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He squinted and leaned closer, noticing the faint forms of the Hydra\'s three heads within the heart, writhing as though trapped in some eternal torment.

Ding!

A notification window appeared, breaking the tense silence.

[Heart of Calamity (Artifact): The first person to interact with this artifact will be trapped inside. The second person to touch it will become its master.]

[There are many more perks to it, but that is all that can be revealed to you.]

Alex frowned, his eyes darting between the artifact and the notification. "Trapped inside, huh? That explains the Hydra..."

The warning was clear, but there wasn\'t much choice.

The cave was sealed, the artifact his only means of progress.

The quest couldn\'t be completed without taking it either.

He let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Here goes nothing."

Slowly, Alex reached out, his fingers trembling as they neared the artifact.

The moment his hand made contact, reality itself seemed to shift.

The air turned heavy, and a searing pain shot through his arm.

"Argh!" he winced, instinctively trying to pull away, but his hand remained stuck to the artifact.

It felt like fire coursing through his veins, yet oddly, no damage notifications appeared.

Instead, another message popped up:

[Your soul has been strengthened by the "Heart of Calamity."]

And then, the artifact vanished.

Its crimson glow dissipated into Alex\'s body, leaving behind an eerie silence in the chamber.

"Huh," Alex muttered, flexing his fingers. The pain was gone, replaced by a strange warmth that radiated from within.

For a moment, he simply sat there, digesting what had just happened.

He glanced at the empty space where the artifact once lay. "So… it\'s inside me now?"

Shaking his head, he stood up and opened the World Map.

Selecting [Arceus\' Tower], he activated the teleport function.

The chamber faded away, replaced by the familiar walls and glowing runes of Arceus\' sanctuary.

The towering mage himself stood in the center of the room, his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

His piercing eyes immediately narrowed on Alex.

"What the hell?" Arceus said, shocked, "How the hell are you alive, there was about a legitimate tier 7 monster in there!"

Trying to recruit someone as a student was a hassle, so Arceus gave him a quest he thought would be impossible.

After the initial days, Arceus even believed the kid was already dead or abandoned.

"Where\'s the heart?"

Alex scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, about that—"

Before he could finish, Arceus\' gaze sharpened, and his aura flared. "You absorbed the Heart of Calamity, didn\'t you?"

Alex nodded. "I didn\'t have a choice. The Hydra was going to kill me, and I couldn\'t exactly leave it there, could I?"

For a long moment, Arceus stared at him, his expression unreadable.

Then, to Alex\'s surprise, a small smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Foolish, reckless... but undeniably impressive," Arceus admitted. "You\'ve done something no mortal should be capable of. That artifact should have obliterated you."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "So… you\'re not mad?"

"Oh, I\'m furious," Arceus snapped, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "But I\'d be a greater fool than you to let such potential go to waste."

A new notification appeared:

Ding!

[You have completed the SSS-Level Grand Mage Hidden Quest, "Become Arceus\' Student"!]

[You have received the "Arceus Student Title"!]

\'LET\'S GO!\'

With a Grand Mage as a teacher, learning Forbidden Spells and more would be entirely possible!

Alex could have never imagined in his past life he could grow strong enough to be recognized as "worthy" by a Grand Mage.

Before Alex could respond, a chime from his interface drew his attention.

Messages from Alice flooded his inbox.

[StarPillow: Where are you?!]

[StarPillow: It\'s been two days, Alex. Answer me!]

[StarPillow: I swear, if you\'re dead, I\'ll kill you myself.]

[FateBreaker: Alive, just login into the account and I\'ll teleport you.]

Without even giving him an answer, Alice connected into the game less than three minutes later, appearing on his [World Map] as a small dot in the [Fox Tribe Village].

"Wait a few seconds," he begged Arceus, and the Grand Mage groaned, "I\'ll be back."

Alex instantly teleported to the [Fox Tribe Village], and grabbed Alice before she could even say hello to him.

Then he used his [World Map] again to teleport them back.

In a flash of light, Alice appeared in the chamber too, her eyes widening as she looked around confused.

"H-Huh?" she mumbled, "Where the hell are we?!"

As Arceus saw the newcomer, he simply groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Another one? Boy, this is a grand mage\'s sanctuary, not a reunion spot for adventurers!"

"Relax," Alex said, waving him off. "She\'s not a mage."

"Damn right she\'s not," Arceus scoffed, "I only took you in because of your exceptional results in that little test of mine."

The tension in the room was palpable, but Arceus finally relented with a sigh.

"Fine. You\'re my student now, and I don\'t go back on my word. But if you\'re going to be worth my time, we need to get you stronger. Far stronger."

He raised a hand, snapping his fingers.

Snap!

A shimmering golden portal appeared behind him, its surface swirling with arcane energy.

"Artemis," he called.

From the portal stepped a striking figure—a two-winged angel clad in golden armor, his presence radiating authority and power.

He knelt before Arceus, his voice calm and unwavering. "Yes, Master?"

Arceus gestured toward Alex with a lazy wave. "This one. Take him to the [Double Experience Zone]. Make sure he trains properly. Kill him once or twice if he slacks off."

Artemis glanced at Alex, his piercing gaze unnerving him. "Understood, Master."

Before Alex could protest, Artemis grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Wait, what about—" Alex started, but his words were cut off as Artemis reached for Alice as well, pulling her through the portal with them.

Arceus watched them disappear, a rare smirk crossing his face. "Let\'s see how long you last, boy."

On the other side of the portal, Alex stumbled as they arrived in a vast, open field bathed in golden light.

The air here felt heavier, charged with energy.

Alice dusted herself off, glaring at Artemis. "Hey, a little warning next time?"

Artemis ignored her, turning to Alex. "You\'re in the Angel Territory now, I truly advise you to keep it down, angels aren\'t nice beings."