The World’s Current Situation

"Isn't it because it's the apocalypse already?"

If Elliot didn't sound so serious, Charlie almost wanted to have him repeat his words as if he wouldn't dare believe that he truly heard it. Elliot's answer was beyond Charlie's expectations, "Wait, huh? What's that? The apocalypse?"

Elliot suspiciously nodded at Charlie to confirm his words. He finds it odd that someone doesn't know it is already the apocalypse now, given that, as far as he knows, there is nowhere in the entire world that is safe from the onslaught of monsters.

"That can't be! Is that the reason why there isn't any mana in the atmosphere?" it seems that it was Charlie's turn to panic this time around, "What exactly do you mean by its the apocalypse?"

"Mana? What do you mean by mana?" Elliot asked back. It seems that the two of them are not on the same page at all.

"Mana, the one that governs the laws of this world!" Charlie said hysterically, "The one that allows humans to create potions, divine blades, and all that?"

"Do you mean inner qi? That can only be found in fiction novels! Are you delusional?" Elliot chortled.

'Do you have chuunibyou?'

Elliot didn't voice out that last question, though.

[Master, ask this Elliot boy if this is still Earth.]

Liam, who has been silent all these while, finally voiced out a question.

"Is this still Earth?" complying to Liam's questions, Charlie asked.

"Yes, this is still Earth," Elliot nodded in response.

[How many years of history does this Earth has?]

Even though he doesn't know where the conversation was going, Charlie still echoed Liam's words to Elliot.

"You mean, since its existence?" Elliot clarified. "If I remember correctly, the Earth's age is 4.5 billion years but history's first record of life is 4 billion years ago."

"What now?" Charlie can't help voicing out to Liam even when Elliot was there. He didn't notice Elliot's wary look on him.

Liam, on the other hand, was silently analyzing the boy's words before he replied to his master.

[Master, perhaps the cultivation era has long ended? I don't know what happened for mana to have been erased completely from the atmosphere, but it may be due to this that the cultivation era ended and a new era was ushered in.]

Charlie scratched his head in frustration.

[Moreover, perhaps the records of cultivation and mana have long been erased in the passage of time. We didn't keep track of time while we were sealed in the space so that may be what happened.]

"That's not fair! If that's true then… Four billion years! That's four billion years of human history I've missed out on! And now, even before I can enjoy the new era, it's even the apocalypse!" Charlie can't help but scream his frustration out loud.

[It may be thanks to the apocalypse coming that the seal weakened and you are able to go out, Master.]

Liam calmly analyzed the situation.

"Even if that is the case, that is still not fair!" Charlie can't help but stomp his feet angrily.

[Master, before you throw a tantrum there, it would be good to decide whether you'll explain the truth to the boy or act crazy. He's looking at you suspiciously right now.]

"Huh?" Charlie finally remembered that there's another person around him. He turned to look at the boy who had inched a bit away from him and smiled gingerly, "Well, you see.."

When Elliot saw that Charlie finally returned back to his senses, he inched a few steps away once again, afraid that Charlie will go crazy and hurt him.

"We may have a lot of things to talk about."