Prometheus looked at the General, who was nervously fiddling with his arms, small roots waving around. The five new arrivals didn't have Souls stronger than the General's, so Theo didn't know why he was so worried. The red enemy, who seemed like the leader purely by how he was acting, stepped forth and said, "Vile creatures, you dare come to our city and harm our dear citizens? You made your last mistake by doing that! Colors, get ready!"

"General, who are those?" Asked Prometheus, confused by the wacky-looking people in front of him.

"Those, Private, are the so-called 'heroes' of the city. The fact is, they are weak. Massively so. But do you know the problem about them?" Snorted the tree monster. Prometheus shook his horse-like head.

"The System loves them. So, if we kill them, we will get punished. Unless we somehow manage to get the System's favor over them. Do you boys have any idea, Private, Major?"

"I would just roast them to charcoal, honestly." Suggested the flaming snake. The General shook his head, prompting Theo to offer an idea of his own. The shapeshifter lowered his head, an idea coming into his mind. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his Hungry Toolbox back at the base, so he would have to improvise.

"Sir, could you take care of the humans? I might have a genius idea on my hands." Offered Prometheus, hoping the tree monster would accept. Espanto stroked his beard, nodding slowly. Theo opened up his back shell, giving the four injured but recovering humans to him, who held them all in one hand, creating a sphere of roots around them. Prometheus quickly transformed into a humanoid shape, hoping it would transmit his persona better. If not, he would have to endure staying in the human form for a bit. His Soul technique greatly sped up the process, letting him become a well-clothed human in less than a minute. The five silly warriors had politely waited for Prometheus to transform, gazing curiously at him. Theo was wearing a black and red suit, along with a massively big top hat. Normally, he couldn't create any human characteristics on his face, but the mustaches he grew were so bizarre that they bypassed that limitation.

Two one-meter-long thin mustaches grew from his face, reaching into his sides. With that, the perfect supervillain costume had been created. Prometheus stepped forward, hands behind his back, slowly scanning his environment. His fingers jittered from the excitement of performing in front of so many spectators, forcing him to twirl his mustache to keep his fingers in check.

The shapeshifter loudly exclaimed to the surroundings, arms opened wide, "And so, the colorful shits have finally appeared. We have waited for CENTURIES to take you out, never finding the appropriate opportunity. And look at you, all gathered nice and close for me to take you out in one fell swoop." I hope my robotic voice won't ruin my act too much. "For that, clowns, you have my deepest gratitude." Theo bowed deeply, moving his top hat on his chest. The five colorful warriors looked at each other confusedly, before the red one spoke, "Who are you?"

Prometheus laughed maniacally, straightening up, hands behind his back, "My identity is none of your business, Color Rangers. The only thing that should be on your mind is preventing me from taking over this city as its evil overlord!" A notification surprised Prometheus, causing him to stagger slightly.

The Gods are watching closely: Choose your next actions very carefully.

That's right, watch me break the standard for acting! Nodded Theo at the confirmation of the Hacker. "For that reason, you will be my first obstacle. To prove to this city that I am the most overwhelming power around here, I will obliterate the Color Rangers in a single hit, without suffering a single scratch!" The people watching the tense confrontation looked between themselves, unable to decide a proper way to react. One of them, an overweight man in his forties called out, "Hah! You will never be able to defeat the Rangers! They are our sworn Heroes!" Exclaimed the man while slapping his belly happily.

The shapeshifter pointed at the man, saying, "Bet." before sprinting at the five colored shitheads. In a millisecond, he transmitted his plan to the Major, who immediately prepared an extremely thick dome of magma for him and the General. The red warrior had fire appearing on his hands, ready to fly at him. The blue had lighting jumping around his body, the yellow had stone gauntlets covering her hands, the Green with vines, and the pink with light.

After making sure the magma dome had completely covered his allies, Prometheus screamed, "TWENTIETH-TIER TECHNIQUE, [GOD'S WRATH]!" while raising a single hand into the air as if imploring the heavens. He also whispered very quickly, taking up milliseconds, "I think the Administrator or the Gods use concepts from Earth because they're lazy bastar-" That was enough to gather electric particles in the air in an instant. This time, Prometheus didn't worry about insulating his cells. A last bound made him reach the five colored clowns, already using various techniques and whatnot. The spectators had their jaws dropped at the mention of a twentieth-tier technique, making him think it was a big deal. Then, the sky divided in half. All movement ceased, and for just a fraction of an instant, the world became pure light and power. Sound could not travel as the air molecules themselves had been reduced to nothingness. Prometheus, on the other hand, did not feel a single thing. A lighting strike as thick as a hill roared at him, continuing to strike him over and over, almost in protest at his immunity to it. When the Tribulation subsided, Theo could scan his surroundings. Naturally, the ground around him was gone, vaporized. An abyss more than a kilometer deep appeared all around Prometheus, making him stand on a very small platform, which was spared from destruction. When normality returned, the results were not something the mind could conjure up: Nothing remained of the surroundings in a radius of a hundred meters around the shapeshifter, except rocky, bubbling ground. A magma globe rolled on the ground, fortunately being intact. Even then, everything outside the one-hundred radius had been shattered to dust, but not completely obliterated by the strike. Before he could walk up to his allies, many notifications appeared in front of him,

The God of Deception smiles at your theatrical control of the stage, +1 Mind!

