Chapter 40: Apocalypse Arrives!

Finding out what he needed to break through the second circle, time soon passed.

One day, two days, three days.

For a while, Ethan seemed to have gone back to the way he had just been reborn, reading all kinds of novels, myths, and stories to help him understand mana more.

In his free time, he would learn martial arts skills from Elena, medical skills from the family doctor, and all other skills he could get his hands on.

On the side, he would spend some time with Victoria and the kids of the orphanage, trying to get closer to them to win over the future S-class.

Doing all this, the time had come, and it was only a few hours till the new year began.

"Hey brother, have you still not found the answer? Every day apart from training and learning skills, you spend the whole time meditating."

"Is breaking through the second circle really that hard?"

Sitting cross-legged beside Ethan, Elena poked his cheek with a hint of boredom on her face.

If she had the opportunity, she would rather spar with him than do this dumb meditation.

Unfortunately, Ethan had chosen her to be a test subject.

By studying how his principle resonated with her when she meditated, he could figure out the last step to creating the Ethan Meditation Technique.

"Sister Elena, don’t pester Ethan too much; he probably has a lot on his mind since the apocalypse is about to start."

"He’s probably trying to get as strong as possible to avoid any accidents."

"If you’re that bored, why don’t you have some tea with me?"

Walking to where they were seated, Victoria came over with a tray full of tea and biscuits.

The apocalypse was about to start, and currently everyone had been moved to the shelter.

The mercenaries, the family, even Victoria and the whole orphanage had been living in the shelter for about a week now.

According to estimates, there were a total of 500 current residents with enough food to last them decades.

Not only that, but to keep people entertained, Ethan had ordered the collection of all kinds of games, movies, and toys in the meantime.

Now sitting at the entrance of the shelter, the three of them came to watch the countdown as the world entered a new era.

"Haha, Victoria, it’s fine. Elena is always like that; don’t think too much about it."

"But Elena, to be honest, breaking through the second circle is not that hard. If we were to use percentages, I would be about 99 percent there."

"The only thing I lack is that one percent to complete it. Same with the meditation technique I’m creating."

"I’m only a stone’s throw away from reaching completion!"

His eyes shining bright, there was one thing Ethan didn’t say:

And that was his intuition telling him that only by observing the moment the world changed could he find that information.

It was why he had arrived so early to watch the change, so in case the apocalypse arrived early, he wouldn’t miss it.

"Tch... well, hurry up and get stronger, so I can get stronger too."

"Plus, who knows, if the apocalypse comes and I awaken an ability, I might be strong enough to defeat you."

"Haha, be ready, brother! When that time comes, I won’t take no for an answer!" Elena laughed.

Together, the three of them began to talk about what they thought the future was going to be like for them.

What kind of monsters would they face? How strong would they be?

Even Ethan, who knew, remained silent as he let the two girls discuss, only stepping in from time to time to leave a comment.

Different from the two of them, his mind was somewhere else.

’By now, Grandpa should have given the orders, and the soldiers and guards have begun taking positions.’

’Although we managed to build a wall all around the shelter during these past two weeks, it won’t be enough.’

’A single C-class monster should easily be able to tear it down.’

’My only hope now is that with the watchtowers we built at each corner, we should be able to see any monsters that come from far.’

Recalling the current state of the shelter, Ethan could only sigh at the power of money.

In less than a month since he gave the command:

Four watchtowers, dozens of small bungalows, as well as a fully renovated air-raid shelter with various rooms, heating system, waste disposal system, electrical, and ventilation systems were built.

According to Ethan’s design, everyone would live on the ground, only moving into the shelter in case of an emergency.

’However, speaking of the apocalypse, when it comes, I’m guessing everyone else should awaken a system.’

’At that time, I won’t be the only one with a system.’

Sighing slightly, he called up his system panel to take one last look at his properties before the apocalypse began.

[Name: Ethan Smith]

[Title: The First Mage]

[Age: 23]

[Race: Human]

[Evolution Rank: F]

[Mage Rank: 1st-circle apprentice Mage]

[Strength: 120 | Agility: 120 | Vitality: 120 | Spirit: 125]

[Evolution Energy: 0/100]

[Abilities: Max Level Comprehension, 10,000X Feedback]

[Skills: Basic Gun Handling and Control (Grandmaster Level), Low-Level Body Strengthening Spell, Low-Level Illusion Spell, Martial Arts (Grandmaster), Hunting (Master), Medical Skills (Master), Acrobatics (Expert)...]

[Items: Map of Safety (x1)]

Looking at all the skills he had managed to learn in his free time, Ethan couldn’t help but sigh at the power that was Max Level Comprehension.

’It’s a pity that only Elena’s skills were enough to rank as a grandmaster; the others were expert or master.’

’But then again, Elena is called a once-in-a-lifetime talent, so it’s not surprising.’

Talking to himself, he looked at his sister and Victoria, who were busy laughing and drinking tea.

Four more hours until the apocalypse started. In this life, Ethan swore he wasn’t going to lose anyone anymore!

With this in mind, he took out an Item from the system he hadn’t used since he got it.

The Map of Safety!