A flash of light burst from the box, and the scenery around him instantly changed.
Malrik stood stunned, staring at the unfamiliar place he had just arrived in.
This was clearly the peak of a mountain—an extremely high one—so high that he couldn't even see what lay below, only endless clouds.
What was even stranger was the landscape itself. It felt otherworldly, like something out of a celestial paradise. The feeling it gave off was indescribable—Malrik didn't even know how to put it into words.
Suddenly, he saw a child with blue hair sitting cross-legged on a rock with eyes closed. Then, a series of unbelievable things happened.
The child quickly transformed—first into a teenager, then a young man, then a middle-aged man, and finally into an old man.
The old man opened his eyes and looked straight at Malrik.
"Which form do you prefer I use to speak with you?"
Fortunately, Malrik wasn't easily rattled. Though the scene was shocking, he didn't freeze up.
Instead, he casually sat down on a spot near the old man and looked at him curiously.
"What exactly are you?"
"I am a god. More precisely, I'm a divine beast—Kunpeng. Never thought I'd get this lucky. Things have barely started, and someone has already stumbled upon me. I must say, I've had much better luck than most others," Kunpeng said with a bright laugh, clearly in high spirits.
"Kunpeng? Never heard of you," Malrik said with a frown.
Since the other party didn't seem hostile, he didn't mind speaking frankly.
It'd be laughable for a god to get offended by a mortal's bluntness—surely something like that wouldn't happen.
"It's normal that you haven't. I'm a god from a different mythology. No need for you to understand—it doesn't really matter anyway," Kunpeng replied.
Malrik nodded. He figured it wasn't all that important either. He was just a little curious, that's all.
"So why am I here?"
"Didn't you just open that mysterious box?" Kunpeng said.
"You happened to draw my divine skill, so of course you had to come meet me."
Hearing that, Malrik didn't feel particularly lucky at all.
"Divine skill" sounded impressive, but how was he supposed to use it? He was still just a normal person—using it would be the real miracle.
"Can I exchange it for something else? Even if you give it to me now, I have no way to use it." Malrik said.
If Kunpeng weren't a god, his eyes would've already gone wide in disbelief.
No matter how he tried to make sense of it, he couldn't have imagined that the first person to ever obtain his divine skill… didn't even want it.
"Think it over. My divine skill is really useful, you know. Ordinary skills don't even come close!" Kunpeng urged, clearly taking this matter seriously.
If a mere mortal outright rejected his divine skill, his reputation across all five mythological realms would be completely destroyed—tossed into the trash.
"But I really can't use it. I'm just an ordinary person," Malrik replied with a shake of his head.
He wasn't stupid. He understood that matter and energy didn't just appear out of nowhere.
As a mortal, what could he possibly use to activate a divine skill? His own life force? If that was the case, then he'd rather exchange it for something more practical.
"Then just level up!" Kunpeng said.
What was so hard about a mortal leveling up? Sure, later stages might be tough, but Kunpeng didn't think the first tier was any problem at all.
Malrik's eyes lit up. From what Kunpeng just said, it sounded like he really could evolve beyond an ordinary human.
"Kunpeng, forget the divine skill. Just give me a way to level up."
Without hesitation, Malrik fired off words like a bomb right to Kunpeng's face.
Kunpeng nearly exploded on the spot. He'd lived for countless years and had never even thought about cursing—but right now, he wanted to curse more than anything.
Humiliation!
This was, without a doubt, the most humiliating moment of his entire existence.
'Wait, it's not over yet. As long as this isn't the end, I haven't completely lost face. There's still a chance. There's still a chance…'
"Malrik, there's no need to be so hasty. Since you're the first one to find me, I'll make an exception and give you a free method to increase your strength to 1-star." Kunpeng finally said.
Strictly speaking, doing so was against the rules—definitely an act of favoritism.
But since it was such a small matter, no one would bother punishing him for it.
Besides, if a mere mortal could manage to get a god to hand out a bonus gift on their first meeting… Well, that was just proof of the man's luck and ability.
Just look at Malrik—if that wasn't guts, then what was it?
A mere mortal stared a divine skill in the face and rejected it without hesitation.
Either he had real courage… or he was completely insane.
'Heh, I was planning to exchange it, but I ended up getting a gift instead. With this as a foundation, I should be able to figure out better stuff later. And even if I can't figure anything out, at least now I can actually use the divine skill.' Malrik thought to himself.
Immediately, he bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
"Thank you. I really was planning to trade it away, but I didn't expect you to give it to me like this."
Although Kunpeng could tell Malrik was genuinely grateful, something about it still felt… off.
His divine skill… on the same level as a method to break through to 1-star?
Sure, right now breakthrough methods are rare, but in a few years, everyone will know them.
That kind of comparison was no different than saying his divine skill was just beginner-tier material.
"Fine, be grateful all you want, but don't go around saying my divine skill is equal to a 1-star breakthrough method. If you ever meet anyone else, you better not breathe a word of what happened today." Kunpeng muttered, covering his face.
He was certain: if today's events ever got out, his reputation would absolutely plummet to rock bottom.
"Got it. I'm not so free that I'd go around gossiping anyway," Malrik replied with a nod.
"Then go. If you get a chance to visit me again, maybe I'll give you something to eat next time." Kunpeng waved his hand.
"Goodbye." Malrik nodded and instantly vanished.
Now only Kunpeng remained on the mountaintop.
His gaze pierced through the clouds, through the very fabric of the world.
"If one day that kid becomes invincible under the heavens, and he declares, 'I owe it all to Kunpeng,' then my reputation will soar through the roof, hahaha. If that really happens, I'll be damn happy."
He smirked at the thought of such an amusing future.
Meanwhile, Malrik was already back in the hospital cafeteria—teleported once again in the blink of an eye.
"A true delivery man is never ordinary. The moment he draws a reward, it's a divine skill. You've upheld the honor of all of us delivery folks." The mysterious deliveryman chuckled as he spoke.