The God of Destruction and Death applauds your thirst for total annihilation, +2 Body!

The Administrator is intrigued by your clever use of System Mechanics, +5 Soul!

The God of Life and Peace frowns upon your merciless killing of many innocents, Low-rank Enchantment Breaking skill purged!

Congratulations, for having killed more than a million humans at once, you obtained a new title!

Title: Climate Activist. Killing all those people will surely reduce the strain on the planet, right? Well done! Any action you take for the benefit of Eventum will be skewed in your favor.

Congratulations, for attracting the attention of four God-like beings at the same time, you obtained a new trait!

Trait: Leading actor.

Prometheus frowned at seeing the lost skill, shouting at the sky, "HEY! IT'S NOT FAIR THAT THE LIFE GOD TOOK A SKILL AWAY WHILE THE OTHERS JUST GAVE ME STATS!" Theo raised a fist and shook it, trying to prove his point better. Another notification appeared, surprisingly,

The God of Justice and Fairness wishes to contact you. Accept?

Prometheus nodded mentally, feeling like some fairness was required here. Then, a voice sounded in his head, profoundly different than anything he had ever heard. This one had a certain weight he couldn't describe.

"Greetings, Prometheus. I am the God of-"

"I know, I know just give me my skill back," Interrupted the shapeshifter, annoyed by the waste of time. He held his hand forward, certain that the God could see it.

"It has come to my attention that a skill was wrongfully taken away from you. Is that accurate?" Asked the God with a certain hint of amusement in their voice. He couldn't identify if it was a man's voice or a woman's.

"Yes, that's true. So I want it back."

"Unfortunately, that is not possible. Once a skill is purged by a God, it can never be given back. So, I wanted to offer you something of equal value." Offered the God.

"It better be good." Replied Prometheus while tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Naturally. I offer you the Elemental Resistance trait, with it you'll-"

"That sounds so incredibly boring. Give me something like Nuclear craftsmanship or something. Or even better, a skill that makes all types of crafting easier!" Exclaimed the shapeshifter while emphasizing his words with his hands.

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"I have to offer you equal compensation, I cannot give something that will exceed-"

"Listen to me, for a moment. What I just lost, is a skill of monumental importance. The ability to break enchantments is incredibly overpowered, just look at that wall!" Theo then pointed to the section of the wall that wasn't vaporized in the distance.

"Do you see how full of enchantments that thing is? Enchantments can improve anything that's not alive, do you understand? It can be some species' ultimate weapon and bulwark, and I was taken away the tool to deal with it! Plus, I received that skill after destroying a very valuable sword from the Administrator. Am I correct, Administrator?"

The Administrator nods at your words.

"For that reason, I believe an ultimate crafting skill is the minimum you can do for me!" Finished Theo, conviction dripping off of his voice.

The God sighed, continuing, "You'll never accept anything else, will you?"

"Never!" Exclaimed Theo happily.

The God sighed deeply once again, relenting to Theo's request, "Very well. Take this skill and begone! And don't even say that I've been unfair to you!"

Perfected manufacturing has been gifted by the God of Justice and Fairness.

"There you are. That skill is one of the most powerful in terms of craftsmanship, as it is the ranked-up version of High-rank Generalized Crafting. I've also incorporated your Chemistry skill into it. Satisfied now?" Asked the God tiredly.

Prometheus nodded happily, exclaiming, "Very much so. Thank you!" He said while waving his hand into the hair, feeling the connection getting severed.

The Gods cackle at your manipulation of their peer.

Congratulations! For saving your owners from a secret society, you obtained a reward!

Reward: Dino plushie.

A small plushie in the shape of a brontosaurus appeared in front of Theo, who quickly put it in his inventory. The kids are gonna love it. He then jumped over the abyss, walking over to the sphere of magma. Naturally, he took the opportunity to shift back into his Camel-like form, preparing to transport the four humans once again. Two monsters walked out of the dissolving barrier, both of them looking at Theo with wide eyes. For the General's eye stalks, they focused on him intently, giving the impression of wide eyes.

"Private. Explain to me what just happened." asked the tree monster neutrally.

