NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Damian and Elena
Damian blinked, trying to process the excited chatter coming from the girl beside him. She was a year younger than him and absolutely exuded the rebellious charm of an "illegal loli."
"How do you know that?" he asked, confused.
"The Divine Genesis Talent Leaderboard, of course!" Elena whipped out her phone and pulled up the rankings with practiced ease. "Look! Rank 93—SSS-level talent: [Absolute Execution]!"
"It's ranked lowest among the SSS talents right now, but its position will definitely rise once more data comes in!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "The player forums are already going crazy. Everyone's speculating about what this talent does and which class it's for."
"Honestly, I don't think it's even up for debate," Elena said confidently, puffing out her flat chest.
"The [Absolute Execution] talent has to belong to the Warrior class! Warriors can later advance to become [Holy Knights], and that's such a perfect fit for something like this!"
"Right…" Damian took the phone, scanned the leaderboard for himself, and relaxed when he saw that it only displayed the talent's name and rank without any detailed descriptions. He handed the phone back and, in one swift motion, ruffled her hair vigorously.
"Elena, it's time to eat."
"Don't call me 'Elena Piggy'!" she shot back, pouting as she tried to smooth her messy hair.
"Your name sounds the same. Close enough," Damian said casually.
"It's not close enough!" Elena stomped after him as they headed to their house. But as they reached the door, she paused mid-step. "Wait… didn't we have leftovers for lunch?"
"Nope. We're eating out," Damian replied, pulling out his phone and waving it. "Made a quick 600 credits."
Basic crafting materials like the [Demon Horn] could be sold directly to official in-game channels for instant payment, a very convenient system. After waiting years for his chance to play Divine Genesis, Damian figured a small celebration was warranted.
"Wow, not bad for the so-called 'early-game powerhouse' Assassin class!" Elena's eyes sparkled as she followed him. "Does that mean we'll be eating meat every day now?"
"Of course," Damian said with a faint smile.
Although the Demon Lambs looked harmless and were considered the weakest monsters, they weren't entirely defenseless. They had a special combat mechanic—if attacked once or observed for five minutes, they would enter combat mode.
This was specifically designed to counter [Stealth], balancing out the Assassin class.
Once enraged, Demon Lambs could pose a real threat to new players. While it wasn't hard for a Level 1 player to kill one, fighting 20 in a row without using health potions was nearly impossible. And those potions weren't cheap—the most basic bottle cost 500 credits.
As a result, most players formed parties to hunt them, which meant splitting the earnings.
Earning 600 credits solo on the first day was no small feat.
...
The two of them sat in a small restaurant, waiting for their food. As they waited, Elena suddenly looked at Damian with wide eyes, as if remembering something important.
"Oh! I almost forgot to ask—what talent did you get?"
Damian froze.
"You're just now thinking to ask me that?" he said, shaking his head with a wry smile. "I got an SSS-level talent called [Absolute Execution]."
He wasn't worried about revealing his talent. After all...
"Ha! As if!" Elena rolled her eyes dramatically. "If your talent is [Absolute Execution], then mine is the #1 ranked talent, [Sovereign Supremacy]."
Nearby diners chuckled quietly, amused by their exchange.
Damian calmly sipped his tea, unfazed.
"Damian, that tea is for rinsing the dishes," Elena said with a straight face.
"Pfft—cough, cough!"
"Just kidding! It's for drinking." She smirked triumphantly, downing her own cup. "I saw other tables drinking it, so I copied them."
A vein twitched on Damian's forehead. "You're not getting any meat."
"Don't you dare! That's child abuse!" Elena scrunched her nose at him. "Your talent might suck, but when I join the game next year, the Dragon King will rise, and I'll lead you to glory..."
Her grand speech was abruptly cut short when the food arrived. She immediately grabbed her chopsticks and stuffed her cheeks like a chipmunk.
Damian shook his head with a faint smile and began eating quietly.
...
Elena wasn't his biological sister.
No, that wasn't quite accurate.
Damian was adopted by the family on a stormy night, while Elena was their only biological child. After their parents passed away in a tragic accident years ago, the distinction between adopted and biological no longer mattered.
In the end, they only had each other to rely on.
"Hey! Damian, leave me some food!"
"Mmff mmff!"
...
By the end of the meal, Elena leaned back in her chair, patting her stomach in satisfaction.
"Damian, you've made me pregnant with food," she said, smirking mischievously.
Damian, who had just returned from paying the bill, nearly tripped. He rushed over to clamp his hand over her mouth. "For the love of everything holy, shut up!"
"Hehe~" Elena grinned lazily and stood up. "Let's go home. I have something for you. You're gonna love it."
"What is it?" Damian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"You'll see," she teased, dragging him back home. Once there, she rummaged through her belongings before pulling out a stack of papers with a triumphant flourish.
"Ta-da! Behold, the Ultimate Beginner's Guide for Damian, handcrafted by yours truly! It took me 49 days and a whole 20 credits to make!"
"Twenty credits…" Damian weighed the stack in his hands, deadpan. "The old man at the print shop downstairs probably made five credits of pure profit."
"Damn it! Why can't I haggle like you?" Elena stomped her foot in frustration.
"Don't worry. I'll get your five credits back next time." Damian chuckled, patting her head before heading to his room with the guide.
"Time to study."
...
Since the advent of Divine Genesis, education for minors had shifted significantly. In addition to basic subjects, schools now incorporated game-related knowledge, especially in high school, where students prepared to enter the game.
After their parents passed away, Damian had dropped out after middle school to work and support Elena's high school education.
While he borrowed her textbooks and notes to teach himself, there was no doubt that Elena, with her sharp mind, had a much better grasp of the game.
In his cramped room, barely big enough to move around, Damian poured over the guide Elena had compiled for him, immersing himself in its contents late into the night.