"In what sense?" Ryuk asked with curiosity.
"I can see your cup too. But there's a problem." Isha said as she narrowed her eyes at Ryuk's heart, her gaze filled with confusion.
"When I look into your cup...I can't see its end. You don't understand."
"Others' cups can be easily seen. I can even see the liquid inside, peering straight through and gauging everything at a glance. But you..." She frowned.
"Even when I look directly down at your cup, I can't see its depth. It's incredibly deep. Really, really deep."
"Because it's so deep, I have no idea how much liquid you have inside. That means I have no clue how strong you really are."
"That was why I didn't help out in the battle with the Colossal. I was hoping it would force you to reveal your strength, so I could finally gauge whether that liquid inside your cup is plenty or barely a drop."
Isha's explanation made Ryuk furrow his brows.
"I guess you've gotten your answer..." he muttered.
"Yes. That was why I said you're really weak," Isha nodded. "Your cup might be bottomless, but no matter how deep it is, if what you displayed in that battle wasn't far from your full capability, then that liquid inside must be very little. You have a cup with an unfathomable depth—so much space—yet the liquid within is so small."
"When compared to the cup you have, it's so ridiculously low, it's not even worth a comparison."
"If the liquid signifies one's strength, then I wonder… what does the cup itself stand for?" Isha rubbed her jaw in thought before she eventually gave up, letting her head fall into Ryuk's lap as she drifted into slumber.
But while Ryuk gently patted her head, his mind was in turmoil, unable to stay calm anymore.
[Does Host know what the cup signifies?]
The system's notification flashed before his eyes, making Ryuk stare at Isha's icy-blue scales for a while, remaining silent.
'Potential. The cup signifies potential,' Ryuk replied in his mind.
[Correct. Host's potential is as deep as an abyss. But that abyss needs to be filled with strength, and even with Host's intense training over the past few months, she still couldn't see Host's strength at all.]
[That's like dropping a single drop of water into a dried well—so little, it wouldn't even be visible.]
"What are you trying to say?"
[What I'm trying to say is that Host has truly been working hard these past months, giving it his all. That is undeniable. But compared to what Host is truly capable of, it's like a single drop of water in a vast, dried-up abyss.]
The system's words slammed into his mind, and a thick vein bulged on Ryuk's forehead, though his hand continued gently patting Isha's head, never wavering.
[Host is giving it his all, but as Host can see, it's useless. It doesn't have much effect compared to what Host is truly capable of.]
[Isha can see the cups of others—even the instructors. Their cups are small, which is why the liquid they have seems enough to fill them.]
[But Host is not like them. Host's potential for growth is like an abyss.]
[Those people Host trains with can easily fill up their cups. Why?]
[Because their cups are small!]
[Their little effort is enough because their potential doesn't have much space to fill.]
[In due time, they will fill it up and reach the peak of their potential.]
[But what about Host? Host's cup is an abyss.]
[If Host keeps training at this tempo, how long will it take to fill it? Huh?]
[Does Host really have a million years to fill up his abyss of potential?]
[When Host's instructor, Madwhite, speaks of those 25-year-old interdimensional beings powerful enough to make half of Endearth's entire force stand up in battle…]
[Host must understand—these are people with much larger potential compared to Endearthians.]
[Their cups must be bigger, and with them having such immense strength at just 25, then just like Madwhite said—there must be something that allows them to fill their cups faster!]
[Whatever it is, Host must find out! Only then will Host truly be able to fill up his potential at the correct speed]
[Right now, Host's growth pace might seem impressive to Endearthians with their tiny cups of potential.]
[But to anyone who understands Host's true potential? It's trash.]
"What are you saying!?"
[I'm saying it's time Host steels his mind and enters that portal. Find out how those other interdimensional beings were able grow so fast.]
'You're essentially telling me to go throw my life away in a Lord-Rank portal!' Ryuk shot back.
But the system wasn't backing down.
[Host is allowing his environment to define him. Lord-Rank portal or not, 25-year-olds have come out of it. And I can bet my existence they don't have half the same potential as Host.]
[Host's potential is far greater.]
[But how will Host ever reach his full capability if he never tries to move beyond his comfort zone which is exactly what the whole of Endearth is?]
[Host, you're no Endearthian!]
[A race of weaklings who have only just started grappling with Apex Energy is not what Host is.]
[Host belongs to a race known for their domination—not just over other races, but entire planetary systems across the universe.]
[They are apex predators, beyond anything these fragile Endearthians can comprehend.]
[Host needs to start seeing himself as what he truly is.]
[And just so Host knows—when those people come for him, as Unveiled Bob's prophecy foretold, they won't be Endearthians.]
[If they share a familial connection with Host, then they most likely have Host's same bottomless potential too.]
[Unlike Host, who is still afraid of figuring out how to fill up that bottomless cup faster…]
[Theirs will likely be filled to the brim already.]
[The moment a familial being to Host arrives on Endearth, even if they have only half the depth of Host's cup, their energy wave alone will probably reduce this entire planet to dust—without them even lifting a finger.]