"I used your advice to weaponize my immunity to Tribulations, sir." Explained Theo in a matter-of-fact way. He couldn't understand why the two monsters were so surprised, after all, Theo had only killed a bit over a million people. Wait a second. Is that a lot? Well, too late to think about it now. Maybe, Theo thought, the Major and the General were really impressed with his actions! Yes, that's the explanation that made the most sense in the shapeshifter's mind. After all, nothing he could do was wrong, he supposed.

Espanto stroked his beard, chuckling slightly, "Well done once again. These useless slugs deserve everything that comes to them and more. Next time, inform me of your plans, not just the Major. Other than that, good job," He pointed a root upwards, imitating a thumbs up. Prometheus studied the General's form, noticing how the monster vaguely resembled a humanoid. The General hates humans a lot for someone with a humanoid form.

After that, Theo took his four owners on his back, beginning their walk back to the base. The General had explained how he would need many hours to make the launch pods, requiring the three monsters to rest in a campsite far away from Golden Lake, the city they had just escaped from.

The group decided to choose an empty clearing in the pink forest, not needing any tents as they were all monsters. The flaming snake burrowed himself into the ground, excavating a large cavern by himself. The tree monster spent his time working on the four launch pods, three for the monsters and one for Theo's owners.

Prometheus decided to lay the four humans on the ground, where beds made of leaves and fur awaited them. They were still sleeping soundly, but at least the kids' fevers seemed to have lessened, making Theo relax slightly. The shapeshifter had started a small campfire to keep the humans warm, cooking a rabbit he found in the surroundings. This isn't a rabbit from Earth. Its torso is too big, its teeth are too sharp and the muscles in its legs are much too powerful. I'll make sure it tastes decent. Prometheus excavated the ground in his ant form for a moment, which reminded him of how much he missed the digging skill. After finding what he was looking for, salt rocks, he crushed them into fine dust, scooping it all with shifted forelegs and putting it in his inventory. Using the same trick he had used for the nitroglycerin, Theo separated the salt from the other impurities, creating perfectly pure salt. The rabbit was almost done, so he sprinkled salt around the meat, hoping it would improve its flavor.

Mr. Fluffernutter had never had the opportunity to tell him what the man and his children liked eating, so he didn't know if they would like it. The first to wake up was the father, who looked around worriedly, gaze settling on the golden ant. Prometheus waved a foreleg amicably and asked, "Hello, sir. How did you sleep?" The man panickedly looked around, breath and heart rate speeding up before he saw his kids peacefully sleeping by his side, covered by heavy clothes and a fur blanket, calming him down.

"Prometheus, that's you, right?" Asked the man, already knowing the answer.

"That's correct, sir. I don't think anyone else would prioritize your well-being as much as me!" The shapeshifter posed heroically, managing to steal a chuckle from the skinny father.

"You're completely right, Prometheus. Also, please don't call me sir. It-" Mr. Fluffernutter clutched his head in pain, groans escaping his mouth. Theo immediately moved to the man's side, hoping to be of any assistance. "Sorry, just had some migraines these last few months. I assume an almost total lack of food might do that to a man, eh?" Said Fluffernutter, releasing a sad giggle.

The shapeshifter wordlessly moved to the rabbit, which was perfectly done. He hoped the bald man liked medium-rare meat. The steaming rabbit on a stick smelled of earth and had a tinge of grass to it, probably a result of its diet and its otherwordly origin. Prometheus had formed some nostrils just to see what it smelled like. The man took the rabbit kebab and bit into it, blowing on the meat as it was too hot to eat immediately.

"As I was saying, please don't call me 'sir'. It feels so cold and corporate, I hate it. Call me Arthur, Prometheus."

Theo tilted his head to the side, thinking, Arthur? He decided to express his doubt, "You can call me Theo. Isn't your name Fluffernutter?"

The father scowled at no one in particular, harboring an annoyed face, "That's my family name. You don't realize how many times I've thought of changing it, only to be stopped by my parents calling me a 'coward' for not carrying my family name proudly. Every time I walked to my local Name change office, guilt would eat me alive, thinking of the disappointed faces of my parents..." He sighed, lowering the rabbit kebab. "I guess that doesn't matter anymore," Arthur glanced to his side, eyes resting on the sleeping forms of his children.

"Did you take care of them, Theo?" Asked the man weakly, eyes fixed on an empty spot in front of his face.

"Of course, Arthur. As soon as I arrived, they were suffering from fevers and various infections around their bodies. I took care of them and bandaged their wounds. Now that I have some time, I'll properly regenerate their injuries with my genetic capabilities. Those crazy priests have done a lot of damage to them, I could tell."

Mr. Fluffernutter's face shifted immediately into a mix of rage and sorrow, teeth barred out, eyebrows furrowed, tears flowing down. Sobs started escaping the man's mouth, interrupted by a rough cough. After he had regenerated the injuries on the children, the shapeshifter moved closer to Mr. Fluffernutter, asking the man to let Theo inspect his blood and check for any problems. Arthur nodded weakly, presenting his right arm, to which the shapeshifter replied by implanting a small needle, which extracted a small amount of blood.

