Muria didn't linger long with his two elders. He felt a generational gap between them, so he hastily ended the conversation, eagerly requesting that they notify his wife and his three beloved daughters to come up and reunite with him.
"Muria, have you ascended to Epic?" Mikaela quickly arrived from beyond the world after receiving the message. Seeing her husband, whom she hadn't seen for a century, she felt the faint pressure emanating from him.
"Yes, I've successfully ascended to Epic!" Muria released his control over his power for a moment, and streams of lightning crackled around him while faint sparks floated off his body.
Elemental sprites with rudimentary instincts appeared around him, flitting about.
"All-Spirit Physique!" Mikaela's eyes gleamed at the sight. She had learned about the traits of an Epic from her grandfather's teachings.
"Although, your All-Spirit Physique is still a far cry from my grandfather's. His power produces sprites that can actually communicate with me."
"I've only just broken through. This takes time to build up, no rush!" Muria pulled Mikaela close, smiling as he playfully held his still-youthful-looking wife's chin.
"So, when do you think you'll reach the peak of Legend and join me on these adventures?"
"Soon. My strength is nearing the limits of my bloodline. When I can no longer advance, it'll be my time to enter the Void."
"Then, let's reincarnate together when that time comes!"
"We'll see. If we're fated to meet in our next lives, we'll go together," Mikaela replied nonchalantly. "There's no need to force it."
"Oh, but there is!" Muria gazed intently into her platinum-colored eyes. "No matter how many lives you reincarnate into, you can only ever have one husband—me!"
"Is that it?" Mikaela burst out laughing. "Really? For an Epic, you have such a small mind to get hung up on something like that!"
"Hahaha! Mika, my mind is vast enough to encompass mountains and rivers. But in another way, it's so narrow that it can only fit you. So narrow that I can't tolerate any non-blood-related male getting close to you—even in your reincarnated forms!"
"You're overthinking it, Muria. These concerns of yours are honestly a little silly," Mikaela said, rolling her eyes.
"So, wait for me, or I'll wait here for you!" Muria held her hand, his gaze firm.
"Fine, fine! You go on ahead," Mikaela sighed, slipping from his embrace as their three daughters arrived.
"Father!"
"Dad!"
"Papa!"
Three lively voices sounded behind Muria. He turned to see three beautiful young women, each with their own unique temperament.
"You're all grown up!" Muria's face showed a mix of pride and a twinge of regret. He remembered when his daughters were just little girls, and now, they'd all grown up in his absence.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here for the most important years of your lives," he said sincerely, feeling a pang of guilt.
"No worries, Dad! We've been much more comfortable since you left!" His second daughter, Tiffany, replied bluntly.
"Don't say that!" Gladys, her elder sister, delivered a light smack to Tiffany's head. Though it was true, she knew better than to say it to their father's face.
"Ouch!" Tiffany clutched her head in a practiced motion, showing that she'd clearly been on the receiving end of similar "reminders" over the years.
"Heh!" Muria chuckled. "Tiffany, it looks like you've had plenty of fun without my oversight. In that case, I won't go easy on you this time."
Before leaving, I'll assign you all enough work to keep you busy until I return. I'll be checking your progress when I get back!"
Tiffany's jaw dropped, and she asked in a small voice, "What…what if we don't finish it, Dad? What will you do?"
"Guess," Muria replied with a cheerful smile.
As time passed, Muria chatted with his daughters, and eventually, his son Aeolos joined them as well.
With Aeolos, now radiating the aura of a ruler, Muria kept things brief, asking him about his training, family matters, and the state of the empire.
Half a day later, after spending time with his children, Muria stood contentedly on top of a pyramid.
"Muria, your parents left for the new world ten years ahead of you. In a total reset, ten years will only be enough for them to establish a foothold in that world. So, don't expect any help from them. When you descend, you'll be on your own. So, let's hope you don't have terrible luck."
Seeing Muria prepared, Demos, who was overseeing the ritual, offered some additional information.
"Bad luck? What's the worst that could happen?" Muria asked with curiosity. During his first descent, he'd ended up as a primitive, but in a safe environment, giving him time to adjust and develop.
"You know the drill. You'll be in an infant form at your most vulnerable, with little means of self-defense. That's why the environment matters so much, and it's largely up to chance. The worst-case scenario is that you reincarnate only to have your new body destroyed immediately. Then you'd have to start all over."
"I see," Muria nodded thoughtfully, a hint of worry crossing his face. His luck was never stellar, often below average. On a five-question quiz with two choices per question, he'd only guess one or two right.
But on his first descent, he'd had an unusually good start. Following the law of luck conservation, this time, he might have a less favorable beginning.
However, his parents had already spent ten years preparing in this world. As long as he wasn't catastrophically unlucky, things shouldn't go too badly.
"All set, then!"
As the pyramid under Muria's feet lit up layer by layer, a soft energy enveloped the entire structure. A pillar of light shot up from its peak, carrying Muria's body as it tore through the Void and disappeared.
…
In a vast, bustling cluster of worlds, a pillar of radiant light pierced the Void and descended into a world glowing brilliantly.
As the beam of light broke through the world's barrier, the energy within it quickly dissipated. The being traveling within sealed his power to merge with the world, avoiding detection by its world spirit.
…
In a luxurious mansion, a blonde girl with black eyes sensed something and stepped onto the balcony, gazing up at the night sky. There, she saw a golden shooting star falling straight toward the ground.
However, the meteor seemed too small and, as it descended, burned up in the atmosphere before it could touch down.
"Finally here!" The blonde girl smiled, a playful look appearing on her face. "I hope you don't take after your dad in terms of luck. You'd better be reborn with some talent, or it'll be troublesome for me."
After speaking, she glanced toward a small, worn two-story house across the street from her luxurious villa. The stark contrast between the two residences underscored the difference in wealth between the two families.
In the backyard of the rundown house, a black-haired boy, about the same age as the blonde girl, was exercising shirtless, his body drenched in sweat that dripped onto the ground below him, forming a wet patch amid the dry dirt.
Around him, old but sturdy workout equipment lay neatly arranged, and he held a pair of weights far too heavy for his size.
The boy paused in his training, looking up at the sky, catching the last glimmer of the golden meteor as it faded. Just as he was about to make a comment, an angry voice sounded behind him.
"Ayn! Didn't I tell you to stop playing with Miss Sarina next door?"
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