Just call me Thor

Chapter 569: One month



"Wake up. Don't sleep."

Mike's eyelids twitched.

There's killing intent!

His instincts screamed danger, and in an instant, Mike snapped awake.

He never expected that this visit to Apollo would lead to an encounter with not one, but three Supreme Beings!

Carefully scanning the room, Mike's gaze finally landed on Apollo.

Apollo sat calmly in his chair, unmoving.

"He wants to see you."

The one who truly wanted to meet Mike was Morpheus.

Mike turned to his right, forcing his heavy eyelids to stay open.

"Sorry, I can't seem to control it."

The middle-aged man with a faint, ethereal face smiled apologetically.

"It's fine..."

Mike quickly waved his hand, then cautiously asked, "Big brother... I mean, is this our second time meeting?"

"Third."

Above Morpheus's phantom floated a small white cloud.

Even indoors, the cloud followed him.

Noticing Mike's curiosity, Morpheus explained, "This cloud helps me restrain my dissipating power, allowing me to stay longer."

So that's how it was.

Mike understood that for Morpheus to manifest like this, it must come at a cost.

This wasn't the time for idle chatter.

Mike decided to get straight to the point.

"You wanted to see me for something?"

"Yes."

Morpheus nodded.

"I have a question for you. But before that, you can ask me one question."

This stumped Mike.

If Morpheus had a question for him, why not just ask it directly?

Why insist on letting Mike ask first?

Was Mike supposed to ask, "What's the question you want to ask me?"

Opportunities to ask Morpheus a question were rare, and Mike wanted to make the most of it.

After thinking it over, he decided to ask something he'd always been curious about.

"You're such a gentle person. Why do you have... that kind of catchphrase?"

By "that kind," Mike was, of course, referring to:

"Tell me, do you dare to face your nightmares?"

At first glance, the phrase didn't seem like much.

But the more one thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

The deeper one understood Morpheus's power, the more fearsome those words felt.

Many enemies who had faced Morpheus would crumble the moment they heard that phrase.

It was a testament to the psychological scars Morpheus had left on them.

Mike was genuinely curious.

Whether as Nathan or Morpheus, the impression he gave Mike was always one of warmth and kindness.

The moment Mike asked his question, the Supreme Beings in the room all laughed.

Morpheus's laugh was one of helplessness.

Ares laughed as if he were watching a good show.

As for Apollo... he laughed without knowing why.

Then, realizing he didn't know why he was laughing, Apollo stopped and began pondering the

reason.

He got distracted.

Fortunately, Mike didn't have to wait long.

Morpheus smiled and gave his answer.

"The effect of Dream Come True can be simply understood as making someone's dreams come true.

But there's a catch-or perhaps you could call it a side effect."

Morpheus explained, "If someone has nightmares or unresolved fears, Dream Come True can turn those nightmares into reality.

That phrase? I originally meant it as a kind gesture-to ask before using my ability, in case they had nightmares.

Who knew it would end up like this..."

Mike: ...

The explanation was both unexpected and perfectly in character.

Nathan was still the same kind-hearted Morpheus, unchanged in the slightest.

If one ignored Morpheus's reputation, the phrase could even be seen as a warm and

considerate question!

"I've asked my question."

Mike turned to Morpheus, waiting for him to ask his.

This, Mike thought, must be the reason why four Supreme Beings had gathered here today.

"This question... I actually had Apollo ask you once before."

Morpheus spoke slowly.

"Do you want to become a Supreme Being?"

So that was it...

Mike's eyelids drooped slightly as he fell into silence.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Morpheus waited for an answer.

Apollo... was still distracted.

Seconds turned into minutes.

Finally, Morpheus spoke softly, "It's okay if you don't have an answer yet. Take your time.

When you're ready, you can come to the Forest of Truth to find-"

Before he could finish, Mike, who had been silent until now, stirred.

"I don't want to die for the sake of the world."

Mike's voice echoed through the 99th floor.

The three Supreme Beings in the room showed no surprise at his answer.

Nathan, for one, had no reason to judge.

Though he had died, it wasn't because he wanted to.

For this younger generation, Nathan felt more admiration than anything else.

In fact, both Nathan and Shadow Nine held Mike in high regard.

Ares, still alive, certainly didn't want to die either.

Who in their right mind would willingly seek death?

The Fifth Demon God, maybe?

And Apollo? There was no need to even ask.

Apollo had once told Mike directly that he feared death and had no desire to die.

In other words, none of humanity's first three Supreme Beings had wanted to die.

Mike's words didn't strike them as odd in the slightest.

In fact, they felt the same way.

It was only human nature.

Mike stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the beautiful scenery.

Clenching his fist slightly, he stood bathed in starlight, as if he were the dawn's first light.

He repeated himself.

"I don't want to die for the sake of the world."

His gaze firm, he looked out at the horizon and spoke, word by word:

"I want the world to live."

===

When Mike turned back, Morpheus and Ares were already gone.

The 99th floor was now empty, save for him and Apollo.

Apollo was still lost in thought, staring off into the void.

Mike scratched his head, feeling that his earlier declaration had been pretty cool.

It was a shame he hadn't dared to pull out his camera in front of three Supreme Beings.

Resigned, he returned to his chair and sat down.

"Yawn-"

Sleepiness crept over him.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Ever since entering the Void Maelstrom, Mike hadn't had a moment's rest.

The fusion of the Greed Source and the Calamity Source had sounded simple in theory, but in

practice, it was an exhausting and intricate process that drained his mental energy. Glancing at Apollo, who was still zoning out, Mike figured it wouldn't hurt to close his eyes

for a moment.