Theo analyzed it, mentally frowning at the disease. That's not normal. I've never seen a virus like that. The last time I interacted with a weird microbe was when I tried to save that girl for money, back at the noble's place. But this is different. More like... a parasite? It's not damaging his cells, but it's still stealing nutrients and causing inflammation. I'll register its DNA for good measure and purge it. Prometheus sent a couple of modified Hunter-cells, designed to tackle and destroy the viruses while remaining invisible to the immune system. Just after fifteen minutes, the virus was completely gone. Theo nodded, moving to check the kids once again, for good measure. Nodding at the healthy children, he sat back with his owner.

"Theo, what do you think..." Started Mr.Fluffernutter, clearly searching for the right words, "What do you think happened to us? I tried asking the monsters that rescued us, but they didn't say much."

"I know as much as you, sir- I mean Arthur. As soon as I appeared in this world, a notification appeared in my mind about arriving on a new planet. Other than that, I have no idea." Replied Prometheus.

The bald man nodded, taking a bite out of the kebab. After chewing a bit, he continued, "Do you also have that weird screen in your mind that appears when you think 'Status'? Apparently, all four of us got it, and some notifications informed us of 'titles' and other stuff that we got."

Prometheus nodded, explaining briefly his understanding of each part of the System. Mr. Fluffernutter nodded, appreciating the useful information. The shapeshifter additionally asked the man to share his Status, which he did so immediately,

Name: Arthur Fluffernutter.

Stats: Body:12

Mind:10

Soul:10

Skills: Low-rank Survival sense lvl 2

Traits: None

Titles: Otherworlder: You have traveled to Eventum from another world. You gain twice as many Stat points as usual, and you are resistant to environments in a vacuum.

Shouldn't I have gotten that title as well? Prometheus stored that doubt away, focusing on Arthur's progress. The man had 12 Body, which wasn't bad in Theo's opinion. The skill Survival sense intrigued the shapeshifter, so he asked about it.

"Oh, that 'skill' thing? I got that after we spent around three weeks in the wilderness, gathering food and water. After I got it, I could tell from instinct which fruits were edible and which weren't, alongside other things. It was a real struggle, we almost died many times. But thankfully, Major Fuoco rescued us and gave us everything we needed, in exchange for my medical knowledge."

"Arthur, sir, The timeline doesn't fit. I haven't been in this world for as long as you have, but I'm certain that we disappeared at the same time from Earth..." Mr. Fluffernutter shrugged, not focusing too much on another mystery. Just then, the three kids groggily woke up, Atlas being the first of the three. The oldest brother with curly blonde hair scanned his surroundings, panicking at the environment. He calmed down when he saw his dad relaxing next to him, but he still exclaimed, "D-Dad, there's a giant ant!"

Arthur giggled and replied, "That's Prometheus, do you remember that cat we had at home that could talk? That's him, he can shapeshift." Theo nodded and stored most of his biomass in his inventory, transforming into the exact same cat shape he had used back at the mansion on Earth. That seemed to calm the kid down, who cautiously moved to pet Theo's head. The other two children, the brown-haired Orion and the red-haired Freya woke up soon after, immediately joining their father's side.

Petting Prometheus seemed to improve their mood somewhat, so the shapeshifter purred and acted more cat-like. The bald man faced the three children and began, "Kids, I-I'm sorry for everything that has happened to you. It should have..." A sob interrupted his voice, "It should have been my responsibility as a father to protect you from the evils of this world, and still, I couldn't..." Another wave of tears seemed to come from the man's eyes. Prometheus studied this new side of his owner, which seemed to have appeared after his experience with the secret society. A vow formed inside Theo's Soul, resonating with his body,

For everything that I am worth, I will get back there, and kill every single member of that cult. May the Gods take everything away from me, including my life, should I not achieve this goal.

The Gods have accepted your vow! They will reward you greatly should you accomplish it, but will also punish you should you fail! Additionally, they have given you one month's time to accomplish it. Good luck!

The children bore saddened faces upon seeing their father in such a condition, so Freya said, "Dad, please don't cry! You know we will always love you forever!" Orion added, "Yes, Freya is right! If you cry, I'll cry too!". Atlas continued, "You did your best, please don't say it's your fault!".

The three children moved to hug their father, still overwhelmed by his circumstances. His sons and daughter initiated another wave of tears from the man, but this time, they were born of happiness. Smiles and tears flowed like a river through a valley, warming Theo's heart. Seeing the family happy was the greatest thing he had seen, thus far. The shapeshifter promised himself to protect this family with everything he had.