold."
Terra's amused voice entered the duo's ears, finally allowing them to see the rather... compromising position they were in.
Tara practically scrambled off Luck, her face redder than a tomato. In contrast, Luck stood up with evident calm.
"Of course not, sister. I was just checking on his condition. As you can see, his condition is fine."
Terra rolled her eyes. "Of course it is. With you sitting there, his body had to be in top shape. He's probably pitched his tent beneath that cloak."
"..." Luck's lips twitched at the comment, but he chose to remain silent. He would only dig his grave if he tried to defend himself.
"Glad you're still alive, brother," Luke said suddenly, catching Luck by surprise, who managed to smile lightly in return.
"More importantly, how the hell are you still alive?!" Harry chimed in as his eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement.
"He's right," Terra remarked. You fought that goblin. A goblin that your brother could barely handle for a few minutes in a fight that we couldn't even follow. You even managed to kill the fucking thing."
"And then, with wounds too severe for even an awakener of your power to bear, you took the qi of the peak B-rank Variant you had fought to the death moments ago," Luke spoke with obvious annoyance. Terra's comparison of him to his brother clearly irritated him.
"The qi on its own should have at least crippled, and that's if you're healthy," Tara muttered quietly as she clenched her fists tightly, as if remembering something painful.
"Which you were clearly not," Terra added dryly. "Which brings the question,"
""What happened when you were unconscious?"" All of them asked simultaneously, making Luck flinch back.
Luck smiled wryly. Even with his cold exterior, having teammates who cared about him warmed his insides.
And so he told them. He recounted to them his near-death experience, his rescue by a goddess, and his subsequent transformation into her Apostle.
He conveniently 'forgot' to add the part about him being the gate to a realm known as the 'Abyss', and his soul being refined to the level of a Demigod.
It wasn't like Luck didn't trust them; he did, actually, with his life, but he couldn't risk endangering them because of any information related to him.
It was his burden to bear, so he would bear it."
"Anyway," Luck spoke. "Let's pack up. We don't have much time, as you know."
The group nodded as they dashed off in separate directions to start their looting of the spoils of battle.
Luck stayed still, just ordering his summons to collect his share of the loot, which was a lot, considering he'd literally bombed the entire village.
(Now I see why terrorists are so fascinated by bombs.) Luck thought with a slight smile. He had to admit, though, the feeling of seeing things explode was something one could get addicted to if they're not careful.
Luck shook his head, rearranging his thoughts. He had felt significant changes in his existence, and his grimoire had also recorded these changes.
He needed to see, so he would know how to move forward from now on.
So without further ado, he summoned his grimoire and flipped it open.
[Your soul has absorbed the divinity of the Goddess of the Night!]
(The Embodiment of Night has become a part of your existence!]
[Your soul has advanced to Demigod grade!]
[You have gained the skill Battle Aura! Comprehend this skill fully to gain unique properties!]
[The goddess Nyx has gifted you the divine artifact, [Apophite]!]
[[Shadow Manipulation(Av) has evolved to [Shadow Control(R)]!}
[[Gravity Manipulation(Av) has evolved to [Gravity Control(R)!]
[[Space Manipulation(Av)] has evolved to [Spatial Control(R)]!]
[[Death Manipulation(Av) has evolved to [Death Control(R)]!]
[You have gained the title [Apostle]! All stats increased by a 100% when near anything related to the goddess, Nyx!]
[You have gained the skill [Frenzy]!]
[You have gained the skill [Lesser Regeneration]!]
"..."
Luck was speechless. He had benefited greatly from simply becoming Nyx's follower, and that was only the beginning.
After all, minus the rewards he had gained from his physique, the strength he had gained due to his recently ascended soul was unrecorded by the system that administered his grimoire.