His head drooped slightly, swaying gently as he drifted off. When Mike opened his eyes again, the sky outside had turned dark.

He was still seated on the 99th floor, and Apollo was still lost in thought across from him.

Mike began to consider his next steps.

Before he could come to a decision, Apollo's gaze shifted toward him.

Mike heard Apollo's ethereal voice echo in his ears:

"One month."

One month?

Had he just slept for a month?

Mike quickly pieced it together and asked, "Your instructor... he'll reach the summit in one

month?"

That seemed like the most logical explanation.

Apollo nodded.

"Correct."

Once Shadow Nine reached the summit and reclaimed Dream Come True, the tunnel Shadow

Three had been digging would finally connect, allowing Shadow Nine and his companions to

escape.

After that, the ultimate battle between Apollo and the Supreme Demon God would be

inevitable.

The thought weighed heavily on Mike's mind.

In other words, this one month was the final countdown.

Mike began calculating in his head what he could accomplish in this limited time.

He needed to grow stronger-there was no question about that.

Apollo's lingering issues needed to be resolved.

Ares's injuries also had to be addressed as soon as possible.

If Apollo said Ares was still alive, then he was alive.

But after that... who could say?

Mike had a feeling that this month would be busier than the past eighteen years of his life

combined.

Most importantly, when the inevitable battle came, what could Mike do?

Cheer for Apollo from the sidelines?

That didn't seem necessary.

Mike fell into deep thought.

This time, he didn't ask Apollo or consult the Eye of Truth. Instead, he pondered on his own

what he could contribute.

"Go back."

Apollo's voice broke the silence.

Mike stood up, ready to leave.

"You forgot something."

Apollo pointed to the table, where Mike's gift still sat.

Mike paused, then quickly understood.

With a casual gesture, Apollo transformed the gift into gold, which floated in front of Mike.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mike: ...

The last time he had brought out the Money Tree, Apollo had also upgraded it for him.

In Apollo's eyes, Thor was clearly expected to do the same this time.

Holding the golden gift, Mike left the 99th floor in a daze.

One careless step later, he fell straight down.

Boom-

A shadow plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground and leaving a human-shaped

crater.

Climbing out of the pit, Mike noticed two people waiting nearby.

"Boss!"

Michael stood obediently at the edge of the crater.

His aura had clearly crossed into the Lord threshold, though it was still unstable and needed

time to solidify.

Michael was a rare talent-and incredibly lucky.

Most importantly, he was a living, breathing human.

Thanks to Dream Come True and Apollo's intervention, Michael had been transformed from a

shadow into a real person.

In some ways, he had even surpassed Shadow Nine.

After all, Michael could enter the Tower of Truth, whereas Shadow Nine could not.

If Shadow Nine ever wanted to become a Supreme Being, he would have to undergo the same

transformation as Michael.

Seeing Michael reminded Mike of something from the past.

He had once read through Terenas's files in the archives.

There was a particular quote from Terenas's son that had stuck with Mike, though it had

always felt a bit off.

Looking back now, the quote was likely:

"Why have I only ever seen Lords and Ultimate Lords die in battle, but never a Supreme

Being?"

That question had struck a nerve with Terenas.

At the time, Terenas was at the lowest point in his life. His instructor had died, the Blood Sea

Corps was on the verge of collapse, and he himself was gravely injured, barely clinging to life.

But when Terenas learned the truth about Morpheus, he broke down again.

Humanity did have a Supreme Being who had died in battle.

This revelation explained Terenas's repeated betrayals. Michael undoubtedly knew about this, but he didn't dare speak of it.

Standing by the crater, Michael offered a sheepish smile.

Despite everything, he had seen his fair share of the world. He had fought alongside

humanity's fourth potential Supreme Being, and his future was bright.

Beside Michael stood Foreskin.

Without Foreskin, Michael wouldn't have been able to enter the Forest of Truth.

Mike first turned to Foreskin and said something cryptic:

"One month."

Foreskin nodded and left without a word.

Everything was understood without needing to be said.

Turning back to Michael, Mike seemed to be deep in thought. "You've been doing well lately. The Fifth Demon God is probably truly insane, so don't go

back for now."

The Fifth Demon God had left the Void Maelstrom in a deranged state, his mind completely

shattered.

Forcing Michael to return would be sending him to his death.

"Thank you, boss."

Michael reported quietly, "My leader-I mean, the Fifth Demon God-is currently missing.

The Fifth Abyss has fully withdrawn, and the demon creatures are no longer engaging with humanity's corps..."

Mike listened briefly but didn't pay much attention.

Without the Supreme Demon God, humanity's current strength was enough to crush the abyss

ten times over.

The abyss was no longer a significant threat.

The more sensible Demon Gods were behaving themselves.

As for the less sensible ones, Mike didn't need to overthink it.

He could simply pay them a visit with the Thunderclap Hammer. If they were willing to talk,

they'd talk. If not, they'd fight.

With his current strength, Mike had the confidence and ability to easily kill those Demon

Gods.

Climbing out of the crater, Mike said casually, "For now, stick with me."

He still needed someone to handle errands and deal with matters like the Guardian Shadow

and the abyss.

Mike himself needed to focus his energy on the Supreme Demon God.

"Boss, there's one more thing."

Michael, looking mysterious, pulled something out of his inventory.

A golden tree appeared on his shoulder, shimmering brilliantly.

Michael, eager to show off, said proudly, "Boss, I picked up your Golden Tree for you!"

Mike: ...