Marlon was not expecting that the time of the mission had been shortened for his third trial, and as a result, when he saw the tiny amount of time left, his body stiffened and his face froze with shock.

Orlando did not miss the sudden change in his son's expression. He panicked.

"Marlon? What's wrong?" he asked quickly.

Thankfully, his voice seemed to reach Marlon, whose eyes slowly tilted in his direction. But the emotions inside them were something Orlando could not comprehend.

Before he could ask what was happening, Marlon's mouth parted slightly and he muttered in a chilly tone,

"It is too late."

"What do you mean?"

Orlando stood up with a worried frown on his face.

"You don't look okay. Tell me what is happening," he continued, but Marlon still didn't respond.

Marlon sat on the chair, staring at empty mid-air with an expression that gradually shifted from shock to anger.

Seeing this, Orlando feared that his son might be suffering the same condition Ronaldo went through before he died.

He wanted to talk his son out of whatever was happening in his mind.

At the very least, if talking was all he could offer, he would be glad to prevent his son from ending up like Ronaldo.

"You should see it for yourself."

Just as Orlando opened his mouth to speak, Marlon interrupted him and stood up from his seat.

Their eyes met, and the expression on Marlon's face was different from anything Orlando had ever seen.

"Maybe if you experience the end of the world with me, there might be some changes in my next trial."

Marlon said this and began walking out of the room with slow, steady steps while keeping his gaze fixed on the countdown.

Orlando was speechless, but he followed Marlon regardless.

After a few minutes of walking, Marlon led his father into his room and walked toward the window.

It was still morning, and the gentle radiance of the sun filtered into the room.

Marlon pulled down the curtain, allowing a clear view of the world outside.

It was still peaceful.

He could see people strolling on the streets with smiles, chatting among themselves.

The mansion staff worked diligently. Some of them even spotted Marlon at the window and waved at him, but he ignored them.

"Come and stand with me."

Marlon signalled Orlando, who stood behind him, speechless.

"Son, whatever you're going through, you can talk to me. I am your father. Even if I can't help personally, I can use my connections to get the best help," Orlando said.

But Marlon didn't seem to care about anything he said.

"It will start soon. You shouldn't miss it."

This time, Orlando gave up on trying to talk and walked beside his son.

The two of them observed the peaceful morning together.

But the peace only lasted for a minute before the sky suddenly turned eerily dark—darker than the darkest part of the night.

"W-what is happening?" Orlando trembled at the supernatural phenomenon.

"That is the introduction. Wait a few seconds for the main course," Marlon said in a low tone.

And following his voice, millions of blazing meteors carpeted the dark sky as they speedily blasted down toward the earth.

Orlando shivered.

He even tried to leave Marlon's side and run to the basement for shelter, but Marlon held him back and coldly prompted him to watch.

For unknown reasons, his son's grip was so strong that he couldn't free himself.

At the same time, the guards outside couldn't enter the room, as Marlon had locked the door beforehand.

With no other option, he watched.

He witnessed the first explosion, heard the terrified cries of thousands.

He watched the once peaceful street turn chaotic as people ran helter-skelter, including the staff who had been working in the garden moments ago.

The explosions continued, getting louder and fiercer each time.

Houses crumbled, and every living being turned to ash.

He turned to look at his son for a brief second, and unlike him, Marlon was calm, as though he was only watching a movie.

And then he saw it—the moment Marlon shut his eyes and let out a calm breath.

A meteor crashed into the duo instantly, charring them and wiping them out of existence along with the rest of the world.

It was quick.

At least, it was for Marlon.

====

"I am back again."

Marlon muttered to himself as he sat up on his bed, taking in every detail quickly.

The usual mission prompt repeated in front of him, but this time there were changes.

[ You've failed three trials woefully.

As a result, you've been given the opportunity to exchange your trials for your original abilities. ]

[ You can use the Exchange Panel to view more details. ]

"T-this…"

Marlon's eyes widened.

"Open exchange panel."

He did not waste time at all.

[ Exchange Panel ]

Currently Available:

—Unlock Strength Stats: 50 trials

—Unlock Agility Stats: 50 trials

—Unlock Steel Punch Skills: 100 trials

—Unlock Venom Vanguard Talent (skills included): 800 trials

—Unlock Absolute Attack Talent (skills included): 2000 trials

Marlon was speechless at the astronomical cost of his own powers.

At that moment, he accepted that the system was indeed trying to traumatize him.

But at the same time, his determination to not allow the system to succeed was even greater.

He swept his gaze across the list again and fell into deep thought.

"I don't want to spend foolishly," he muttered.

He needed something that would actually help him in the mission.

And he had already learned that relying on his powers wouldn't work.

There was no monster or villain to defeat to stop the apocalypse.

Even if he regained all his abilities, there was no way he could stop millions of meteors by himself, heck, he wasn't even sure he could stop one.

What he truly needed was a way to convince the governments and the people to hide before the apocalypse began.

After careful consideration, he picked two options from the list and purchased them immediately.

[ You've unlocked Strength ]

[ You've unlocked Agility ]

He felt the usual sensation of getting stronger and faster. It was brief but familiar.

"This is enough," he muttered.

But at the same time, he heard commotion from outside his room.

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