Chapter 289

"Are you considering joining the group?"

"I advise you to think twice. That Audrey claims to have been blessed by the God of Light, Baldr, but she has no proof to back it up."

"I suspect she's simply using the god's name to benefit herself!"

Sarah, unable to suppress her disdain, voiced her suspicions as she addressed the two individuals approaching her.

Her words left them momentarily stunned.

"Audrey wasn't blessed?"

"Is it fake?"

"But I heard some people say they saw the miracle happen with their own eyes!"

Sarah gave them a condescending look.

"Maybe they were in on it," she said smugly.

Her words planted seeds of doubt.

"What if Audrey really is exploiting the god's name for personal gain?"

Hesitation crept into their minds as they began second-guessing their decision to join the group.

Noticing their wavering, Sarah smirked, feeling vindicated.

"Hmph! Audrey tried to deceive us, so it's only fair we expose her lies. Consider it her punishment!"

Her companions, Martin and Mauro, hesitated briefly but ultimately nodded in agreement, seeing merit in her actions.

Together, the trio stationed themselves nearby, intercepting and discouraging potential recruits.

Word of their actions quickly reached Arn and Audrey.

"Those three!" Arn fumed, his anger barely contained.

Audrey's expression darkened, her mood equally sour.

"Let's go see what's happening," she said.

Arn nodded, following Audrey outside.

Before long, they spotted Sarah and her companions surrounded by a crowd.

Among the gathering of 20 to 30 people were current members of the group and curious onlookers contemplating joining.

"Audrey is here!"

All eyes turned to the approaching pair.

A short, middle-aged man named Fausto, one of the group members, hesitantly spoke up.

"Audrey, they've been saying…"

The crowd's attention focused squarely on Audrey, scrutinizing her for any reaction or explanation.

Sarah and her companions watched with smug anticipation, eager to see how she would defend herself.

Instead of answering, Audrey's response came in the form of action.

A radiant, holy light emanated from her body, bathing her in an aura of divinity.

The crowd froze, their gazes locked on the ethereal glow.

Audrey seized the moment.

"Just moments ago, the great Lord Baldr blessed me again, granting me the power to wield light."

To demonstrate, she manipulated the radiant energy surrounding her, releasing a beam that left a small crater in the ground.

The crowd stared in stunned silence.

Sarah and her companions were equally dumbfounded.

"She was blessed again by Lord Baldr?"

"The power to wield light?"

The crowd's initial skepticism turned to awe, their faces now brimming with envy and regret.

"If only we hadn't doubted," some thought. "Perhaps we could have been blessed too…"

Meanwhile, Sarah and her group struggled to reconcile what they were seeing.

"Is this really divine power?"

Even as they tried to convince themselves it was merely Audrey's mutant ability, the glow and its divine resonance made their denial difficult to maintain.

"This has to be a trick," Sarah muttered.

But this time, her words carried no weight.

Minutes later, Arn and other members of the group escorted Sarah, Martin, and Mauro away, their expressions twisted with bitterness and frustration.

With Audrey now wielding light, many of those previously hesitant to join eagerly committed.

Some even began recruiting friends, hoping they too might receive a divine blessing.

From afar, Syd observed the results of his blessings.

The steady influx of faith energy confirmed his success, though he paid little mind to the specifics of Audrey's interactions.

Faith energy continued to flow into his Divine Core.

[Divine Core Experience +1]

[Divine Core Experience +1]

As Syd absorbed faith energy, he also resumed training Sunshine, steadily increasing its experience points.

By the next morning, a notification finally appeared.

[Divine Core Experience +1]

[Skill: Divine Core (0/500) Level 2]

"Finally leveled up!" Syd's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

He immediately sensed changes within his Divine Core. Its structure expanded to a dazzling twenty-seven facets.

Gazing inward, Syd couldn't help but wonder, "How much stronger is the amplification now?"

Testing his abilities, he summoned the crimson glow of Chaos Magic.

To his amazement, the strength of the magic had increased by a full 40%.

"This…"

The magnitude of the enhancement left him momentarily speechless.

Next, he tested his flight capabilities.

Boom!

The sonic boom resonated as he seemed to teleport across the horizon.

Calculating the data, he confirmed:

Mach 26.

At 26 times the speed of sound, he had surpassed the flight speed of nearly all known missiles.

The sheer scale of his improvement brought a satisfied smile to Syd's face.

"At this rate, another level in the Divine Core, and no missile on Earth will be able to keep up with me."

(End of Chapter)

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