Billionaire Reboot: Building A New World Order
Chapter 58: Upward 2

Chapter 58: Upward 2

Once the flames settled down, Terrence kept practicing.

He opened and closed his hand, trying to shape the fire into small balls, thin whips, and short streams.

At first, the fire broke apart or went out.

But after about an hour, it started to move the way he wanted. Each time he made a ball, it stayed together longer.

When he felt ready, he let the fire fade away.

’That’s enough fire for now.’

Looking around at the trees, he felt a cool breeze drift through the clearing. It reminded him of the next element he wanted to learn.

Wind.

Unlike fire, wind didn’t have color or shape he could see. Controlling it would take more focus.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in slowly, pulling the air into his body. He guided his mana to mix with it. A soft tingling spread through his arms.

Small currents of air moved around his skin. The leaves on the ground shook as the wind pressure grew stronger.

’Stay steady... don’t let it scatter,’ he told himself, tightening his control.

Wind liked to spread in every direction. It was harder to hold it together compared to fire. But he didn’t rush.

Lifting one hand, he focused on shaping the air into a strong gust along the side of his palm.

The first try failed—the air just slipped away.

He tried again.

This time, a thin shimmer appeared on his hand. It felt like a small, steady gale pressing against his skin.

Swinging it through the air, he heard a soft whoosh and saw leaves scatter in a narrow path where the gust passed.

A small smile formed on his face.

’Better.’

Time passed as he kept practicing until he was completely exhausted.

Night came, and to his excitement, his mana started refilling much faster.

His body also felt stronger and more awake.

This was because of the Lunar State, a special effect that boosted his energy whenever the moon was high in the sky.

’So this is why people kill for a moonstone. The effect is really good. I’m lucky I managed to get one.’

’Now that I think about it, I remember there were special minerals even before the apocalypse. I should try to find them too.’

He made a mental note to search for them later.

If he could stacked up their effects early on then he would be unrivaled in the early years .

And he really needed this advantage. Even though his talent had doubled, he still wasn’t at the level of those so-called generational geniuses.

To put this into perspective, a true genius could still catch up to him, even if he managed to reach the third stage first.

That was how unfair their talent was. They were blessed by mana.

’No, I can’t sell myself short. I might not have the same starting potential, but I can still surpass them by gathering more resources and claiming all the powerful artifacts first.’

With that in mind, he began practicing again. For now, he only focused on two elements. Adding more would just make it harder to master them.

Why?

Although neutral mana was flexible, it still needed certain conditions to control more than one element. One of the most important was having enough mana capacity.

And right now, he could barely handle two elements without losing too much efficiency.

’I have so many ideas, but my body can’t keep up yet,’

.

.

.

Few days later

Terrence sat up straighter as the plane began to descend.

Cabin lights dimmed, and a soft chime sounded overhead.

Moments later, a voice came through the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’ll be arriving at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport in about fifteen minutes. The weather is clear, with a temperature of eight degrees Celsius."

He paused for a moment.

"Please make sure your seat belts are fastened and your seats are in the upright position. Cabin crew, prepare for landing."

A quiet rustle passed through the rows as passengers adjusted their belts and put away their devices.

Through the small window, distant city lights grew brighter as the plane dropped lower in the night sky.

’I can’t believe my first time traveling overseas is just me trying to break into a big-time arms dealer’s mansion,’ he found this quite funny.

They landed with a soft bump, then slowed.

When the seatbelt sign turned off, he stood and pulled his bag from the overhead bin. Joining the line of passengers, he stepped out of the cabin.

Inside the airport, the cold air hit him right away. The tall glass windows showed patches of snow along the edges of the runway.

At the baggage claim, people stood in small groups as he looked for whoever was sent to meet him.

There stood a woman wearing a thick gray coat, and sunglasses .

Though she looked more muscular than Anna, there was still something soft in her face that made her pretty in a different way.

When their eyes met, she gave a short nod.

"You must be James Bishop," she said in accented English. "Welcome to Russia."

She didn’t bother to hide her dislike.

He just ignored it and followed her out of the building.

They walked across the lot to a black SUV parked near the curb.

click!

She opened the back door without saying anything.

Terrence climbed in and set his bag on the seat beside him.

VROOOOM!

They left the airport and drove for over an hour. The tall buildings and city lights slowly disappeared behind them.

Soon, fields covered in frost stretched out on both sides of the road.

They finally pulled into a small property that looked like a little farm.

A wooden fence circled the land, and a few sheds stood near an old farmhouse.

The woman parked the SUV and stepped out without waiting for him.

’What a warm welcome. She didn’t even introduce herself,’ he sighed, stepping out of the car.

It already felt like it would be a pain to try and befriend this group.

If that was the case, then it would be better to make them acknowledge him through his own skills.

But just before he could meet this so-called mercenaries, a figure suddenly rose from a pile of snow, a knife gripped in hand.

Terrence didn’t panic. He already noticed the attacker long before.

He just waited until the blade got close, then grabbed it with his bare hand.

"Do that again and I’ll kill you," he warned, clenching his fist.

The knife groaned as he bent the metal out of shape like it was nothing.

However, it did little to stop the figure, who launched a high kick toward the head.

Terrence caught the attack with one hand. "What a hassle."

Using the momentum, he spun around and threw the attacker back into the snow.

Almost immediately, the figure jumped back to his feet.

He started twirling another knife in quick motions.

Step by step, he moved in a circle, trying to find a gap and an opening to strike.

’Wow, an initiation test. How original,’

Honestly, he thought bending a knife with his bare hand was enough to show his dominance.

But this mercenary was proving to be stubborn.

"Hey, if you’re going to test me, then all of you come out. It’ll be too easy if you don’t." he taunted.

More people emerged from the snow. They all looked like highly trained soldiers.

"Come on," he said, waving them closer. "I don’t have time to play fighting with you kids."

Without missing a beat, four of them rushed forward.

The first attacker lunged fast, aiming for his side. Terrence twisted just enough to avoid the blade and caught the man’s wrist.

With a quick step forward, he locked the arm and flipped the soldier over his shoulder, slamming him onto his back in the snow.

Before the man even groaned, the second came in low, trying to sweep his legs.

Terrence hopped over the leg and brought his knee down on the attacker’s shoulder, pinning him in place.

With one hand, he pushed the soldier’s head into the snow to keep him still.

The third fighter closed in with precise jabs, each thrust aimed at vital spots.

Terrence moved like water, slipping between the strikes until he started to feel bored.

"Hey, if this is all you’ve got, then I’m getting the short end here because I have to carry a bunch of amateurs."

His words were harsh, but none of them could talk back after failing attempt after attempt.

In the end, they were forced to acknowledge him.

The leader stepped forward. He was tall with a lean build and broad shoulders.

A short beard traced his jawline, and a thin scar ran across the bridge of his nose.

"I’m Leon. Welcome to the team. I thought Dr. Ivan was sending a rookie, but you’re more than qualified."

Terrence took his hand and gave it a firm shake, feeling the last bit of tension vanish.

"Go and greet him," Leon commanded.

One by one, the other mercenaries climbed to their feet, brushing snow from their clothes.

They looked embarrassed but tried to stand tall.

Leon gestured to the first man. "This is Viktor, our expert in explosives."

Next was Mikhail. An Engineer.

The third one was Daniel, a hacker — but not just some tech guy hiding behind a screen.

He was also a trained soldier who had once served in the navy.

The quality of this group was pretty high.

Although most of them specialized in certain fields— they were still skilled in combat one way or another.

’This will do... for now.’