"Master, which law should I learn?" Nova asked, her voice, usually so full of calm authority, now held a note of genuine curiosity. As a being of Space, Time, Strength, and Defense, she had many paths to godhood, and she looked to her creator for guidance.
Sunny offered a calm, knowing smile from behind his mask. "Just follow your heart, Nova. That is a path only you can choose." He turned his gaze to Isiah, who was still basking in the purpose of his new grand duty. "Since I couldn’t grant your last wish, let me modify it a bit."
With a wave of his hand, a new talent formed in the deepest part of Isiah’s being.
[Talent Name: Learning Teacher]
[Grade: SS]
[Description: The more knowledge you possess on a subject, the easier it becomes for you to learn its practical application. You can also teach this practical knowledge to others at a thousand times the normal learning speed.]
Isiah bowed with a heartfelt gesture, the gap between his theoretical knowledge and practical ability now bridged. He was about to return to the line, but Sunny stopped him. "Isiah, do you know what a seer is best at?"
The ancient demigod pondered for a moment. "Knowledge," he replied.
"You are right, but also wrong," Sunny said, a glint in his cosmic eyes. "A Seer is best at knowledge, yes, but specifically, knowledge of the future." This had been his original vision for Isiah, a plan he’d put aside when his pockets were not so deep. Now, however, things were different.
Sunny waved his hand again, and another, even more profound talent etched itself into Isiah’s soul.
[Talent Name: Oracle]
[Grade: SS]
[Description: Allows you to see glimpses of the future, focusing on opportunities, dangers, or the fate of someone you wish to observe.]
Isiah beamed with a happiness that seemed to light up his entire ethereal form. He didn’t know why, but he had always been drawn to the art of fortune-telling, a subject he had studied endlessly in his library. Now, his master had bestowed upon him the very talent he had yearned for. He started to kneel, but a simple, gentle wave of power from Sunny lifted him back up.
"Stop kneeling every time I do something," Sunny joked. "It’s not good for the back." He gestured to the line. "Next."
The next to step forward was the hulking, menacing form of Cerberus. He asked for a talent that no one, not even Sunny, had considered. "Master," the hound of hell rumbled, his voice a chorus of deep growls, "can I get a talent to copy all the talents of a soul that arrives in my realm?"
"I can try," Sunny mused, "but that sounds like an SSS-Grade ability. It will likely need some restrictions, like a cooldown or a condition like I used for Mammon’s talent."
As Sunny began to focus his will, channeling the faith to etch the new talent, his intuition suddenly rang with a sharp warning. He paused, instantly changing the very nature of the talent he was creating. This intuition is really something, he thought. Previously, I didn’t have the time to act on it. Now, it can probably save me mountains of faith in the future.
He completed the act, and Cerberus felt the new power settle within him.
[Talent Name: Talent Harvester]
[Grade: SS]
[Description: As the Guardian of the Netherworld, all souls must pay a toll of something they own for you to house them.]
The description was simple, but its usefulness was immense. What could a disembodied soul possibly own? Its talents. In short, every wicked soul entering the Netherworld would now have to surrender one or more of their abilities to Cerberus as payment. A small, cruel smile etched itself onto Cerberus’s hound-like face. He glanced over at Mammon, who was still the strongest demigod, and licked his lips as if seeing his next meal.
Mammon felt a sudden chill run down his spine. "Brother Cerberus, don’t eat me. I am not tasty," he laughed nervously. A silent competition had just begun.
"Alright, alright, stop your talks," Sunny said, bringing the focus back. "Who is next?"
Sugata, the demigod of peace, walked forward, his hands clasped, prayer beads wrapped around his wrists. "Master, I wish for a talent to bless my beads with the talents that I possess. I tried to use the standard Blessing talent, but it does not work on inanimate objects." His goal was simple; he needed to be in Heaven, Hell, and Veridia, and this talent would allow his blessed beads to act as his proxies, warding off evil in his absence.
Why are they all trying to become even lazier than they usually are? Sunny screamed internally, though his outward expression remained calm. "Good thinking," he said, and with another flick of his wrist, etched the talent into Sugata’s being.
The next demigod was Thea. "I was going to wish for you to modify my Thought Sharing and remove the faith cost," she began, "but I surmise my vessel would not be able to handle such an SSS-Grade power."
"True," Sunny agreed. "So, what else do you have in mind?"
"Master, my Replication talent requires a God to first give me faith to create particles. Can you change it so that I can use ambient mana to replicate myself?" Thea asked, her mind already running simulations on the advantages of such a change.
"Granted," Sunny said. With a single word, Thea’s talent was modified, a change she had wished for since her creation.
"Nova, do you need something too?" Sunny asked, turning to the last of his major demigods.
The great dragon, in her humanoid form, shook her head, her gaze filled with unwavering loyalty. "Master, I already have Absolute Defense and Absolute Strength, along with the laws of Time and Space. I am already very strong. I don’t think I need anything else."
"Still, you should take something," Sunny insisted, unable to leave his eldest out. "What do you think of the Dragon Words talent?"